Description
The Santa Barbara Zoo seeks a Chief Experience & Revenue Officer to serve as the architect of one of the most beloved guest experiences on the California coast.
Created at a defining moment, following a rigorous strategic planning process and ahead of an ambitious master planning effort, this new executive role brings together hospitality, earned revenue, audience growth, and experience design under unified leadership, all in service of the Zoo's mission to conserve the natural world.
This is a role for a creative, commercially astute builder: someone who sees the full arc of a guest's journey, from first digital impression to final farewell, and understands how hospitality, conservation, science, education, and community engagement come together to create meaningful and memorable experiences. Reporting to President and CEO Charles Hopper and serving on the Executive Leadership Team, the CXRO will help shape not only how the Zoo grows its earned revenue, but how every visit deepens a guest's connection to wildlife and inspires lifelong engagement.
The CXRO leads the strategy and performance of the Zoo's earned-revenue operations and guest-facing programs — admissions and ticketing, food and beverage, retail, special events and facility rentals, marketing and brand, and on-site guest services. Equally fluent in the language of commerce and the language of mission, the CXRO can build a pricing and yield strategy in the morning and spend the afternoon on the grounds with frontline teams, listening to guests and spotting the next great experience idea.
To view the full Job Profile, click HERE
Requirements
The Santa Barbara Zoo seeks an experienced, intellectually curious, and commercially sophisticated leader who pairs genuine creativity with disciplined financial acumen. The ideal candidate has built and grown earned-revenue portfolios and guest experience operations at scale, and is energized by the chance to do so in service of a beloved conservation institution with a spectacular setting and a deeply engaged community.
- Executive leadership — progressive leadership experience in guest experience, attractions, hospitality, cultural institutions, or related fields, with executive-level responsibility for both revenue and customer experience.
- Revenue track record — a proven record of driving sustainable earned-revenue growth and leading multi-disciplinary teams across functions such as admissions, food and beverage, retail, events, and guest services.
- Innovator's mindset — comfortable testing new ideas and experiences, evaluating new business models, and building a culture of experimentation and continuous improvement.
- Data fluency — fluency with modern revenue and engagement platforms, including pricing strategy, CRM, and audience insight, with the judgment to know when data should lead and when mission, instinct, or relationships should.
- Mission-driven spirit — guest-obsessed and genuinely moved by the Zoo's purpose, able to connect commercial performance to conservation, education, and community impact.
- Sector experience — experience in mission-driven, nonprofit, or accredited cultural institutions is preferred; experience at a zoo, aquarium, museum, botanical garden, or major attraction is a plus.
- Values & education — a values-aligned leader committed to equity, inclusion, and accessibility, with a Bachelor's degree or equivalent experience; an advanced degree is welcome.
