SENIOR CONFERENCE & CATERING MANAGER

The Senior Manager for Conference Catering has overall responsibility for each event and interacts with clients and vendors on a regular basis. They are ultimately responsible for the profit and loss of each event and must have excellent people skills to negotiate and, as necessary, re-negotiate various aspects of the event with both clients and with vendors. They have the authority to resolve client, staff and vendor complaints.

Key Responsibilities:

• Consults with clients as to scope, expectations, setting, menu, collateral entertainment and the like to have a successful and appropriate event within the client's budget;
• Plans menus in consultation with the clients and chefs;
• Negotiates individual vendor contracts as to scope, content, terms, and execution with respect to staff, entertainment, audio-visual, and the like;
• Delegates to and ensures that the Event Manager coordinates and executes the event within the parameters established by the Catering Event Manager:
• Recruits, interviews, selects, and trains permanent and casual staff
• Organizes, leads and motivates the catering team;
• Plans staff and event schedules;
• Ensures that health and safety regulations are strictly observed;
• Budgets and establishes ongoing financial targets and forecasts;
• Manages ongoing payroll and controlling spending levels;
• Maintains ongoing stock levels and ordering new supplies as needed
• Interacts with clients and event staff at all levels;
• Serves as liaison and coordinator between Sales Catering Managers, Supervising Chefs, Staffing, Captains, Suppliers, Vendors, Rental Companies and Clients as needed to plan events;
• Performs final review and assessment of catering events to determine if they met performance and quality standards for evaluation of staff and determining training and counseling needs;
• Resolves customer concerns and ensuring timely customer payment.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Operationally savvy industry professional with demonstrated leadership in managing people, events and the overall guest experience.
• Strong organization, time management and team motivation skills
• Ability to work independently with little direct supervision.
• Ability to communicate effectively (verbal and written)
• Ability to respond effectively to continuously changing demands.
• Computer literate.
• Demonstrated experience in budgeting, P&L, labor and sales forecasting and reporting.
• Excellent negotiating skills.
• Familiar with contract law.
• Full working knowledge of BOH operations that include the ability to establish credibility with senior culinary professionals.
• Human Resources and Employee Relations experience including hiring, training, mentoring and development.
• Familiarity with legal context in which Human Resources and Employee Relations duties must be carried out.
• Highly inventive, driven, a quick learner, and with strong attention to detail.
• Ideal candidates will possess a Bachelor's degree (and/or equivalent experience) plus 3-5 years demonstrated ability in a hospitality management environment (preferably in an off-premise catering environment).