Patron Services & Database Senior Manager

Special Instructions to Applicants: In PDF form, applicants should attach a resume and cover letter in the Supporting Documents section of the application. Please include detailed information about your experience with Tessitura and box office operations in your resume.

About Rice

Boasting a 300-acre tree-lined campus in Houston, Texas, Rice University is ranked among the nation’s top 20 universities by U.S. News & World Report. Rice has a 6-to-1 undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio and a residential college system, which supports students intellectually, emotionally, and culturally through social events, intramural sports, student plays, lecture series, courses, and student government. Developing close-knit, diverse college communities is a strong campus tradition, which is why Rice is highly ranked for best quality of life and best value among private universities. 

Rice is also a wonderful place to work. Rice faculty, staff, and students share values that are essential to our success as a healthy community. Those values guide our decisions and behaviors and shape Rice’s culture. They come through in the way we treat each other and the welcome we extend to our visitors. These values can be recalled simply by our name — RICE — Responsibility, Integrity, Community, and Excellence.

Position Summary

The Shepherd School of Music at Rice University is seeking a highly motivated and customer-centric individual to support the school’s ticketing and box office operations, including management of the Tessitura database. The position oversees all activities of patron services in coordination with the Director of Marketing and Communications, with the goal of building long-term and sustainable patron relationships and revenue as the school celebrates its 50th anniversary. 

The Shepherd School of Music hosts over 400 performances each school year and implemented its first ticketing software, Tessitura v16, in August 2023. The school’s 24/25 season includes approximately 30 ticketed performances, including reserved seating and general admission events. Pricing models for performances range from completely free to pay-what-you-wish and standard single tickets. Subscription packages and fundraising efforts are not currently utilized with Tessitura.

The ideal candidate has exceptional ticketing setup and database management knowledge, specifically in a Tessitura environment. The person should be a self-starter who equally enjoys engaging with concertgoers and running the daily operations of a small-scale box office. Someone who is positive, patient, friendly, organized, and detail-oriented will excel in this position. 

Workplace Requirements

This position is exclusively on-site, necessitating all duties to be performed in person at the Shepherd School of Music. It requires evening and weekend hours, especially during the school year, to oversee box office operations during performances and events. Per Rice policy 440, work arrangements may be subject to change. 

This is a full-time, benefits-eligible position, and the proposed salary range is $63,100 to $80,000 annually, depending on qualifications and experience. *Exempt (salaried) positions under FLSA are not eligible for overtime. 

Minimum Requirements

• Bachelor's degree
  • In lieu of the education requirement, additional related experience, above and beyond what is required, on an equivalent year-for-year basis may be substituted
• 3+ years of experience using the Tessitura database in a ticketing management/box office and patron services role.
  •  Required Tessitura knowledge: constituent record management, data hygiene, system tables, security, facility builds, price zones, production elements and performances, pricing, modes of sale, TNEW, and advanced ticket order processing.

Skills: 

• Strong knowledge of Tessitura, primarily in ticketing and database management
• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills, including written and oral
• Demonstrated ability to make sound decisions that reinforce or build patron relationships, often requiring the combination of good business judgment and creative problem-solving
• Proven ability to manage multiple projects simultaneously while meeting deadlines
• Strong attention to detail and the ability to check one’s own work for accuracy 
• Excellent planning, organizational, and analytical skills
• Demonstrated abilit