Career Paths at Kings Dominion

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Career Paths at Kings Dominion

Kyle Kruthoffer Photo Kyle Kruthoffer |
February 21, 2023

As an associate, there are a wide array of benefits that Kings Dominion offers that makes it a fun place to work such as free admission, ride nights, and more. With all the perks that you can receive as an associate today, there is an endless amount of possibilities you can receive to help you reach success tomorrow whether you decide to stay within the Cedar Fair company or branch out to another dream job!

Have you ever dreamt of owning a restaurant and becoming a chef? Working on the Food and Beverage team would be the perfect start. Or how about working in hospitality and becoming a manager one day? Our Admissions team would be perfect for you! No matter what team you work on, the benefits you gain will be valuable later on whether it’s the people you meet or the resume-enhancing skills you gain.

At Kings Dominion, those who start out as an associate can work up the ladder to become a team lead, supervisor, area supervisor, operations supervisor or an area manager and beyond. Check out the different opportunities below and get to know some of our managers who started out at the associate level and see what they have to say about being in a leadership position at the park.

Heather McElhinney, Recruiting Manager

"As a Kings Dominion associate you gain experience that you will carry with you for the rest of your life. From job skills such as merchandising and food service, to those soft skills that companies look for in an applicant. Our associates learn problem solving skills, communication, empathy, and courtesy while working at the park. Those who advance to leadership roles, even on a seasonal level, can add budgeting, counseling, time management, and payroll to their resumes.

I started my career at Kings Dominion as a “3 weeker”, which is an associate who works from the Memorial Day to mid-June when the schools let out, at the Hurler. I loved it so much I decided to stay on for the summer, and then the next summer, and so on. 25 summers later, I still love working in the industry. Throughout my career I have held every management position available except for General Manager and I have my time as a seasonal associate and the leadership team I worked for and with to thank for my success. Two years ago I transitioned from park operations to Human Resources where I get to impact the success of the park in a different way."

Connie Crowl, Operations Manager

"Kings Dominion, who knew a summer job would turn into a life-long career. I started at Kings Dominion in April of 2002 after they went to my school to recruit new associates for the upcoming season. My friends and I decided, why not, we didn't have anything else to do that summer and we were just starting to save money to buy a car. Being 15 years old, you don't think that you will still be at Kings Domininon 21 years later.  I started at Front Gate Photo taking pictures of families as they entered because that was the only job back then for 15-year-olds. I loved the atmosphere of the theme park but really wanted to be a lifeguard. I decided when I turned 16 the next year, I would become a lifeguard since I loved the water and why not work at a theme park! After being a lifeguard for just a few short months, I fell in love with the people who I worked with and the life skills I was learning such as CPR and First Aid. At the end of my first season as a lifeguard, I was promoted to a team member in charge so I could help my leadership run the team. It was the best feeling in the world knowing I could help be in charge. Now it really got into my blood, theme park life was for me. After that summer, I continued to return each year, growing each year into a new position. During my breaks between seasons, I worked different jobs but found quickly at each one that I truly wanted to be at Kings Dominion full time. After being an Operations Department Supervisor seasonally for 3 years a full-time position as a Rides Area Manager opened and I applied. I accepted the position in 2018 as the new Full Time Area Manager. It was the best decision I have made, and I was recently promoted to Operations Manager in 2022. 

Kings Dominion has offered me so many skills from emotional intelligence, leadership skills and so much more. Whether you are looking for a summer job or a life-long career at Kings Dominion, you learn so many valuable skills that you can take into any workforce you enter. Throughout my career here, I've had several people work with me who took the skills they learned and applied them to the careers they wanted. For example, a great associate of mine wanted to become a doctor. She worked as a lifeguard and learned so many valuable lessons of not only CPR and basic life-saving skills but leadership which you need as a doctor. Today she is in her residency at John Hopkins University and is excelling. Another associate of mine was attending school to become an engineer and was a ride operator. They learned the ins and outs of the rides department and how the rides work. They took those skills and applied them in their learnings and now they are exceeding in the mechanical engineering field.  No matter what job you have at Kings Dominion, you are going to learn some skills that you can apply to other jobs. Not only do you develop skills, but you develop life-long relationships with amazing people.  Looking back throughout my years here at Kings Dominion, I have gained valuable knowledge, life-long friendships and a network of people I can depend on in a pinch."

Caleb Kempf (pictured left), started out as an associate at our sister park, Kings Island in 2013 before joining the Kings Dominion team back in June of 2019, and rejoined them in 2022 as Area Manager of Admissions and Guest Services. Alisha Crispino (pictured center) started at the park in 2012 as a Games associate and later moved up to be a Games Operations Supervisor. Rodney Jackson (pictured right) has been at Kings Dominion for 18 years as a Games associate and now acts as Area Manager of Extra Charge and Amusements.

Associate

Starting out as an associate can build the foundation to becoming a leader later. At the entry level, you will gain a variety of experiences by learning valuable guest service skills, how to work as a team, and the skills related to your specific role whether it’s cash-handling, food safety, operating a ride, etc. Caleb, Alisha and Rodney all started out at the associate level and worked their way up to a leadership position.

Team Lead

The next level up is a team lead where you can take on the responsibility of coaching the entry level associates and start taking on a leadership role. With this position, you will be given the job of delegating tasks, helping your team grow to the best of their ability, and learn how to problem-solve in a fast-paced environment. “The best part of my job is when I am able to show my team something that will help them be successful whether inside the park or out,” says Rodney.

Supervisor

A team lead position can lead to a supervisor role where you can work and collaborate with other supervisors and leaders to help achieve goals, increase efficiency, and grow in your leadership styles. “My favorite part of my job is the great relationships I am able to make with guests and team members,” Caleb said. “I also enjoy developing our associates and I find it rewarding to see an associate who has potential in a leadership role and coaching them into a new role.”

Area Supervisor

From a supervisor position, you can grow into an area supervisor position, where you can go from managing one section of an area, restaurant, ride location, etc. to managing an entire area or multiple locations. As an area supervisor, you can provide day-to-day feedback to supervisors and managers, interview potential associates, and provide training for your team.

Operations Supervisor

As an operations supervisor, you will take on more of the logistical aspects of the job which can include operational planning and developing business strategies for your department. With the logistical tasks, an operations supervisor also serves as the leader on duty for their department. “My favorite part of my job is Crew which is getting the park ready to open where we come up with new ways to display our products and our games,” Alisha said.

For Crew, the games department will do a weekly check of the games during the off-season and see what needs to be done whether it is an idea for display, cleaning or any other changes needed. The department will pick one person as the Head of Crew and will have the leadership team and a few associates work together and collaborate on how they want to display the games.

Your Future

Whether you move up to a leadership position within the Cedar Fair company or pursue your career outside the company, what you gain from working at Kings Dominion can benefit you in so many ways.

As you start out as an associate, don’t be afraid to ask questions and get to know your team throughout the process. The memories, friendships, skills, and perks that you can get at the park today can lead you to a wide range of success tomorrow. Cedar Fair Hiring Week is the perfect time to grow yourself, make new friends, and earn some cash!