Guest Services Associate

Guest Services Associate (Full-Time, Fixed Term Contract, approximately 5 months)

Toronto Botanical Garden (TBG) is the leading destination in Toronto to experience sustainable horticulture and to better understand our collective role as stewards of our ecosystem. With free admission and over 300,000 visitors a year, TBG welcomes everyone to learn to love plants. Beyond an inspiring plant oasis, we are a dynamic community hub and an engaging learning environment.

In partnership with the City of Toronto, TBG is embarking on an exciting landmark capital expansion. Today, the Garden is a 4-acre botanical garden nestled in the City of Toronto's Park System, adjacent to Edwards Gardens and the Wilket Creek Trail. As the Garden prepares to expand its managerial oversight across thirty-five acres (in a phased approach), the organization is scaling up to achieve sustained organizational performance as a relevant and inspiring living museum.

Toronto Botanical Garden connects people and plants, fostering sustainable communities and developing reciprocal relationships with nature through lifelong learning.

It is within this context that Toronto Botanical Garden invites applications for the position of Guest Services Associate to join TBG on its journey of continued growth as an inspired plant place, an engaging learning environment, and a dynamic community hub.

Position Summary

TBG's Visitor's Centre serves as the primary hub for revenue-generating activities and is home to TBG's administration. It is a seven-day-per-week operation, supporting the gardens, horticultural societies, educational programs, concerts, conferences, exhibitions, milestone celebrations, rentals, and daily visitor services.

The Guest Services Associate acts as an ambassador and host, representing the Guest Experience Department and its service standards. This hands-on, in-person role operates on a Wednesday–Sunday schedule, providing consistent weekend coverage during peak periods for visitor volume and earned-revenue activity. The position delivers gracious, knowledgeable, and efficient service while providing direct, on-site leadership for TBG's dedicated team of Reception Volunteers.

As a key contributor to TBG's revenue generation efforts, the Guest Services Associate supports the successful delivery of third-party rentals and internal events, collaborates closely with the Rentals, Retail, and Facilities teams, and helps ensure that every guest and client interaction supports repeat business, positive reputation, and long-term growth, while advancing TBG's mission and vision.

Key Responsibilities

Reception

• Lead operations of TBG's Visitor's Centre reception desk, including ensuring the building entrance, desk, and lobby are visitor-ready with an inviting, informative, barrier-free, and polished appearance seven days per week during assigned coverage.
• Provide on-site leadership and support for reception volunteers, providing them with accurate, up-to-date information and the tools and skills required to have a rewarding, successful volunteer experience.
• Serve as the primary conduit for visitor comments and inquiries (in person, by phone, and via email), ensuring on-the-ground feedback flows through management appropriately, and conducting triage or escalation as appropriate, with attention to service recovery and revenue-sensitive interactions.

Event Coordination and Client Support

• Support internal events with light hospitality and event coordination (coffee and tea preparation, refreshments, room readiness, guest service), ensuring a professional standard aligned with donor, partner, and client expectations.
• Support the Rentals Department's achievement of sales goals by assisting with administrative duties, client communications, invoice and payment processing, and identifying opportunities to add value, improve client experience, and support conversion and retention.
• Act as an on-site liaison for weekend rentals and third-party clients, and internal events, supporting Facilities staff, relieving the Rentals Manager during off-hours, and ensuring consistent, revenue-focused client service during peak activity periods.

Additional Responsibilities

• Observe, document, and recommend improvements to guest service and event procedures and volunteer workflows, including monitoring and cataloging queries, ensuring timely and polished responses, updating autoreplies, and developing response templates to improve service efficiency and responsiveness to revenue-generating inquiries.
• Contribute to Retail sales and operations by supporting Shop volunteers in-store on weekends and assisting with inventory tracking and data input in Shopify, with particular attention to peak traffic periods and sales performance.
• Support the Guest Experience Department with special projects as assigned, especially those related to service optimization, revenue support, and strengthening seven-day operational consistency.

Qualifications and Attributes

• 1-2 years' experience in customer service, hospitality, event coordination, hotel front desk, box office, front-of-house, or other public-facing service roles is required. Experience working with volunteers is preferred.
• Demonstrated skill in guest service, delivering exceptional experience by combining expertise and care to drive guest engagement.
• Exceptional interpersonal skills, including de-escalation techniques and the ability to navigate sensitive or challenging interactions with empathy and professionalism, and in addition to strong communication skills (both written and verbal).
• Commitment to accessibility and creating a barrier-free environment for all.
• Passion for horticulture, sustainability, and connecting people to nature.

Position Details

• Position type: Fixed-term, full-time
• Term: Five Months
• Application deadline: January 12, 2026
• Target Start Date: Between January 26 and February 2, 2026
• Work Hours: Wednesday-Sunday, 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM with variability expected and occasional evening work required for events
• Work Location: Primarily in-person, onsite at Toronto Botanical Garden
• Hours: 37.5 per week
• Reporting to: Director of Guest Experience
• Wage: $21.00-$24.00 per hour

Job Types: Full-time, Fixed term contract

Contract length: 5 months

Pay: $21.00-$24.00 per hour

Expected hours: 37.5 per week

Benefits:

• On-site parking
• Store discount

Work Location: In person