Manager, Labor Planning & Forecasting - Region

gategroup; Schiller Park (IL); On-site; USD 95,000 - 105,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Paid time off

401k with company match

Company sponsored life insurance

Medical, dental, vision plans

Voluntary disability insurance

Voluntary life, accident, hospital

Employee Assistance Program

Employee Discounts

Job summary

gategroup is seeking a Labor Planning and Scheduling Leader to manage labor resources across multiple units in the United States.

In this full-time role, you will develop forecasting models, optimize staffing, and collaborate with Finance, HR, and Operations to stay compliant with regulations.

Join a team that values excellence, teamwork, and continuous improvement to deliver efficient, cost-conscious operations.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent professional experience in operational planning, monitoring KPIs, or financial controlling.
• Experience leading strategic or operational workforce planning with demand and gap analysis.
• Ability to extract insights from quantitative and qualitative assessments.
• Independent work approach with adaptability to change.
• Strong time-management under demanding deadlines.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Skilled in personnel scheduling and rostering.

Responsibilities

• Labor Resource Planning: Develop and execute comprehensive labor planning strategies aligned with business goals.
• Workforce Optimization: Analyze data, trends, and market dynamics to optimize labor allocation.
• Budget Management: Collaborate with Finance and Operations to develop labor budgets and monitor expenditures.
• Forecasting and Demand Planning: Use data-driven methods to anticipate labor needs including seasonality and events.
• Labor Analytics: Maintain KPIs for utilization, productivity, and cost with regular reporting to leadership.
• Cross-Functional Collaboration: Align labor plans with Operations, HR, Finance, and IE.
• Staffing Strategies: Propose short- and long-term staffing plans; monitor weekly schedules.
• Process Improvement: Identify opportunities to improve efficiency in labor planning.
• Regulatory Compliance: Stay current with labor regulations and policies.
• Team Leadership: Mentor and lead a high-performing, collaborative team.

Skills

Labor planning

Forecasting

Budgeting

Data analysis

Staffing strategies

Communication

Cross-functional collaboration

Education

Bachelor’s degree or equivalent

Tools

Microsoft Office

SharePoint

Job description

We’re looking for motivated, engaged people to help make everyone’s journeys better. Responsible for all the local activities related to the labor planning and labor scheduling on the long and short term of the assigned unit(s).

Annual Hiring Range:

• $95,000 - $105,000/Per Year

Benefits

• Paid time off
• 401k, with company match
• Company sponsored life insurance
• Medical, dental, vision plans
• Voluntary short-term/long-term disability insurance
• Voluntary life, accident, and hospital plans
• Employee Assistance Program
• Employee Discounts

Main Duties and Responsibilities:

• Labor Resource Planning: Develop and execute comprehensive labor resource planning strategies that align with business goals and operational needs.
• Workforce Optimization: Analyze historical data, trends, and market dynamics to optimize labor allocation, ensuring the right workforce is in place to meet demand fluctuations while minimizing overstaffing and understaffing situations.
• Budget Management: Collaborate with Finance and Operations teams to develop labor budgets, monitor actual vs. planned expenditures, and provide insights to improve cost efficiency.
• Forecasting and Demand Planning: Utilize data-driven forecasting techniques to anticipate labor needs, considering seasonal variations, special events, and other factors that impact workforce requirements.
• Labor Analytics: Develop and maintain reporting mechanisms to track key performance indicators (KPIs) related to labor utilization, productivity, and cost, providing regular updates to senior management.
• Cross-Functional Collaboration: Collaborate with departments such as Operations, Human Resources, Finance, and Industrial Engineers to align labor plans with operational strategies and business objectives.
• Staffing Strategies: Recommend short-term and long-term staffing strategies that align with business goals, including hiring, training, and reassignment of labor resources. Monitor and review weekly schedules to accommodate changing business needs.
• Process Improvement: Continuously identify opportunities for process improvement within labor planning and resource allocation and implement best practices to enhance overall efficiency.
• Regulatory Compliance: Stay current with labor regulations and policies to ensure all workforce planning activities are compliant with legal requirements.
• Team Leadership: Provide guidance and mentorship while fostering a collaborative, high-performing, and results-oriented team environment.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree, or equivalent professional experience within operational planning, monitoring operational Key Performance Indicators, or financial controlling
• Experience leading strategic or operational workforce planning activities, including demand and gap analysis
• Ability to identify complex themes, findings, and suggestions/recommendations from both quantitative and qualitative assessments
• Ability to function independently
• Easily adaptable and receptive to change, with a strong drive to adopt innovative approaches
• Proficient at handling tasks under demanding time constraints
• Strong written and verbal communication skills
• Skilled in personnel scheduling and rostering

Technical Skills:

• Proficient with Microsoft Office Products (Excel, Word, PowerPoint, Outlook, and SharePoint)
• Knowledge of union regulations and labor legislations

Language / Communication Skills:

• Fluent in written and verbal English language. Knowledge of a second language is a plus
• Strong communication skills

Geographic Responsibility: Multiple Units in an area

Type of Employment: Full Time

Travel %: 10-25% outside of 50 miles

Exemption Classification: Exempt

Internal Relationships: Regional and unit operations, finance, human resources staff

External Relationships: Professional affiliate organizations

Work Environment / Requirements of the Job: Office / Manufacturing

gategroup Competencies Required to be Successful in the Job:

• Thinking – Information Search and analysis & problem resolution skills
• Engaging – Understanding others, Team Leadership and Developing People
• Inspiring – Influencing and building relationships, Motivating and Inspiring, Communicating effectively
• Achieving – Delivering business results under pressure, Championing Performance Improvement and Customer Focus

Demonstrated Values to be Successful in the Position

Employees at gategroup are expected to live our Values of Excellence, Passion, Responsibility and Respect. To demonstrate these Values, we expect to observe the following from everyone:

Excellence

We put the customer at the forefront of everything we do, taking time to understand their needs, wishes and desires.

We constantly learn by giving and receiving feedback, improving from our mistakes and bettering ourselves.

Passion

Hospitality, in its purest form, comes down to a single, core principle: care. We do everything with thoughtfulness, attention, and care.

We have a growth mindset, a resilience that makes us determined to bounce back from failures and setbacks.

Responsibility

We care about what we do, and we understand the impact we have on others and the planet.

We always look out for each other –creating a safe workplace environment is everyone’s responsibility.

Respect

Every job matters. We each do our part to ensure our colleagues and our customers succeed in their goals.

We respect each other’s voices and foster a workplace that supports inclusion and belonging. We are all one gategroup.

The above statements are intended to describe the general nature and level of work being performed by the individual(s) assigned to this position. They are not intended to be an exhaustive list of all duties, responsibilities, and skills required. Management reserves the right to modify, add, or remove duties and to assign other duties as necessary. In addition, reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions of this position.

gategroup is an equal opportunity employer committed to workforce diversity. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment and will not be discriminated against on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, veteran status, disability status or other category under applicable law.

For further information regarding Equal Employment Opportunity, copy and paste the following URL into your web browser: http://www.dol.gov/ofccp/regs/compliance/posters/pdf/eeopost.pdf

We anticipate that this job will close on: 11/16/2026

If you want to be part of a team that helps make travel and culinary memories, join us!