Front of House Supervisor

FirstOntario Performing Arts; St. Catharines; On-site; CAD 52,000 - 68,000; Full time

Job summary

FirstOntario Performing Arts Centre in St. Catharines is seeking a Front of House Supervisor to oversee daily FOH and event services across the PAC’s public areas. You will lead frontline staff and volunteers, schedule shifts, and ensure high standards of customer care during performances.

This permanent, ten-month seasonal contract focuses on supervision, training support, compliance monitoring, and real-time problem solving to support event execution and department plans.

Qualifications

• Minimum three years in a supervisory role.
• Experience working with volunteers.
• Inventory management experience.
• Smart Serve and Safe Food Handling certifications required.
• Current First Aid and CPR certification.
• AGCO, health and safety regulations knowledge required.
• Valid driver’s license, class G, with own vehicle.

Responsibilities

• Supervise day-to-day front of house and event services operations.
• Coordinate staffing, training, and event readiness for performances.
• Ensure lobby, merchandise, bar, and concession areas are prepared.
• Respond to patron concerns with service-level escalation when needed.
• Monitor AGCO compliance, health and safety, and risk-related matters.
• Lead pre-event briefings and support volunteers during performances.

Skills

Supervisory experience

Front of House

Hospitality

Customer service

Event operations

Volunteers

Inventory management

Smart Serve

Food safety

First Aid & CPR

AGCO compliance

Driver's license

Education

Diploma or certificate in business, theatre arts, hospitality, event management, or related field

Job description

ABOUT THE PAC

The FirstOntario Performing Arts Centre (PAC) is a vibrant cultural hub and charitable organization located in downtown St. Catharines, the largest city in the Niagara Region of Ontario, Canada. The PAC aims to engage people in exceptional live arts experiences and to enrich the lives of the citizens of St. Catharines and the Niagara region, while providing a world‑class venue for local, national and international artists and community arts organizations to flourish. The PAC opened its doors in 2015 as part of a transformative effort to rejuvenate St. Catharines’ downtown area. and has been a key catalyst for downtown development and an economic driver for Niagara, with over 40 new businesses opening with an economic spin‑off of $21 million. The PAC team believes that healthy communities are built through arts and cultural engagement, and that our individual and collective identities are shaped through the stories told. They engage audiences across the Niagara region and work to remove barriers for under‑served community members to experience the arts.

The PAC featuresfour performance venues: Partridge Hall, Recital Hall, Robertson Theatre, The Film House as well as the outdoor The Mann Raceway Plaza. Current PAC programs include: PAC Presents Live Performance Series, The Film House - an indie film house offering unique films and community screenings in a modern cinematic environment as well as facilitated community discussions, imPACt Education Series and access initiatives such as Pay-What-You-Can, and partnership with the CANOO program to provide newcomers with access to free performing arts and film experiences. The PAC employs 27 full‑time staff, 48 part‑time staff, a pool of IATSE union workers and over 75 engaged and dedicated volunteers.

THE OPPORTUNITY

Located in the heart of Niagara’s vibrant cultural corridor, the FirstOntario Performing Arts Centre (PAC) is a flagship destination for more than 100,000 visitors and hundreds of artists annually. The PAC is deepening relationships with the talented artists and arts organizations in the region as it continues to play a vital role in enriching the region’s creative and civic life.

THE ROLE

Reporting to the Director of Programs, the Front of House Supervisor is responsible for supervising the daily delivery of front of house and event services operations across the Performing Arts Centre’s (PAC) public areas. The role provides on‑shift leadership to front of house team members and volunteers, coordinates service readiness for events, supports consistent customer care standards, and escalates operational, staffing, safety, and service issues as required. This position focuses on direct supervision, scheduling coordination, training support, event execution, compliance monitoring, and real‑time problem solving, while supporting departmental plans, policies, budgets, and performance processes led by management.

To be successful in this role, the Front of House Supervisor must demonstrate strong front‑line leadership, sound judgment, and a consistent commitment to audience safety, customer care, and team readiness during regular operations and live events.

This is a permanent, ten month seasonal contract to reflect the PAC's event and programming operations.

