Director of Catering and Conference Services

Job Type

Summary

As the Director of Catering & Conference Service Management, your primary responsibility entails optimizing both catering revenue and profitability for The Resort. This dynamic and rewarding role necessitates strong leadership, where you will strategically spearhead catering sales initiatives, not only driving revenue through your personal accounts but also providing oversight to the Catering Sales and Conference Services Team. Your performance will be instrumental in the resort's success and growth. The person will also be a conduit to any other Catering manager or Administrative Assistant relative to any training, and other daily functions. Candidates must bring a minimum of four years of catering and conference services management experience.

Leadership Responsibilities

• Manages and directs the on-property catering sales effort to achieve resort revenue goals by proactively targeting current and new high value accounts in the market and implementing effective sales deployment strategies to grow market share.
• Works with the Director of Sales and Marketing to establish sales strategy and effective implementation of this strategy for the hotel and applicable event spaces located on the property.
• Sets goals and expectations for direct reports using the Leadership Performance Process (LPP), aligns performance and rewards, addresses performance issues and holds staff accountable for successful results.
• Supports tools and training resources to educate sales associates on winning catering solutions.
• Champions leadership development and workforce planning priorities by assessing, selecting, retaining and developing diverse, high-caliber talent that can lead the organization today and strengthen the leadership bench for the future; works with HR to anticipate future talent needs based on business growth plans.
• Identifies, trains and mentors catering sales associates; utilizes all available on the job training tools for associates.
• Transfers functional knowledge and develops catering sales skills of other discipline managers.
• Shares responsibility for achieving catering revenue goals, guest and associate satisfaction.

Managing Sales Activities

• Develops and manages catering sales revenue and operation budgets and provides forecasting reports.
• Works with management team to create and implement a catering sales/marketing plan addressing revenue, customers and market.
• Assists with selling, implementation and follow-through of catering ales promotions.
• Solicits, books and develops local catering business.
• Recommends booking goals for sales team members.
• Executes and supports the operational aspects of business booked (e.g., generating proposal, writing contract, customer correspondence).
• Coordinates and deploys catering sales resources on-property to monitor the pull-through and sustainment of sales strategies and selling solutions.
• Verifies that the property implements a seamless turnover from sales to operations and back to sales while consistently delivering high level of service.
• Manages the property's reactive and proactive catering sales efforts.
• Monitors the effective resolution of guest issues that arise as a result of the sales process by creating mechanisms to channel issues to property leadership and/or other appropriate stakeholders.
• Maintains successful performance by increasing revenues, controlling expenses and providing a return on investment for ownership.
• Performs other duties, as assigned, to meet business needs.

Building Successful Relationships

• Interacts effectively with guests/clients, sales and kitchen, vendors, competitors, local community, catering associations and other hotel departments in order to maintain guest satisfaction.
• Executes exemplary customer service to drive customer satisfaction and loyalty by assisting the customer and monitoring their satisfaction before and during their program/event.
• Serves the customer by understanding their needs and recommending the appropriate features and services that best meet their needs and exceed their expectations, while building a relationship and loyalty to the property.
• Gains understanding of the hotel’s primary target customer and service expectations; serves the customer by understanding their business, business issues and concerns, to offer better business solution both prior to, and during the program/event.
• Develops a close working relationship with operations to execute strategies at the resort level.

Qualifications

Required

• Minimum of four years catering and conference services management experience.
• Experienced in developing action plans to assist in the penetration of catering accounts.
• Ability to communicate in English with vendors, guests and staff to their understanding.
• Five or more years of experience in a catering sales management role; two or more years in a Catering Director role is highly preferred.
• Demonstrated skills in supervising a catering sales team.
• Must be able to work evenings, weekends and holidays as necessary.
• Must be well versed in all MS Office applications and be technically self-sufficient with event management software and POS systems.
• Must be reachable on phone in order to respond to emergencies.

Desirable

• Experience working at a luxury resort.
• Four-year College Degree.
• Opera and Delphi Systems experience.

Skills

Required

• Ability to work under your own initiative in a highly pressured environment.
• Strong interpersonal and influencing management skills.
• Excellent verbal and oral communication skills.
• Proficient with all Microsoft Office programs.
• Strong organizational skills with attention to detail.

Desirable

• Perform any other job-related duties as required or requested.

Travel Requirments

• Must be available for occasional local and out of town travel as needed.

Physical Demands

• Frequent or occasional need to perform the following physical activities: reaching, bending, pushing, pulling, twisting, lifting, and climbing. Have frequent need to perform standing and walking activities related to inspecting property.
• Constant need to perform the following physical activities: grasping, turning, finger dexterity.
• Occasional need to stand for long periods of time.
• Lifting/carrying up to 10 lbs. frequently and 25 lbs. occasionally.
• Vision requirements: constant need to view small print. Frequent need to see small details and things clearly beyond arms’ reach.
• Hearing requirements: constant need to speak on the telephone and/or two-way radio, respond to general public and converse with staff. Ability to hear fire alarms and emergency equipment.