Head of Patron Services

We have an exciting opportunity for someone with a passion for customer service to join our team to lead the Patron Services operations at our venues the Capitol Theatre, Sydney Lyric and Foundry Theatre. In this role, your energy and attention to detail is a critical part of making our theatres great venues for our up to 38,000 patrons per week to visit. Your ideas, work ethic, workplace pride, team spirit and commitment to safety are respected hallmarks of the role.
Foundation Theatres continues to grow its operations with the addition of the Foundry Theatre to our portfolio in 2025. We are seeking a candidates who are passionate about customer experience with strong leadership skills and exceptional attention to detail to join our leadership team through this exciting growth period.

About The Position

• Work Type: Full Time.
• Location: Pyrmont & Haymarket, NSW
• Hours of work: Varied, including weekends and evenings.

Your Day to Day

In this role you will enhance the Company’s vision for patron experiences in our venues, identifying customer needs and manage the operations within the Patron Services department. At a high level this will encompass:

• Operations | Manage all day-to-day operations within the department including managing the FOH areas, staffing levels, liaising with production on audience movements, managing patrons whilst in the venue, leading medical incidents and working with leadership team to ensure smooth and first-class theatre foyer operations.
• Customer Service | Proactively manage patron interactions & feedback professionally and act as the final point of intervention for incidents. Meet and manage key stakeholders and ensure that all staff within the department work toward supporting all patrons for an exceptional theatre experience.
• HR | Lead the recruiting, onboarding and training of a large pool of casual patron services staff. Manage rosters, timesheets and HR matters for all staff within the department ensuring maximum efficiency.  
• Leadership | Provide mentorship and leadership to the team. Implement and train team members on all company policies and procedures and be responsible for ensuring all staff in the department act in accordance with company policies. Develop policies and training plans for the management and the casual teams, including building content and engagement with training software and programs.

What it takes to be great in this role

• You should love our patrons and be passionate about making every person’s visit to the theatre exceptional. Ideally, you also love the theatre!
• You are confident in managing challenges and in theatre issues calmly.
• You should have a minimum of 7 years’ senior leadership experience in a fast paced, customer service role at the coalface. You must also have a current RSA.
• You will have great emotional intelligence and the ability to lead significant casual workforce and help train them on what it takes to thrive in the workplace.
• You will possess strong communication, leadership, organisational and HR skills with proven experience in hiring, motivating, training and leading a casual workforce.
• You will understand the important of process, for unifying process across operations and have a proven ability in communicating and implementing change.
• You will have strong computer skills and a desire to use software to help enhance our operations and prepare the business for growth.
• With a positive ‘can do’ attitude and desire to make a difference within the organisation, you should have the ability to spot and resolve problems efficiently with exceptional time management and an ability to multitask.

Why Foundation Theatres?

• We are offering a stable, full-time position with a generous salary aligned to experience.
• We bring the best commercial theatrical content from around the world to Sydney and provide an exciting environment for presenting exceptional 5-star theatre service.
• We are an Australian family owned and operated organisation. We have a small team with a flat structure, allowing direct and regular access to the executive team. This position is for someone looking for long term stability with the ability to have a voice and make a valuable contribution to our operations.
• We provide excellent growth opportunities both personally and professionally.
• Opportunities to see all our productions.
• A work environment that is inclusive and celebrates the diversity of people needed to bring our theatres to life each day.
• Wellness program that promotes personal wellness with additional leave days and an EAP program available

About Foundation Theatres

Foundation Theatres is an Australian family-owned theatre owner and operator. Our venues are two of Sydney’s premier theatres: The Capitol Theatre and Sydney Lyric. Our Vision is to provide exceptional, inspiring experiences for theatre makers and theatre goers. Our Mission is to operate thriving, internationally renowned, first-class theatres and to build a robust Australian theatre industry for generations to come.

Foundation Theatres is renowned for its innovative approach, determination, focus on excellence and passion for the theatre industry. With an absolute focus on customer experience, we recognise that the customer interaction does not start merely when patrons take a seat in the auditorium. Customers expect that they receive a complete end to end entertainment experience, and the Foundation Theatres team, across multiple functional areas, work diligently to ensure these expectations are exceeded.

How to Apply

Please apply with a covering letter addressing the selection criteria and your resume and send to kmurphy@foundationtheatres.com.au.

Applications close Monday 23 December.