Chief Operating Officer

The Loring Group; San Diego (CA); On-site; USD 180,000 - 280,000; Full time

Job summary

The Loring Group invites an accomplished COO to lead its hospitality operations across events, catering, restaurant, cafe, and related services. Reporting to the President/CEO, the role blends strategic oversight with hands-on, GM-style leadership to unite seven direct reports and 120 staff under a cohesive operating playbook.

You will drive performance through budgets, forecasting, pricing strategy, and cost controls, while mentoring division heads in Sales, Operations, IT, HR, and Culinary.

Qualifications

• 10+ years of leadership in catering, hospitality, event production, or related operations-intensive fields.
• At least 5 years in a senior operations or general management role.
• Executive strategist and hands-on, GM-style leader who can operate in the field and in the office.

Responsibilities

• Translate strategic vision into actionable operating plans, budgets, and performance metrics across divisions.
• Hands-on, GM-style daily operations: on-site presence for major events, engaged in kitchens and warehouses, accessible to division leaders and staff.
• Oversee the Sales division's alignment with operational capacity, pricing strategy, and client commitments.
• Identify opportunities to improve margins, reduce waste, and increase efficiency without compromising service quality.
• Build, mentor, and lead division heads of Sales, Operations, IT, HR, and Culinary into a high-performing, unified leadership team.
• Own operational P&L performance across all divisions; manage budgets, forecasting, and cost controls.

Skills

Strategic leadership

P&L ownership

Operations management

Stakeholder leadership

Job description

OUR CLIENT

is a $25M+ hospitality company and one of Southern California's largest and most established off-premise caterers. For more than 36 years, they have delivered exceptional experiences across the Olympic Games, FIFA World Cup, Super Bowl, The Masters, major galas, touring productions, restaurants, cafes, and aquarium services. Their success is built on one word: Flexibility. Their experienced, well-trained staff handle any request or last-minute change with professionalism and grace.

POSITION:

Reporting to the President/CEO, the COO will unite director- and VP-level leaders around a common operating playbook, support continued growth, and identify practical efficiencies. The role begins with hands-on immersion across their events, catering, restaurant, cafe, and hospitality operations, then builds cohesion, accountability, and scalable ways of working without micromanaging functional leaders. You will lead 7 direct reports with 120 full-time employees. Major projects, operations, sales, IT, and human resources report directly to the COO, with the broader operating structure also spanning Finance and Culinary workflows.

RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Translate strategic vision into actionable operating plans, budgets, and performance metrics across all divisions.
• Take a hands-on, GM-style approach to daily operations: present on-site for major events, as required, engaged in kitchens and warehouses, and directly accessible to division leaders and staff.
• Oversee the Sales division's alignment with operational capacity, pricing strategy, and client commitments.
• Identify opportunities to improve margins, reduce waste, and increase efficiency without compromising service quality.
• Build, mentor, and lead the division heads of Sales, Operations, IT, HR, and Culinary into a high-performing, unified leadership team.
• Own operational P&L performance across all divisions; manage budgets, forecasting, and cost controls.

QUALIFICATIONS:

• 10+ years of progressive leadership experience in catering, hospitality, event production, or a related operations-intensive industry, with at least 5 years in a senior operations or general management role.
• Demonstrated ability to operate as both an executive strategist and a hands-on, GM-style leader comfortable in the field, not just the office.
• Exceptional leadership, communication, and problem-solving skills, with the ability to stay composed and adaptive under pressure.

COMPENSATION:

• Commensurate with a $25M hospitality company