About Spark

The purpose of Calgary’s science centre is unwavering. Spark exists to make lives — and the world — better

through an affinity for science. Through visits to Spark, and encounters with Spark in the community, people are

lifted up by the positive power of curiosity, experimentation and creativity. Spark is a registered charity.

The outcome is profound. Spark helps people of all ages fuel up for the future because at Spark, science,

technology and invention are embedded in cultural experiences. This means designing and delivering

transformative moments that engage and delight through story, technology, immersive experiences and human

connection. Through this we create new points of access to the disciplines at the core of innovation. Join the Spark

team to transform lives and inspire the future.

Position Overview

Spark is currently recruiting a full-time permanent Chief Experience Officer (CXO). The CXO will be a trusted advisor

and business partner to the Chief Executive Officer and other members of the senior leadership team. They will

provide strategic and operational direction and assist the CEO in establishing visitor-focusing pan-organizational

objectives and operating policies and procedures to ensure attainment of organizational goals. The CXO will

oversee and integrate visitor-facing operations for Spark, including human resources, group experience and guest

services teams. The Chief Experience Officer reports directly to, and works closely with, the President and CEO.

Key Responsibilities

 Work closely with the CEO to move the organization toward a visitor-centric culture.

 Serve on the Leadership Team and act as a strategic partner to the CEO, with a focus on the visitor

lifecycle to improve the value proposition for all customers (including but not limited to ticketholders,

members, tourists and tour groups, school groups, program partners and facility renters).

 Demonstrate vision and business acumen in contributing to the creation of the Calgary science centre as

an experiential product leader, prioritizing the participant’s viewpoint in decision-making processes.

 Increase customer and employee understanding of the design and delivery of remarkable visitor journeys.

 Integrate the management and coordination of visitor products and programming with the customer

journey overall.

 Oversee the management and coordination of customer journey teams, including group experiences,

guest services, and talent. Leadership means the creation of a team of moment-makers across the

organization.

 Collect, manage and analyze data to provide key performance indicators and use that data to

continuously improving processes and products with the visitor in mind.

 Integrate complaints, concerns and suggestions for improvement that come in through various channels

and direct responses in the organization to respond to visitor needs.

 Lead and coordinate changes and improvement in digital systems to ensure the guest experience is easy

and positive, and creating useful dashboards of collected data to improve the guest experience.

 Develop and implement visitor-focused policies and procedures for employees and partners.

 Build Spark’s capacity to effectively develop products and talents as it grows to be one of the top 10 mostworth visiting science centres in the world.

 Improve employee experience and engagement to align with positive visitor experiences.

2

 Provide strategic leadership to the production and human resources teams, cultivating a high

performance culture, inspired and supported by coaching, ongoing performance feedback and

professional development.

 Support and align teams across the organization to be visitor-focused, including marketing and sales,

finance and advancement.

 Attend Board and HR Committee meetings and provide transparent briefings on visitor experience

matters.

 Model high performance, flexibility and kindness in a rapidly changing growth environment.

Qualifications & Knowledge

 A positive force, excellent communicator and agent of change whose effectiveness and expertise is

focused on the customer journey.

 10+ years of relevant customer experience and leadership experience, preferably with progressive

experience leading in organizations of at least $5 million in revenues.

 Superior communication and leadership skills balanced with sound business judgment.

 Ability to lead, inspire and manage people.

 Big picture thinker with an ability to factor in people and values-centered criteria in problem solving and

decision-making.

 Capacity for ambiguity/adaptability. A self-assured leader with their ego in check; an ability to handle

ambiguity and pivot strategy due to changing dynamics internally and externally.

 An inspiring leader who cultivates a culture of high performance around them.

 Strong ethics and ability to manage confidential data.

Culture at Spark

Spark’s goal is to become one of the top 10 most-worth-visiting science centres in the world. Through skilled and

confident programming, Spark will attract visitors from around the city, province and globe, and immerse them in

emotive experiences as they explore ever-evolving, quirky and thought-provoking galleries. The skilled

programming at this level of success will only be possible with an organization-wide commitment to effective

performance. High performance at Spark is both defined and experienced by diverse cultures and proactively

advances equity among all human beings as part of the definition of effectiveness.

Spark’s high performance culture is driven by a shared purpose. Team members are united by values and proud of

the reputation we are building together. What does high performance look like at Spark?

 Commitment to Purpose. Everyone at Spark is a purpose driven leader. You are passionate about

entertaining people of all ages in creative encounters with science, technology and engineering, and the

output of your work reflects our values: collaboration, curiosity, courage, commitment, and creativity.

 Commitment to Continuous Learning. Your individual growth is driven by a desire to be a part of the

team that makes Spark one of the best science centres in the world. Every day is a professional

development day at Spark. You are expected to seek out learning opportunities and pursue professional

growth. At times the growth may be uncomfortable, and you embrace it as part of the journey.

 Agents of Change. We are a culture of experimentalists. It is expected and encouraged for staff to make

suggestions that can improve a program, presentation, process or service. It is also expected and

encouraged for suggestions to be accepted and tried with a thank you for helping each other get even

stronger.

 Coaching Mindset. Sparklers are committed to helping each other become even stronger in our roles.

Upgrading each other’s work is enjoyable and rewarding because teams are built on trust. Supervisor

feedback feels like coaching, not criticism or punishment. Remember, you can say anything if you are

kind, clear and non-judgmental. This is how high performance teams are built.

3

 Winning and Losing as a Team. We work together to drive action and results that are aligned with Spark’s

mission in the outside world. We encourage healthy debate and science-based decision making. Our

relationships allow us to make big asks of each other and get big things done together with a sense of

urgency and excellence. If someone appears to fail, you ask, “What did I do or not do to contribute to

that, as it is my failure too.”

 Achieving Results. Spark is dedicated to excellence in all aspects of communicating science and we carry

that dedication to excellence in every aspect of Spark’s work. We encourage each other to set stretch

goals and work together across all departments to exceed them.

To Apply: Interested candidates can submit their cover letter and resume, in confidence, to careers@sparkscience.ca

with Chief Experience Officer in the subject line.

Closing Date: January 29, 2020

We thank all applicants for their interest. Only those selected for an interview will be contacted.

Spark is committed to employment equity and diversity and encourages applications from all qualified individuals.