General Manager, Indian Pueblo Meetings & Events

The Indian Pueblo Cultural Center, Inc.; Albuquerque (NM); On-site; USD 90,000 - 120,000; Full time

Job summary

The Indian Pueblo Cultural Center, Inc. seeks an experienced General Manager for Meetings & Events to lead a premier banquet and conference operation in Albuquerque. You will drive planning, execution, billing, and post-event follow-up, ensuring memorable experiences while reflecting New Mexico Pueblo culture.

Reporting to the Director of Food & Beverage, you will guide planning, staffing, budgeting, and cross-department coordination to deliver exceptional events and grow business opportunities.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree or equivalent in business, hospitality, marketing, or related field.
• 5+ years in hospitality, meetings, conferences, events, or related environment.
• 2+ years supervisory/management experience.
• Experience in sales, catering, meetings, and events management.
• Native American preference will be given where allowed by law.

Responsibilities

• Lead Banquets, Meetings & Events with focus on service excellence, revenue growth, and profitability.
• Oversee events from inquiry to follow-up, ensuring flawless execution.
• Develop and execute event plans, contracts, room sets, menus, and timelines.
• Build relationships with planners, clients, vendors, and partners; drive sales.
• Monitor satisfaction, budgets, labor, and expenses; optimize performance.

Skills

Leadership

Budgeting

Sales

Customer service

Communication

Cultural competency

Project management

Education

Bachelor's degree

Tools

Microsoft Office

POS systems

Event management software

Job description

General Manager, Indian Pueblo Meetings & Events

Lead Extraordinary Events. Build Meaningful Connections. Represent Culture.

The Indian Pueblo Cultural Center (IPCC) is seeking an experienced, energetic, and customer-focused General Manager, Meetings & Events to lead one of our most dynamic hospitality operations.

Reporting to the Director of Food & Beverage, the General Manager provides strategic and hands‑on leadership for banquet, catering, meetings, conferences, and special events-from the first client inquiry through planning, event execution, billing, and post‑event follow‑up.

This is an exciting opportunity for a hospitality leader who understands that exceptional events are about more than flawless execution. They are about creating memorable experiences, building lasting relationships, generating business, and proudly sharing the unique culture, history, art, and hospitality of the 19 Pueblos of New Mexico.

What You’ll Do

• Lead the Banquets, Meetings & Events operation with responsibility for service excellence, revenue growth, profitability, staffing, and operational performance.
• Inspire, develop, coach, and hold team members accountable while building a culture of teamwork, professionalism, and exceptional guest service.
• Oversee events from initial inquiry and booking through planning, execution, billing, and follow‑up.
• Lead the development and execution of event plans, contracts, banquet event orders, group resumes, room sets, menus, timelines, and related documentation.
• Build strong relationships with meeting planners, corporate and community organizations, clients, vendors, tourism partners, and other key stakeholders.
• Drive sales and business‑development opportunities that increase event revenue, repeat business, market share, and utilization of meeting and event spaces.
• Lead the successful execution of executive meetings, conferences, banquets, receptions, cultural events, and other functions.
• Partner closely with Sales, Food & Beverage, Culinary, Hotel, Facilities, Finance, Marketing, Security, and other departments to ensure seamless event experiences.
• Establish and maintain high service standards and actively monitor customer satisfaction and feedback.
• Manage departmental budgets, forecasts, labor costs, purchasing, inventory, operating expenses, and profitability.
• Analyze revenue, labor, customer satisfaction, sales conversion, event volume, repeat business, and other performance indicators to identify opportunities and implement action plans.
• Ensure appropriate staffing and labor deployment based on event volume and business needs.
• Develop team capabilities through training in service, event execution, food and beverage, safety, customer service, cultural awareness, and organizational policies.
• Provide visible leadership during events, resolving challenges and client concerns with professionalism, sound judgment, and a customer‑first mindset.
• Ensure compliance with food safety, sanitation, alcohol‑service, health and safety requirements, organizational policies, and applicable laws.
• Represent IPCC professionally at hospitality, tourism, business, cultural, community, and industry events.

What We’re Looking For

We are looking for a hospitality professional who combines business savvy with genuine hospitality - someone who can confidently lead a team, build relationships, win business, manage financial performance, and step in personally when an event requires leadership.

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration, Hospitality Management, Hotel and Restaurant Management, Marketing, Event Management, or a related field; or an equivalent combination of education and relevant experience.
• At least five years of progressively responsible experience in hospitality, meetings, conferences, banquets, catering, events, or a related environment.
• At least two years of supervisory or management experience with responsibility for leading employees.
• Demonstrated experience managing staffing, scheduling, employee performance, customer service, revenue generation, expenses, and operational results.
• Experience in sales, business development, catering, meetings, conferences, banquets, or event management. Hospitality, cultural, convention, resort, hotel, or destination experience is preferred.
• Ability to successfully complete required pre‑employment screening, including background investigation and drug/alcohol screening.
• Native American preference will be given in accordance with applicable law.

The Skills That Will Make You Successful

The ideal candidate will demonstrate:

• Strong leadership, coaching, delegation, and team‑development skills.
• Deep knowledge of banquet, catering, conference, meeting, and event operations.
• Strong sales, business‑development, negotiation, and relationship‑management abilities.
• Financial and business acumen, including budgeting, forecasting, labor management, cost control, and profitability.
• Excellent customer‑service skills and the ability to turn client needs into exceptional experiences.
• Strong analytical and problem‑solving skills with the ability to use KPIs and operational data to drive results.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• The ability to manage multiple priorities and complex events in a fast‑paced environment.
• Calm, confident decision‑making under pressure.
• Cultural competency and the ability to work respectfully and effectively with Native American communities, tribal representatives, community organizations, and visitors from diverse backgrounds.
• An appreciation for and willingness to learn about Pueblo history, art, culture, traditions, and the mission of IPCC.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office and common business applications, with the ability to learn catering/event‑management and point‑of‑sale systems.
• A commitment to integrity, accountability, dependability, professionalism, and service excellence.
• The ability to obtain and maintain food‑handler, food‑safety, alcohol‑service, or other certifications required for the position.

Why This Role Matters

At IPCC, events are an opportunity to bring people together while sharing the rich cultures and traditions of New Mexico’s Pueblo communities.

As General Manager, you will play a key role in creating experiences that guests remember, developing a team that takes pride in its work, strengthening community and business relationships, and growing a hospitality operation that reflects the character and mission of the Indian Pueblo Cultural Center.

If you are a proven hospitality leader who thrives on creating exceptional experiences, growing business, developing people, and leading from the front, we invite you to bring your talent to IPCC.