Restaurant Ops & Events Manager - Lead Guest Experience

SAIT; Calgary; On-site; CAD 90,000 - 110,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Defined Benefit pension (LAPP)

Paid time off

Medical, dental, and vision benefits

Health Spending Account

Mental health support

Professional development opportunities

Campus dining options

Fitness facilities

Discounted continuing education

Job summary

SAIT's School of Hospitality and Tourism is seeking a dynamic and highly visible Manager, Restaurant Operations & Events to provide leadership for Highwood Kitchen & Bar and the School's growing events portfolio.

Reporting to the Associate Dean, this role blends hands-on restaurant leadership with a live learning environment to deliver exceptional hospitality experiences while advancing applied, real-world learning.

Qualifications

• Diploma or degree in Hospitality Management, Business, Culinary Management, or a related discipline.
• Minimum five (5) years of progressive hospitality leadership experience in restaurant and/or event operations.
• Demonstrated experience leading teams, managing budgets, and delivering exceptional guest experiences.
• Food Safe Certification or equivalent.
• ProServe Certification.

Responsibilities

• Provide operational leadership for Highwood Kitchen & Bar and the School's events portfolio, delivering exceptional guest experiences while supporting student learning.
• Lead restaurant and event operations, ensuring service excellence, operational performance, quality standards, and regulatory compliance.
• Drive the growth of the events portfolio through business development, client relationships, proposal development, and revenue-generating opportunities.
• Collaborate with faculty, staff, industry partners, and institutional stakeholders to create authentic hospitality and event learning experiences.
• Lead, coach, and develop supervisors and frontline teams, fostering a culture of service excellence, accountability, and continuous improvement.
• Oversee budgets, labour utilization, financial performance, forecasting, and business planning for restaurant and event operations.
• Serve as a visible, hands-on leader, engaging with guests, mentoring employees, and supporting student success in a live learning environment.
• Champion operational excellence by identifying opportunities to improve service delivery, efficiency, and overall performance.

Skills

Leadership

Team development

Guest service

Finance & budgeting

Operations management

Project management

Communication

Relationship building

Hospitality technology

Education

Diploma or degree in Hospitality Management

Business / Culinary Management related

Tools

Microsoft Office

POS systems

Job description

SAIT's School of Hospitality and Tourism is seeking a dynamic and highly visible Manager, Restaurant Operations & Events to provide leadership for Highwood Kitchen & Bar and the School's growing events portfolio.

Reporting to the Associate Dean, this role blends hands-on restaurant leadership with a live learning environment to deliver exceptional hospitality experiences while advancing applied, real-world learning.