Associate Director of Guest Services

Kirkland & Ellis; Chicago (IL); On-site; USD 134,000 - 191,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Healthcare

Paid time off

Retirement benefits

Learning opportunities

Job summary

Kirkland & Ellis in Chicago seeks an Associate Director of Guest Services & Hospitality to lead the Hospitality and Guest Services functions. You will oversee conference center operations, catering, café services, pantry, and related support, while collaborating with stakeholders firmwide to deliver a high-touch client experience.

The role requires at least 10 years in hospitality leadership, strong budgeting and vendor management, and proven ability to drive process improvements in a

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree required.
• Minimum 10 years of hospitality, catering, cafe management, or event planning experience.
• Minimum 10 years of leadership experience in management of teams and vendor relationships.
• Experience leading in a fast-paced, matrixed organization with discretion and accountability.
• Strong budgeting, analytical, and project management capabilities.

Responsibilities

• Strategize and implement improvements across meeting spaces to enhance the client experience.
• Oversee catering contracts and café operations in the Chicago office.
• Lead Hospitality and Guest Services Managers with coaching, development, and performance management.
• Drive change management initiatives to achieve operational excellence.
• Participate in recruiting, hiring, and performance management activities.
• Establish priorities with the Senior Director and align with firm-wide leaders.
• Develop best practices and training programs for hospitality teams.
• Oversee catering and conference center operations in Chicago.
• Serve as primary contact for client inquiries and ensure timely, professional responses.
• Review budgets and forecast expenses to identify cost efficiencies.

Skills

Leadership

Budgeting

Client service

Change management

Project management

Communication

Education

Bachelor's degree

Tools

EMS software

Job description

At Kirkland & Ellis, we don’t just meet the standard for legal excellence — we set it. Our culture is built on teamwork, ingenuity and an unwavering commitment to continuous growth. We tackle the most sophisticated legal challenges with bold ideas and innovative solutions, powered by the exceptional experience and ambition of our 7,000+ people, including 4,000+ attorneys, across 24 offices worldwide. Our dedicated professionals share our lawyers’ commitment to excellence and show up each day to do meaningful work that helps drive global business, investment and innovation forward.

What You’ll Do

The Associate Director of Guest Services & Hospitality will report directly to the Senior Director of Administration and will be responsible for ensuring the successful operation of the Hospitality and Guest Services functions in our Chicago office. This includes oversight of catering and outsourced food services, café and coffee bar operations, pantry services, and conference center operations.

This highly visible leadership role requires an exceptional hospitality professional who can think independently, exercise sound judgment, and make strategic decisions in a fast-paced, highly matrixed environment. The Associate Director will collaborate closely with local and firmwide stakeholders to deliver a seamless, high-touch experience for clients, guests, attorneys, and business professionals.

Success in this role requires strong leadership capabilities, operational excellence, budget management experience, and a commitment to continuous improvement. The ideal candidate will have a passion for hospitality, superior client service skills, and the ability to lead teams through change while driving results.

Key Responsibilities

• Strategize, develop, and implement process improvements to enhance the client experience across all meeting and event spaces, including the Conference Center, Café, Floor Hubs, and other entertaining spaces.
• Manage the catering contract in collaboration with local leadership and the Firmwide Culinary Director.
• Provide leadership, coaching, development planning, and performance management for Hospitality and Guest Services Managers.
• Lead change management initiatives and process improvement efforts that support operational excellence and continuous improvement.
• Participate in recruiting, hiring, employee development, and performance management activities.
• Partner with the Senior Director of Administration to establish priorities, goals, and expectations for the Hospitality and Guest Services teams.
• Collaborate with firmwide Hospitality and Guest Services leaders to develop best practices, operational standards, and training programs.
• Partner with Catering leadership to develop seasonal food and beverage offerings for catered events and café operations.
• Oversee catering, food service, and conference center operations in the Chicago office.
• Serve as a primary point of contact for internal and external client inquiries, ensuring timely, accurate, and professional responses.
• Review, analyze, and forecast departmental budgets while identifying opportunities to improve efficiency and reduce costs.
• Collaborate with firmwide Hospitality, Guest Services, and Operations teams on strategic short-term and long-term initiatives.

What You’ll Bring

• Bachelor's degree required.
• Minimum of 10 years of hospitality, catering, café management, and/or event planning experience.
• Minimum of 10 years of leadership experience, including management of teams and vendor relationships.
• Demonstrated ability to lead in a fast-paced, service-oriented environment with a high degree of discretion, independent judgment, and accountability.
• Proven experience working within complex, highly matrixed organizations.
• Exceptional client service, communication, collaboration, and interpersonal skills.
• Strong budgeting, analytical, project management, and problem-solving capabilities.
• Ability to effectively prioritize multiple initiatives while maintaining exceptional attention to detail and service standards.
• Demonstrated success leading organizational change and process improvement initiatives.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Outlook, Word, Excel, and PowerPoint.
• Experience with EMS or similar conference room reservation software preferred.
• Strong overall technology proficiency and ability to learn and utilize operational and departmental software systems.

Compensation

The base salary range below represents the low and high end of the salary range for this position in Chicago. This range may differ based on your geographic location and cost of living considerations. At Kirkland & Ellis, we consider compensation more than just a base salary. We offer an exceptional range of flexible benefits including comprehensive healthcare, paid time off, and retirement. We also offer personal support and tailored learning and development opportunities all designed to help you realize your full potential both in life and at work.

Compensation Range:

Chicago: $134,000 - $191,000

All employment decisions, including the recruiting, hiring, placement, training availability, promotion, compensation, evaluation, disciplinary actions, and termination of employment (if necessary) are made without regard to the employee’s race, color, creed, religion, sex, pregnancy or childbirth, personal appearance, family responsibilities, sexual orientation or preference, gender identity, political affiliation, source of income, place of residence, national or ethnic origin, ancestry, age, marital status, military veteran status, unfavorable discharge from military service, physical or mental disability, or on any other basis prohibited by applicable law.