Position: Director of Operations
Reports To: Senior Vice President of Operations
Direct Reports: Director of Facilities, Director of Event Sales & Experiences
Vendor Relationship Lead for: Retail, Daycare, Landscape, Janitorial, Pest Control
Position Summary:
The Director of Operations is a strategic and results-driven leader responsible for ensuring the seamless delivery of the Loveland Living Planet Aquarium’s mission through operational excellence, facility reliability, and world-class guest experiences.
This position provides leadership and integration across the Aquarium’s physical operations, including facilities maintenance, landscaping, janitorial, pest control, and all event and venue operations. The Director also oversees LLPA’s growing events and sales enterprise, ensuring exceptional performance and service delivery across the Aquarium’s venues — including the Grand Ballroom, pre-function areas, and other event spaces — which host hundreds of private, corporate, and signature LLPA events each year.
By aligning daily operations with strategic goals, the Director of Operations ensures LLPA remains a premier destination for education, entertainment, and community engagement.
Institutional Summary:
Loveland Living Planet Aquarium provides learning opportunities for all levels, interests, and ages, with the mission to inspire people to explore, discover, and learn about Earth’s diverse ecosystems since 1997. Since opening its new facility in Draper in March 2014, the Aquarium has welcomed over ten million visitors and provided more than 650,000 educational experiences to students. Home to more than 4,000 animals representing 650 species, the Aquarium showcases ecosystems from around the planet including kelp forests, coral reefs, the deep ocean, Antarctic waters, Asian cloud forests, South American rain forests, and the waterways of our home state of Utah. Loveland Living Planet Aquarium has been accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) since 2019. With our new Sam and Aline Skaggs Science Learning Center that is currently under construction, LLPA will soon be the largest aquarium in the Mountain West, and 5th largest aquarium overall in the continental United States.
Qualifications:
- Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration, Operations Management, Facilities or Event Management, Engineering, or related field (Master’s preferred).
- Minimum of 10 years of progressive leadership experience in operations or facilities management, with at least 3 years supervising event or venue operations.
- Experience managing large budgets and multiple vendor/service contracts.
- Nonprofit or public-attraction experience strongly preferred.
Critical Skills/Competencies:
- Proven success leading complex operations in mission-driven environments (aquarium, zoo, museum, theme park, or large public attraction preferred).
- Deep experience managing large facilities and event operations.
- Strong financial management, project planning, and performance measurement skills.
- Excellent leadership, communication, and team-building abilities.
- Strategic thinker with a commitment to continuous improvement and guest experience excellence.
Essential Duties and Responsibilities:
Operational Leadership
- Provide overall leadership, direction, and integration for all operational departments, including Facilities and Events, ensuring alignment with LLPA’s mission, strategic plan, and guest experience standards.
- Oversee the operational performance and efficiency of the Aquarium’s infrastructure, ensuring safety, reliability, and sustainability.
- Develop and enforce operational policies and performance standards promoting accountability, service quality, and continuous improvement.
- Collaborate closely with senior leaders to ensure operational readiness for new exhibits, programs, and strategic initiatives.
- Establish and monitor KPIs for all areas under Operations and report progress to the Executive Team.
Event and Sales Oversight
- Oversee the Director of Event Sales & Experiences, ensuring event operations meet LLPA’s financial, brand, and service quality objectives.
- Partner with the Director of Event Sales & Experiences and COO to develop and monitor annual revenue goals, sales strategies, and guest satisfaction metrics.
- Collaborate with Aramark to ensure seamless coordination of catering operations, quality assurance, and KPI compliance.
- Oversee operational readiness, staffing, and logistical planning for large-scale and signature events.
- Support marketing and guest services teams in promoting LLPA venues as premier event destinations.
Facilities and Infrastructure
- Provide leadership and direction to the Facilities Department, ensuring effective preventive maintenance and rapid response systems.
- Manage service contracts for landscaping, janitorial, pest control, and other vendors to ensure high quality and cost efficiency.
- Oversee maintenance prioritization and capital renewal planning with the Director of Facilities.
- Ensure compliance with safety regulations, AZA standards, and sustainability practices.
Capital Projects and Construction
- Lead planning, budgeting, and execution of capital improvement, exhibit construction, and renovation projects.
- Partner with architects, engineers, designers, and contractors to ensure quality, cost efficiency, and brand alignment.
- Ensure adherence to project budgets, timelines, and reporting standards.
- Contribute to long-term facility master planning and capital prioritization.
Leadership and Administration
- Build and develop a high-performing operations and events team.
- Establish department budgets, monitor performance, and ensure fiscal discipline.
- Support cross-departmental collaboration to maintain seamless daily operations and guest satisfaction.
- Represent LLPA in interactions with contractors, vendors, and external stakeholders.
- Maintain visibility on campus to ensure operational excellence and engagement.
Physical Demands & Special Working Conditions:
This position requires regular movement between office, operational, and construction environments. Occasional lifting up to 40 pounds may be required. Exposure to varying weather and noise levels is expected. Periodic evening, weekend, or holiday work will be required to support operations and major events.
While this job description attempts to describe the essential functions of the position, it does not prescribe or restrict the tasks that may be assigned. It does not restrict management’s right to assign or reassign duties or responsibilities to this job at any time. The overall work environment while performing this job includes exposure to weather conditions and the noise level is usually moderate. The employee is expected to adhere to all policies and to act as a role model in the adherence to the policies.
The Living Planet Aquarium is proud to be an equal opportunity employer committed to creating an inclusive environment for all. We do not discriminate on the basis of age, race, color, ethnicity, national origin, ancestry, creed, religion, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, citizenship, physical or mental disability, medical condition, genetic information, marital status, veteran status, or military status. The Living Planet Aquarium is committed to ensuring individuals with disabilities are provided reasonable accommodation to participate in the job application and interview process. Should you require accommodations, please contact accommodation@livingplanetaquarium.org.
