The Guest Experience Manager (GEM) will own the in-terminal customer experience for the URW concessions program at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX). By partnering closely with the URW Airports and LAX Management teams, the GEM will work closely with concession retailers, stakeholders, and terminal employees to deliver a world-class customer experience. This candidate will elevate our commitment to employees, champion our ambitious customer service program goals, and deliver a high-quality passenger experience to drive sales and experience.
The Guest Experience Manager will be responsible for all customer service training, performance measurement and employee engagement initiatives that enhance and impact the overall airport experience. This role will actively support marketing and operation teams with projects including marketing campaigns, digital initiatives, terminal events, workforce hiring, and community involvement programs that support driving sales to our retail partners.
This role is full-time based at Los Angeles International Airport and will be on-site 5 days a week. The individual is expected to be highly engaged with retailers and concessions employees and will spend much of their time in-terminal to accomplish that. Specific hours may be set with the local team, but individual must be flexible to adjust hours as projects require including occasional early mornings, evenings, and weekends as needed.
Specific roles and responsibilities include, but are not limited to:
FOCUS AREAS & RESPONSIBILITIES
Customer Experience (CX)
(60% of time)
Tools & Training
Facilitate all classroom training initiatives on a quarterly basis, including New Hire Orientation and Sales & Service training
Onboard new stores and support training on new marketing, digital and CX programs to ensure "Day One" readiness to sell
Manage and coordinate all leadership training courses offered; Collaborate with external training partners
Prepare communications and materials for all training classes (email invitiations, attendance tracking by operator, signage, training materials, F&B, etc.)
Publish quarterly "Coach's Corner," a training tool for concession managers
Implement "One More Thing" sales campaign to motivate all concession team members to drive sales
Ongoing development and maintenance of the Employee Resource Center (e.g., online modules, newsletters, upcoming events, data, etc.)
Performance Measurement
Collaborate with external vendors and stakeholders to regulate the mystery shop program (quarterly in-store evaluations, bi-annual mobile ordering evaluations); Review and share results of LAWA evaluations (quarterly in-store evaluations and facility audits)
Audit all mystery shop scores & complete action plans with store managers when scores fall below goal of 90%
Monitor online reviews to ensure we maintain goal of >3 stars; Partner with concessions leadership on increasing total number of reviews and increasing star ranking
Conduct terminal walk-throughs and collaborate with concession managers to develop "on the spot" coaching and/or action plans to correct under-performing behaviors
Create and distribute quarterly CX report cards for concession managers to track performance in mystery shop scores and online reviews/guest comments
Monitor quarterly Airport Service Quality (ASQ) scores to identify trends and areas for improvement; Develop and implement corrective action plans as necessary to reach terminal goals
Reward & Recognition
Recognize, reward, and spotlight employees who score 100% on internal mystery shops with through our Club Exceptional program
Maintain internal newsletter communications (email + mobile text club) on a monthly and quarterly basis, and develop ad hoc employee communication campaigns
Marketing
(30% of time)
In partnership with the Head of Marketing, execute in-terminal programs, campaigns, and events to drive retailer sales performance and increase passenger and employee experience (e.g., live music, sampling, in-store promotions, store openings, and more)
Partner with retailers and stakeholders to gather and provide locally relevant content, retailer sales/deals, seasonal sales promotions, digital sales promotions, and key airport information for integration into marketing calendar and campaigns
Monitor performance of marketing campaigns and assist in preparation of presentations, recap reports, and support documents for clients and stakeholders
Coordinate and support community program including event implementation
Support website and Airport-managed employee app updates to keep concessions/terminal information accurate
Operations
(10% of time)
Lead and coordinate employee retention strategy, hiring, onboarding initiatives, job fairs and tenant meetings
Collaborate with concessions managers to retain up-to-date employee tracking rosters
Manage CX and marketing vendor contracts, set up, and payments
Set up purchase orders and accurate GL account coding, review, and approval of invoices in the accounts payable system
Qualifications
Minimum 3 years in a customer service role with marketing and retail experience a plus
Strong oral, written, and presentation communication skills with preferred experience in facilitating training classes
Excellent people skills along with problem solving and time management ability
Demonstrated team player
Strong organizational ability and can effectively manage multiple projects in a fast-paced environment
Analytical and problem-solving skills
Must be proficient on Microsoft Office platform and Adobe Suite
Ability to obtain airport security badge, including background check and fingerprinting for in-terminal access
Ability to walk terminal and support lifting and carrying up to 25 lbs.
Must be flexible to work at events which may include early mornings, nights, and weekends
*Percentages of time spent on each discipline may shift at any time based on need. For example when new stores are opening, more time may be spent supporting marketing on grand opening projects vs CX initiatives.
This position is based in-person at Los Angeles International Airport and is on-site 5 days a week.
What is important to us
Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield (URW) is driven by an entrepreneurial foundation of talented and ambitious employees who embrace change, strive for innovation, and know when to venture into uncharted terrain. Teams within URW are collaborative and thrive by working together to seize opportunity and solve challenges. Employees receive mentorship and guidance while being empowered to drive their initiatives, embracing their individuality and unique backgrounds. URW's flagship destinations are interwoven into the community fabric, and we give employees the power to be impactful in their work and lead meaningful change in our communities through volunteering, DE&I programming and leading ESG efforts. URW is an innovator and trend setter in experiential entertainment and is making bold moves to be a brand that creates inspiring consumer experiences in-person and digitally. Breaking beyond conventional beliefs, URW is surprising and delighting customers by reinventing being together and creating memorable moments.
Our company purpose - to Reinvent Being Together - is about reimagining how individuals and communities come together, socialize, and enjoy dynamic experiences alongside one another in entirely new ways. We are at our best when we are TOGETHER safely and joyfully.
Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield is an equal opportunity employer that embraces diversity of backgrounds, perspectives, experience, and skills. We believe that diversity plays an important part in the success of our business, and we are committed to creating an environment which respects, values, celebrates and makes the most of people's differences.
We evaluate qualified applicants without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, and other legally protected characteristics.
Join us in Creating Sustainable Places That Reinvent Being Together!