Tour Guide Assistant Jobs in California (NOW HIRING)

Description

Do you love creating memorable guest experiences, leading a team, and sharing meaningful stories that connect people to wildlife and conservation? The Living Desert Zoo and Gardens is seeking a Tour Guide Supervisor/Group Sales Support team member to help deliver exceptional guided tour experiences while supporting group sales operations, tour logistics, and day-to-day leadership for our Group Tour Guides.

In this hands-on supervisory role, you will help coordinate tour schedules, assign guides, prepare vehicles and materials, support training, respond to operational needs, and ensure guests receive welcoming, professional, and mission-aligned service. This position is ideal for someone who thrives in a fast-paced guest service environment, enjoys public speaking and storytelling, and can balance operational details with inspiring team leadership.

• Supervise and support Group Tour Guides by assigning daily work, answering questions, coaching team members, and helping ensure consistent guest service standards.
• Coordinate tour operations, including guide schedules, vehicle readiness, signage, tickets, radios, microphones, and tour materials.
• Conduct engaging guided tours for groups, conventions, motor coach visitors, families, organizations, prospective clients, donors, and special guests.
• Support group sales fulfillment through volume ticket orders, payment follow-up, delivery coordination, donation request packets, and administrative follow-through.
• Partner with Admissions, Guest Services, Learning & Impact, Animal Care, Facilities, Security, and other departments to keep tours running smoothly.
• Assist with training, briefings, procedural updates, and documentation related to tour operations, safety practices, vehicle procedures, and guest engagement.
• Monitor vehicle condition, complete routine inspections, report maintenance needs, and help ensure tour vehicles are safe and ready for use.
• Represent The Living Desert with professionalism, warmth, and enthusiasm in every guest, client, volunteer, team member, and community interaction.

• A confident communicator who enjoys public speaking, storytelling, and creating meaningful guest connections.
• A service-minded leader who can coach, motivate, and support a team while applying established policies and procedures.
• A highly organized self-starter who can manage schedules, records, follow-up tasks, and changing daily priorities.
• A calm, solutions-focused professional who can respond effectively to weather, staffing, guest service, safety, and operational challenges.
• A mission-driven team member who is excited to support desert conservation through preservation, education, and appreciation.

This position includes indoor and outdoor work, extended time in desert weather conditions, frequent driving of tour vehicles, walking, standing, bending, reaching, and entering and exiting vehicles throughout the day. Team members may frequently move tour materials weighing up to approximately 40 pounds. Reasonable accommodation may be made to enable qualified individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

At The Living Desert Zoo and Gardens, conservation is at the heart of everything we do. As an AZA-accredited zoo and botanical garden, The Living Desert connects guests to wildlife, desert ecosystems, and conservation action through immersive experiences, education, and global conservation initiatives. This role offers the opportunity to lead a guest-facing team, support unforgettable group experiences, and help inspire conservation advocates every day.

If you are an enthusiastic guest service professional, natural storyteller, and organized team leader who wants to help create memorable experiences with purpose, we encourage you to apply for the Tour Guide Supervisor/Group Sales Support role at The Living Desert Zoo and Gardens.

Requirements

Minimum Qualifications

Demonstrated experience coordinating work, training employees, assigning tasks, or providing day-to-day leadership in a guest service, hospitality, education, tourism, recreation, or similar setting preferred.

Minimum of two years of experience in public speaking and interacting in a guest service environment.

Prior experience as a volunteer, team member, tour guide, educator, docent, supervisor, or lead worker preferred.

Valid California driver's license, acceptable driving record, and ability to remain insurable on The Living Desert's automobile policy required.

Availability to work a flexible schedule based on operational needs, including weekdays, weekends, holidays, daytime or evening shifts, and occasional early morning or nighttime assignments.

Knowledge of the tourism industry, shuttle driving experience, and bilingual Spanish skills are a plus.