Director of Visitor Services, Colorado Tourism Office

Department Information
The purpose of the Colorado Tourism Office (CTO) is to encourage economic growth throughout Colorado with the promotion of tourism. The CTO promotes Colorado to travelers through international and domestic advertising, marketing and public relations campaigns, the Official State Vacation Guide (OSVG), Official State Map, and www.COLORADO.com; provides traveler services at State Welcome Centers; and works with partners statewide to enhance and develop tourism offerings. The CTO collaborates with destination marketing organizations, local communities, industry associations, government agencies and private businesses to implement its programs. The FY17 budget is $19.8 million.

The CTO oversees a network of Colorado Welcome Centers in locations throughout the state. The centers are staffed by locally based managers who oversee daily operations and hundreds of volunteer travel counselors who welcome travelers and share information aimed at enhancing their experience when traveling through Colorado. The centers typically are operated under a contract with a local partner who provides spaces and other services to house the center.

Description of Job
The Director of Visitor Services manages the Colorado Welcome Center program and facilitates training and other resources to ensure that the centers are well-equipped to promote Colorado businesses and attractions to travelers in ways that increase traveler spending. The Director also is responsible for providing oversight of contractual relationships, developing training requirements, positioning the centers to share key Colorado marketing messages, working collaborative with other state agencies and entities that support and promote travel and measuring program performance.

KEY DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:

Management

• In concert with key stakeholders, provides leadership for maximizing Colorado Welcome Center program’s potential for generating visitor satisfaction and increased visitor spending.
• Working with the CTO team, Colorado Tourism Board and committees and other partners, provides strategic direction for the program through development of a strategic plan and annual action plans.

• Develops and manages an annual budget to support program initiatives, providing regular reporting of outcomes to the CTO Director, Colorado Tourism Board and other tourism stakeholders.
• Maximizes opportunities to secure and leverage funding support for program from local, state and federal sources.
• Manages Welcome Center reporting to provide visitor and usage metrics to CTO, Colorado Tourism Board and industry partners.
• Provides oversight of policies managing distribution of promotional materials through Welcome Center; provides effective management of materials inventory.
• Provides direction for managers of Burlington and Fruita Welcome Centers and provides guidance for contract compliance with contractual Welcome Centers.
• Manages effective communication with CTO team, Colorado Tourism Board, contractors, partner state agencies and other industry partners/associations contributing to success of Welcome Center operations.
• Represents the CTO in initiatives and events aimed at strengthening the Colorado tourism brand and driving increased travel through the Welcome Center network.
• Builds knowledge of responsibilities through attendance at trainings and conferences and communication with counterparts in other states.
• Other duties as requested by CTO Director.

Development and training programs

• Develops and manages training initiatives to promote a warm welcome for Colorado visitors.
• Develops and manages other education and training for Welcome Center managers and volunteers, including periodic FAM tours, to ensure that they are well-prepared to advise visitors on Colorado travel experiences.
• Manages creation and execution of FAM tours related to heritage, cultural and agritourism offerings.
• Creates educational experiences to engage industry partners in maximizing access to Welcome Center promotional opportunities, including sessions for the annual Governor’s Tourism Conference and regional tourism conferences, as requested.

Marketing & Promotion

In collaboration with CTO team and in keeping with CTO brand:

• Collaborates with CTO team and vendor partners to promote Colorado tourism offerings and programs through Welcome Centers.
• In collaboration with Director of US Marketing, manages content for Welcome Center program on www.colorado.com and in the Official State Vacation Guide.
• Establishes and reports against metrics to measure outcomes from marketing program initiatives.

COMPETENCIES:

• Leadership: Creates and communicates a compelling vision; engages others to implement vision; builds enthusiasm, participation and positive morale and loyalty; takes charge of groups and situations; sets a strong leadership role by walking the talk; promotes a safe, challenging work environment.
• Strategic Planning: Identifies and analyzes organizational opportunities; accurately forecasts trends and emerging needs; frames strategic questions; makes decisions and deploys resources in alignment with strategic priorities; plans for future problems and opportunities by forecasting business trends and outside forces.
• Negotiation & Issue Resolution: Openly manages conflict and disagreement through collaborative discussion to reach positive conclusions; arrives at constructive solutions whiles maintaining positive working relationships; seeks win-win situations; diplomatically explores common and opposing options to reach mutually acceptable positive solutions.
• Communication: Is understood by and understands others; clearly articulates key points when writing and speaking; actively listens; effectively interprets non-verbal communication and truly hears what a wide variety of people are trying to say; accurately assesses personal styles and adjusts own style of communication to optimize personal effectiveness.
• Results Driven: Drives for successful results; makes things happen and conveys sense of urgency; sets aggressive goals and works hard to achieve these goals; move tasks and assignments toward closure; invests considerable effort to assure goals are met in a high-quality manner.

Minimum Qualifications, Substitutions, Conditions of Employment & Appeal Rights
REQUIRED KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS & ABILITIES:

This position requires a self-starter who is outgoing and enthusiastic with a positive attitude and sound decision-making skills. Candidates should be effective communicators, organized, great listeners, creative thinkers and problem solvers and demonstrate personal integrity, confidence, and diplomacy.

The successful candidate will have:

• Demonstrated ability in people management, program planning and coordination of multiple projects and assignments.
• Ability to work with a wide variety of people in stressful situations while exercising confidentiality and discretion as appropriate.
• Skill in relationship building and networking with a diverse collection of organizations, associations and interest groups.
• Highly developed oral and written communication skills that include the demonstrated ability to edit and write.
• Excellent time management skills, including the demonstrated ability to meet timelines and prioritize multiple projects.
• Team orientation and a demonstrated ability to work effectively with others.
• Ability and willingness to travel to Welcome Center locations and work hours beyond the standard daily or weekly schedule when necessary.

EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE:

A four-year college degree in hospitality, business, marketing, communications, or related subjects, or an equivalent five years experience in marketing, and/or related subjects. A minimum of three years’ experience in management is required, with experience in tourism/hospitality/travel industry strongly preferred.

Supplemental Information
Applicants should submit a cover letter, resume, and references in one document to The Office of Economic Development and International Trade by e-mail at oedit.info@gmail.com with the subject line “Director of Visitor Services” by April 14, 2017. Due to the large volume of resumes we receive, we do not acknowledge receipt of each resume and are unable to give status updates. If a strong match is found between your qualifications and the requirements of the position, a member of the recruiting staff will contact you to further discuss the career opportunity.

Successful applicants will be invited to interview on either Tuesday, April 18, 2017, or Friday, April 18, 2017.