Duties & Responsibilities:

Front of House and Event Operations

• Supervise and coordinate the day‑to‑day delivery of front of house and event services, including but not limited to food and beverage service, ticket taking, ushering, lobby readiness, and volunteer deployment.
• Coordinate front of house and event services requirements for concerts, theatre productions, award ceremonies, rentals, community events, and internal gatherings by ensuring front of house staffing, supplies, service standards, and event‑specific requirements are prepared and communicated.
• Coordinate the preparation and use of lobby and public areas, including set up for merchandise, registration tables, sponsor spaces, bar and food service stations, accessibility needs, and cleaning requirements.
• Respond to patron concerns and service issues in a fair, consistent, and solution‑oriented manner, escalating complex complaints or risk‑related matters to management as appropriate.
• Oversee and support the functions of the Front of House Leads, including but not limited to: merchandise and concession sales activities during events, floats, balance sheets, point‑of‑sale readiness, and safeguarding cash, deposits, and equipment in accordance with established procedures.
• Monitor food and beverage inventory levels, identify replenishment needs, maintain accurate event records, and coordinate purchasing requests or supply issues with management in a timely manner.
• Complete front‑of‑house checks and workplace inspections, identify maintenance or cleaning concerns, and support the implementation of established work plans and public‑area standards.
• Support revenue‑generating initiatives for concessions and merchandise by monitoring event‑level sales activity, identifying service opportunities, and providing feedback to management.
• Track and share operational information related to staffing levels, supplies, event activity, and service trends to support budget planning and departmental decision‑making.
• Collaborate with co‑workers, internal departments, renters, volunteers, and external stakeholders to support the effective and efficient delivery of front of house and event services operations.
• Monitor event‑level compliance with Alcohol & Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO), Smart Serve, food safety, health and safety, and PAC procedures, escalating concerns as required.

Supervising Front of House Team & Volunteers

• Coordinate the day‑to‑day operation of all Front of House services, including but not limited to: scheduling staff, verifying hours for payroll, accurately allocating gratuities,
• Support training and coaching of front of house team members and volunteers, while providing input to management on performance, attendance, conduct, and development needs.
• Train, brief, and direct volunteers and staff during performances to support customer care, emergency readiness, accessibility, and audience safety guidelines.
• Support a positive volunteer and team member experience by contributing to recognition, appreciation, and retention activities that are crucial to the PAC’s successful execution of events.
• Communicate expectations, event information, procedural updates, and shift priorities clearly and consistently to front of house team members and volunteers.
• Lead pre‑event briefings and team check‑ins to review service standards, safety matters, event details, successes, and areas for improvement.
• Deliver orientation, onboarding, refresher training, and procedural demonstrations for new and existing team members and volunteers as required.
• Promote a safe and healthy work environment by reinforcing safety practices, observing work behaviours, reporting incidents or hazards, correcting routine safety concerns within established authority, and escalating serious matters to management.
• Perform other related duties and responsibilities consistent with the supervisory nature of the role.

Qualifications

• Minimum three (3) years’ experience in a supervisory role.
• Experience as a lead hand, event operations, hospitality, venue, customer service, or front of house role an asset.
• Two (2) or more years of recent experience working in front of house, hospitality, event operations, or a professional performing arts or entertainment venue, preferred.
• Diploma or certificate in business, theatre arts, hospitality, event management, customer service, or equivalent work experience required.
• Experience working with volunteers and practical knowledge of the theatre environment, an asset.
• Inventory management experience required.
• Smart Serve CertifiedRequired.
• Safe Food Handling CertificationRequired.
• Current First Aid and CPR Certificate,required.
• Familiarity with AGCO regulations, Health and Safety regulations and Public Health, required.
• Valid drivers license, class G, with own vehicle.

Required Knowledge, Skills & Abilities:

• Exceptional customer serviceskills.
• Strong communication and organizationalskills.
• Ability to supervise front‑line employees and volunteers by assigning work, communicating expectations, providing coaching, and escalating performance concerns appropriately.
• Proven ability to exercise sound judgment, resolve routine service issues, and recognise when matters require management escalation.
• Ability to work collaboratively with internal departments, renters, volunteers, patrons, and external stakeholders in a service‑focused environment.
• Ability to multitask in a fast‑paced work environment while always maintaining great attention todetail
• Knowledge and understanding of general businessoperations.
• Ability to effectively prioritise responsibilities and workactivities
• Flexibility and willingness to adapt as businessdemands
• Commitment to excellence and exceedingly highstandards.
• Availability to work flexible hours including evenings andweekends.
• Commitment to providing a healthy and safe work environment by actively embracing a safety culture.
• Working knowledge of scheduling, event briefings, cash handling controls, inventory tracking, incident documentation, and regulatory compliance in a public‑facing venue.

WORKING CONDITIONS:

• Open office setting, primarily.
• Standing for long periods of time, walking, and lifting regularly required.
• Must be capable of coordinating multiple tasks simultaneously while maintaining composure under pressure.
• Travel may be required based on varying business demands.
• Fast‑paced, high‑pressure environment.
• Availability and willingness to work evenings, weekends, and long days, as business demands.