Director of Hospitality Operations - Charlotte, NC

The Wilkinson Firm; Charlotte (NC); Hybrid; USD 60,000 - 80,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Captain School leadership program

Leadership path to Regional Director

On-site work at client properties

Job summary

The Wilkinson Firm is seeking a market-leading Director to own the Charlotte hospitality and event staffing operations. You will manage the bench, event calendar, captains, and client relationships, becoming the operator the General Manager relies on.

Charlotte is targeted as a full market with a plan for a 100-person W-2 team by 2027. You will lead this growth, earning a seat on the leadership team and reporting to the CEO as the first hire in the market.

Qualifications

• 5+ years of hotel banquet, catering, convention services or hospitality staffing operations.
• At least 2 years leading managers.
• Experience staffing high-volume functions (500+ guests) and running multiple properties or accounts.
• Hiring and development record.
• Comfort with labor math: pay bands, bill rates, overtime, and margin.

Responsibilities

• Own Charlotte market operations for hospitality staffing, including bench, event calendar, captains and leads.
• Lead and develop the events team, ensuring on-time staffing to standard with designated Event Lead on every crew.
• Manage client operations: pre-event planning, post-event reviews, escalations, and quarterly business reviews with each account.
• Monitor metrics: fill rate, show rate, client satisfaction, labor margin and retention for the market.
• Grow the market by walking properties with sales, scoping new accounts, and standing up service within two weeks of signature.

Skills

Staffing operations

People leadership

Labor math

Relationship management

Event staffing

Job description

Compensation: $60,000 to $80,000 base depending on experience, plus a performance bonus tied to market revenue, fill rate and retention. Type: W-2 full-time, salaried. Location: Charlotte, NC, covering Mecklenburg, Cabarrus, Union, Gaston and York counties. On site at client properties most days.

The role

You open and run the Charlotte market for The Wilkinson Firm's hospitality and event staffing division. Every client property within about an hour of uptown is yours: the bench, the event calendar, the captains and event leads, the quality on every floor, and the relationship with each banquet director, housekeeping director and general manager we serve. You are the operator the General Manager calls, and the leader our people follow.

Charlotte is our next full market, with a commitment to a 100-person W-2 hospitality team by the end of 2027. The Director is the first hire; the bench is built under you.

What you own

• Delivery: every event staffed to order, on time, to standard, with a designated Event Lead on every crew
• The bench: recruiting, onboarding, paid training and Captain School cohorts, in partnership with the Staffing Manager and Service Manager who report to you
• Client operations: pre-event planning, post-event reviews, escalations, and the quarterly business review with each account
• The numbers: fill rate, show rate, client satisfaction, labor margin, and retention for the market
• Growth support: walking properties with sales, scoping new accounts, and standing up service for them inside two weeks of signature

What the right candidate brings

• 5 or more years of hotel banquet, catering, convention services or hospitality staffing operations, with at least 2 years leading managers
• Experience staffing high-volume functions (500 or more guests) and running multiple properties or accounts at once
• A hiring and development record: you have built teams, not just supervised them
• Comfort with labor math: pay bands, bill rates, overtime, and margin
• Reliable transportation; evenings and weekends when the calendar calls for it

What you get

• $60,000 to $80,000 base plus performance bonus, W-2, paid biweekly
• A seat on the firm's hospitality leadership team and a direct line to the CEO
• Authority to hire your own Staffing Manager and Service Manager
• A promotion path to Regional Director as the Carolinas grow

Who we are

The Wilkinson Firm is a premium hospitality and event staffing employer. Every hire is a W-2 employee, not a contractor. We train before the first shift, run a paid leadership program called Captain School, rewrite resumes, run mock interviews, and promote from inside. Our clients are hotels, conference centers, caterers and venues. We consider qualified applicants with criminal histories.