Manager, Arena Talent Experience

Do you want to work for a Championship organization? We have the job for you! The Miami HEAT Human Capital team is seeking a Manager, Arena Talent Experience! The Manager, Arena Talent Experience, is a dynamic leader responsible for cultivating a culture of exceptional hospitality and service across all guest-facing roles within the arena, including business partners. This role designs and delivers engaging training programs, drives recognition and rewards initiatives, and ensures Part-Time leaders and event staff are provided the resources so that every fan interaction reflects the Arena’s commitment to unforgettable and great hospitality experiences. Additionally, this role’s primary focus is to oversee and improve the event staff’s overall performance and work experience.

Essential Duties & Responsibilities

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS: The following are examples of the various functions required. The job requirements are not limited to the items on this list.

Talent Training & Development

• Design and implement comprehensive hospitality and service training programs for all frontline staff, including business partners’ arena staff.
• Champion the Arena guest experience and lead the successful implementation of the Elevate program, including training, measuring, and coaching staff on standards and behaviors that drive an exceptional guest experience.
• Facilitate onboarding sessions and ongoing development workshops that reinforce arena values, service excellence, and hospitality.
• Facilitate all Part-Time event employees’ New Hire Orientation sessions.
• Collaborate with department leaders to tailor training to specific roles and event types.
• Assess staff capabilities and needs by reviewing job requirements, experiencing their environment, connecting with them and leaders closest to the role, and evaluating key metrics
• Create effective learning and content plans by ensuring all learning needs are addressed with simple, relevant, and effective solutions
• Ability to design and deliver programming for both salaried and hourly audiences utilizing in-person and virtual formats.
  
  

Mystery Shop Program

• Partner with the VP AGM, Chief of Staff to manage the end-to-end mystery shopping strategy.
• Ensure mystery shop scenarios align with Elevate Quality Standards and current service and hospitality goals.
• Publish and present findings of the Service Excellence Report to leaders and department heads with actionable recommendations to support their efforts for improvement.
• Collaborate with third-party vendors and internal teams to deliver monthly reports with visual dashboards.
• Partner with leaders to translate insights into targeted coaching and development plans.
  
  

Guest & Fan Engagement

• Develop and manage interactive initiatives that encourage staff to create memorable moments for guests and fans.
• Monitor and evaluate guest feedback to identify areas for improvement and innovation.
• Partner with multiple departments and event teams to align talent experience with fan engagement strategies.
  
  

Rewards & Recognition

• Launch and manage recognition programs that celebrate outstanding service and team achievements each season.
• Coordinate monthly and seasonal awards, shout-outs, and spotlight features for high-performing staff.
• Plan and coordinate the Part-Time event staff end-of-year celebration.
  
  

Operational Excellence

• Champion the Arena guest experience and Part-Time event employees’ Elevate culture.
• Develop and implement a comprehensive Elevate, employee, and customer sentiment survey strategy that leads to a common understanding among Part-Time event employees about the standards and their behaviors that lead them to deliver a world-class level of service. Requires the ability to create coaching programs that help Part-Time event employees achieve a higher level of performance.
• Serve as a visible presence during events, coaching staff, and ensure service standards are upheld.
• Bring innovative solutions to talent experience and engagement that meet the complex challenges faced in today’s competitive landscape for talented staff. Stay current on industry trends and best practices in hospitality and fan experience.
  
  

Role Design and Purpose

Creating a culture by design begins with selecting the best-fit talent and subsequently developing and nurturing these talented individuals. It is then about highly engaging each of them to ensure they are consistently bringing their MVP selves to work every time they step into the arena. This role will focus on developing strategies and experiences for our Part-Time event staff members that accentuate the common purpose established via ELEVATE, highlighting onboarding, training, engagement, and rewards & recognition – yielding a high-level employee satisfaction and retention.

As part of the Human Capital division, the Talent Experience & Engagement leader will drive the motivation, development, and inspiration of the more than 1,500 front-line event team members, both direct hires and partner staff. This ultimately cultivates a culture of excellence with the goal of creating the best in-class experience within the Sports & Entertainment industry. As human capital refers to the economic value of an employee’s experience and skills, this accomplished leader will enhance the value of all Part-Time event team members by enriching their education, knowledge, intelligence, intellect, hard and soft skills, and health and well-being. Successful achievement in these areas will develop the total person as well as create a keen sense of loyalty while yielding exceptional levels of guest experience and hospitality.

Rewards & Recognition

• Create and manage the rewards & recognition strategy that builds and strengthens relationships with Part-Time event team members, their leaders, and executive leadership.
• Facilitate employee listening, via roundtables/forums/direct line, to identify areas of opportunity for timely, relevant, and meaningful R&R.
  
  

Role Specifications

• Passion for developing and engaging individuals, from diverse backgrounds and experiences, in a fun and exciting manner.
• Ability to work flexible days and hours within the Sports & Entertainment industry, including extended hours: evenings, weekends, and/or holidays. Exceptional verbal and written communication skills, along with the ability to engage a variety of audiences. Ability to engage and develop collaborative relationships and influence within the team and across functions, even without a direct reporting relationship.
• Experience in leading, mentoring, and coaching high-performing teams.
• Experience with creating learning & development content and facilitating training.
• Project management experience and able to support concurrent projects, ensuring on-time delivery and quality using both internal and external resources.
• Ability to build and maintain strong internal and external client relationships and professionally represent the greater organization.
• Applying knowledge of business and the marketplace and innovatively advancing the organization's guest service and event staff engagement goals.
• Experience in creating and managing budgets/proformas.
  
  

Desired Qualifications

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

Education And/or Experience

Bachelor’s degree from a four-year college or technical school and five years of experience designing and implementing employee development programs. Certified Professional in Learning and Performance (CPLP) credential preferred. Organized and detail-oriented, and thorough understanding of training processes. Ability to moderate large groups. Able to meet tight deadlines and adapt to a fast-paced, fluid environment while balancing multiple tasks at once. Must be proficient in Microsoft Applications, including Word, Excel, and PowerPoint. Basic knowledge of Adobe Photoshop and Canva.

All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, gender/gender identity, age, disability, marital status, sexual orientation, pregnancy, genetic information, national origin, citizenship status, veteran status, and any other legally protected status entitled to protection under federal, state, or local anti-discrimination laws. EOE & DFWP