Staff Usher

Job Details: Level: Entry, Job Location: Main Location - San Francisco, CA, Position Type: Part Time, Education Level: High School, Salary Range: $30.51 - $30.51Hourly, Job Category: Customer Service,

Staff Usher

Marketing Department

Front of the House

Work Status:

Part-Time Regular

FLSA Status:

Non-Exempt

Location of Job:

Davies Symphony Hall

San Francisco, CA

Hourly rate:

Per Collective Bargaining Agreement:

$30.51 hourly

Schedule:

On Site

Regular Hours:

Varied.

Morning, Matinee, and

Evening Performances

Reports To:

Front of House Manager

Supervisory:

No

THE ORGANIZATION

The San Francisco Symphony is among the most adventurous and innovative arts institutions in the United States, celebrated for its artistic excellence, creative performance concepts, award-winning recordings, and standard-setting education and community engagement programs. Since it was established in 1911, the Symphony has grown in acclaim under a succession of distinguished music directors: Henry Hadley, Alfred Hertz, Basil Cameron, Issay Dobrowen, Pierre Monteux, Enrique Jordá, Josef Krips, Seiji Ozawa, Edo de Waart, Herbert Blomstedt, Michael Tilson Thomas, and Esa-Pekka Salonen. In May 2026, the Symphony announced Elim Chan as the 13th Music Director in its 115-year history, beginning with the 2027–28 season. One of the most sought-after artists of her generation, Elim Chan embodies the spirit of contemporary orchestral leadership with her crystalline precision and expressive zeal.  

The San Francisco Symphony presents more than 200 concerts and presentations annually for an audience of nearly 350,000 in its home of Davies Symphony Hall and around the Bay Area. The Orchestra performs a robust schedule of core classical concerts from September through June, and offers a dynamic mix of holiday programs, groundbreaking SoundBox performances, chamber concerts, guest artist recitals, live-to-film presentations, popular artist collaborations, a month-long summer series, and other special events that invite audiences across the Bay Area to connect with the Symphony in ways that resonate with their interests, experiences, and traditions.

As a cornerstone of its mission, the San Francisco Symphony provides some of the most extensive education and community programs offered by any American orchestra. The Symphony’s free music education experiences engage students in grades 1–12 throughout the San Francisco Unified School District (SFUSD), serving more than 25,000 students annually.

In 2001, the SF Symphony became the first American orchestra to launch its own in-house record label, SFS Media. Recorded live in concert and engineered at Davies Symphony Hall, SFS Media recordings showcase music by contemporary composers as well as core classical masterworks. In 2023, the San Francisco Symphony partnered with Apple for the launch of a new classical music streaming app, Apple Music Classical, and has since released 17 spatial audio recordings of live concert performances through the app. San Francisco Symphony radio broadcasts, the first in the nation to feature symphonic music when they began in 1926, today carry the Orchestra’s concerts across the country. In 2004, the SF Symphony launched the groundbreaking multimedia Keeping Score series on PBS-TV and the web; the series was made available for unlimited free streaming on the Symphony’s YouTube channel in 2020. In 2014, the San Francisco Symphony inaugurated SoundBox, an experimental and eclectic live music series, which takes place in an alternative performance space located backstage at Davies Symphony Hall. For its adventurous programming, the Symphony has been honored 19 times by the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers, and the Symphony’s recordings have garnered France’s Grand Prix du Disque and Britain’s Gramophone Award, as well as 17 Grammy® Awards.

JOB SUMMARY

The Staff Ushers interact directly with patrons who attend the San Francisco Symphony’s wide variety of concerts and other events. They are responsible for providing a helpful, welcoming, professional, efficient and accessible service to all audience members at Davies Symphony Hall.

The Staff Usher position is flexible, and Staff Usher shifts are scheduled by the House Manager on an “as needed” basis. The majority of the work is on weeknights and weekends, with a usual start time of 6pm for evening shows and 12:30pm for matinees. There are also occasional weekday morning and matinee shifts. Most shifts are 4 hours in length, although end times are an estimate and Staff Ushers are expected to remain present until all members of the public have vacated the venue.

Shifts are subject to availability. This position is not eligible for San Francisco Symphony sponsored benefits. However, this position may be eligible for certain benefits through select ordinances of the City of San Francisco.

RESPONSIBILITIES

Greet and engage with audience members, ensuring they feel genuinely welcomed to the venue and treated appropriately as an important and valued patron
Answer audience queries, ensuring they have access to timely and useful information and guidance
Maintain up to date knowledge of the venue, including current policies and procedures and familiarity with current and upcoming concerts
Be flexible in relation to duties and working hours which will include weeknight evenings and both matinee and evening shifts on the weekends
Provide guidance to Volunteer Ushers. Provide instructions on emergency procedures and be on hand to resolve any conflicts that arise over the course of the show call
Attend Emergency Response Plan meetings, implement Emergency Response Plan when necessary and place radio call to First Aid staff when needed
Attend Red Cross sponsored CPR, AED and Life Saving courses
Participate in providing feedback for the Ushers’ Liaison Committee
Attend other trainings as required
Additional responsibilities as assigned

Qualifications: QUALIFICATIONS AND REQUIREMENTS

Staff Ushers must become a member of the Theatrical Employees Union – Local B-18
Must be able to provide usher coverage for an assigned area for an extended period of time, which may include standing and traversing stairs
Consistent availability on weeknights and weekends
Customer service and patron or guest service experience preferred- experience as an usher at a performing arts venue is desirable
Excellent verbal communication skills
Flexible attitude and patient/tactful in resolving conflict
Professional in appearance and polite demeanor

Ability to

Work with and provide guidance to Volunteer Ushers
Handle conflict resolution in a customer service environment
Use ticket scanners and two-way radio / walkie talkie
Follow required dress code
Exhibit sensitivity to and understanding of San Francisco Symphony’s diverse range of audience members
Communicate effectively with a diverse range of people, including donors, prospective donors, volunteers, board members and community partners

SUPERVISORY RESPONSIBILITIES

                None

PHYSICAL DEMANDS (accommodations available)

This role requires sufficient physical ability and mobility to work in a performing arts setting; to stand or sit for prolonged periods of time; to lift, carry, push and pull moderate amounts of weight; to traverse moderate amounts of stairs; to operate ticket scanning equipment requiring repetitive hand and wrist motions

EEO STATEMENT

In alignment with the values statement above, the San Francisco Symphony is committed to providing an environment of mutual respect where equal employment opportunities are available to all applicants and employees without regard to race, color, religion, sex, pregnancy (including childbirth, lactation and related medical conditions), national origin, age, physical and mental disability, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, genetic information (including characteristics and testing), military and veteran status, and any other characteristic protected by applicable law.