Senior Director of Catering

Job Description

Job Description

Salary: $90,000/Yr-$100,000/Yr

CulinArt Group operates over 250 onsite corporate, higher education, private school, healthcare and destination recreation/leisure dining facilities in 18 states, including cafés, coffee bars, concessions, executive dining, catering and conference dining, social catering/special events, office coffee service and vending. CulinArt’s extremely diverse client portfolio affords great opportunities for career advancement within the company, across multiple industry segments and geographic regions. 

The Senior Director of Catering is responsible for the day-to-day execution of all catering operations, ensuring exceptional service and flawless event delivery across all Catered events at Hanna Brothers & Trilith Live. This hands-on leadership role oversees Front of House and Back of House event execution, manages staffing and labor, and ensures all events are executed according to approved Banquet Event Orders (BEOs) and company standards.

Reporting directly to the General Manager of Trilith Studios & Trilith Live, this position partners closely with, the Director of F&B, & another Catering Operations Manager, culinary leadership, and support teams to deliver an exceptional guest experience while leading a team of Event & Catering Captains, Servers, and Bartenders. This role oversees multiple concurrent events ranging from Premier entertainment Complex & Venue events, executive meetings to large-scale receptions and campus-wide catering functions.

Key Responsibilities:

• Lead the day-to-day execution of all catered events, ensuring exceptional service from setup through event completion and breakdown. 
• Manage the daily execution of Banquet Event Orders (BEOs), ensuring Front of House and Back of House teams are aligned and all event specifications are executed accurately. 
• Conduct pre-event inspections to verify room setup, equipment, signage, décor, and overall event readiness. 
• Ensure that all catering signage and operational materials are prepared accurately and available prior to each event. 
• Serve as Manager on Duty during events, providing hands-on leadership, directing service teams, and resolving operational issues in real time. 
• Develop staffing plans, create employee schedules, approve payroll, and manage labor costs to meet operational and financial goals. 
• Recruit, interview, hire, onboard, train, coach, and develop Catering Captains, Servers, Bartenders, and other front-of-house team members. 
• Collaborate closely with the culinary team to coordinate food production, timing, staffing, and service execution. 
• Partner with conference services, facilities, audiovisual, security, and other support teams to ensure seamless event execution. 
• Maintain high standards of hospitality, food safety, sanitation, and operational excellence throughout all catering functions. 
• Conduct post-event reviews to identify opportunities for continuous improvement and ensure quality standards are consistently achieved. 
• Build strong relationships with internal stakeholders while delivering an exceptional guest experience. 
• Assist with departmental budgeting, labor management, inventory coordination, and other operational initiatives as assigned.
• Strong knowledge of banquet bar operations, bartender management, beverage service, and responsible alcohol service is required.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Demonstrated leadership experience in catering, banquet, conference center, hotel, stadium, country club, or high-volume hospitality operations. 
• Previous banquet operations or large-scale catering leadership experience strongly preferred. 
• Proven ability to lead teams while managing multiple events simultaneously in a fast-paced environment. 
• Strong organizational, time management, and team leadership skills. 
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills with the ability to interact professionally with clients, senior leadership, and cross-functional teams. 
• Ability to work independently while exercising sound judgment and decision-making. 
• Demonstrated experience managing labor, payroll, budgets, productivity, and operational performance. 
• Effective problem-solving skills with the ability to remain calm under pressure. 
• Strong partnership skills with culinary leadership and operational support teams.
• Human Resources experience including recruiting, interviewing, hiring, onboarding, coaching, mentoring, and performance management. 
• Three to five years of progressive hospitality management experience, preferably within banquet operations, conference centers, hotels, or high-volume catering environments. 
• Passion for operational excellence, team development, and delivering exceptional guest experiences.

Preferred Qualifications: 

• Bachelor’s degree and a minimum of five years of high-volume catering management experience.
• Previous experience as a hotel Director or Manager of Conference Services preferred.
• Superior quantitative, oral, and written communications and problem- solving/strategizing skills.
• Excellent overall computer skills with advanced knowledge of Excel and PowerPoint.
• Proactive mindset to anticipate and support changes in our business.
• Conformity to the highest standards of personal integrity and ethical behavior.
• Exceptional customer service abilities.
• Flexible, as event schedules may include evenings and variable hours.
• Operationally savvy industry professional with demonstrated leadership in managing people, events and the overall guest experience.
• Strong organization, time management and team motivation skills are essential for success in this role.
• Ability to work independently with little direct supervision.
• Ability to communicate effectively (verbal and written) with clients, senior management, and WPC support staff.
• Ability to respond effectively to continuously changing demands.
• Demonstrated experience in budgeting, P&L, labor and sales forecasting and reporting.
• Effective use of discretion to problem-solve in a fast-paced environment.
• Excellent negotiating skills.
• Ability to establish credibility with senior culinary professionals.
• Human Resource experience including hiring, training, mentoring and development.
• 3-5 years’ experience in a hospitality management environment (preferably in an off-premise catering environment).
• The ability to manage in an environment with focus on client service, entrepreneurship and building and growing a strong business.