Manager of Events & Dining

Philadelphia Museum of Art; Philadelphia (Philadelphia County); On-site; USD 63,000 - 77,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Free general admission

Discounted guest tickets

Discounts on gifts/memberships

Staff tours and presentations

Discounts at restaurant, cafés, and r​

Job summary

The Philadelphia Museum of Art is seeking a Manager of Event and Dining Operations to uphold the museum’s brand of excellence and ensure the seamless execution of visitor dining, hospitality, and events. You will work with the exclusive food and beverage provider and collaborate with internal teams to deliver a premium guest experience daily.

The role requires leadership, hospitality expertise, and a passion for culinary and guest services.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent experience in business, hospitality, and/or food services management preferred.
• Several years of demonstrated successful experience in food services and/or the hospitality industry.
• Experience managing weddings and events is required or strongly preferred.

Responsibilities

• Support internal event planners by coordinating with facilities, security, AV, and retail, and with the third-party food and beverage provider.
• Provide day-of-event on-site execution support for internal and external events as needed.
• Serve as liaison with the exclusive food and beverage provider to ensure smooth integration with facility rental and internal event operations.
• Foster a positive, collaborative environment across museum departments (marketing, development, learning, visitor services, retail, finance, executive office).
• Ensure catering requests are processed efficiently and professionally.
• Review events to maintain high-quality service, professionalism, and guest experience.
• Ensure operations align with the museum’s mission, sustainability goals, and standards.
• Coordinate with facilities to maintain buildings, equipment, and spaces.
• Oversee operator KPIs related to visitor satisfaction and service quality.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

Skills

Leadership

Organizational skills

Communication

Interpersonal skills

Facilitation

Negotiation

Spreadsheet analysis

Word processing

Education

Bachelor’s degree or equivalent

Tools

Excel

Word

Job description

We Are Committed to an Inclusive Workplace

At the Philadelphia Museum of Art, we actively seek to employ a diverse group of people who embody our organizational values. We welcome and encourage individuals of all backgrounds to apply, especially those from marginalized and underrepresented groups in the museum field, who are inspired by our shared purpose and enjoy working collaboratively with others.

We are proud to be an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to age, ancestry, citizenship or immigration status, color, disability, ethnicity, familial status, gender identity and/or expression, genetic information, marital status, national origin, race, religion, sex, sexual orientation, veteran status, or any other protected status.

The Manager of Event and Dining Operations, in support of the Director, will focus on upholding the museum’s brand of excellence while ensuring the execution of visitor dining, hospitality, and events. The Manager shares an understanding of the logistics surrounding both internal and external events, and restaurant and café operations through a collaborative relationship with the food and beverage provider. In addition, they play a key role in ensuring the food and beverage experience complements and adds value to the full museum experience for the general visitors each day.

Specifically, you will:

• Support internal event planners (i.e. – Advancement team) by ensuring smooth building operations by collaborating with internal service teams—such as facilities, security, AV, and retail—and submitting appropriate staffing requests, coordinating with the third-party food and beverage provider as necessary
• Provide day-of-event on-site execution support for internal events (and external events as needed)
• As third-party vendor liaison (exclusive food and beverage provider, Constellation Culinary Group), assure successful integration with the museum in all aspects of facility rental and internal event operations
• Foster a positive, proactive, and collaborative working environment between the Operator (third party food vendor) and the museum including, but not limited to the following departments: marketing, development/membership, learning and engagement, visitor services, retail, finance, executive office, and facilities
• Assist as necessary to ensure that museum staff requests for internal catering are processed in an efficient, positive, and timely manner
• Regularly review and attend internal and external (facility rental) events, to assure that continuous excellent customer service, quality, and a high level of professionalism are maintained by Operator, museum team members, and external contractors providing services
• Ensure that facility rental and internal event operations are consistent with the Museum’s mission and standards, particularly regarding sustainability and extraordinary visitor experience.
• Provide support to the Operator and museum team, as needed to assure they can operate effectively within the museum and with minimal disruption to other Museum operations
• Facilitate the Museum approvals, as necessary, including menus, menu pricing, uniforms, signage, hours of operation, marketing materials, advertising, etc
• Coordinate the Operator interface with the museum’s facilities department to ensure that Museum-owned buildings, equipment, fixtures, furnishings, and facilities are properly maintained and serviced
• Ensure that visitor feedback mechanisms are in place and are effective for all facility rental and internal event sales and operations and respond directly when appropriate on behalf of the museum
• Regularly review facility rental and internal events and operations, to assure that consistent services and a high level of professionalism are maintained by the Operator
• Oversee, and monitor the Operator’s key performance metrics as it relates to visitor satisfaction in all areas, food and beverage quality and service standards, food safety and sanitation based on the Operator’s contractual responsibilities and based on the museum standards. Use museum-developed evaluation instruments to determine results, corrective action, and continuous improvement
• Perform other duties as assigned

Your background and experience include:

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent experience, with specialization in business, hospitality, and/or food services management preferred
• Several (5) years of demonstrated successful experience in food services and/or the hospitality industry
• Several (5) years of demonstrated successful experience in managing weddings and events
• Understanding of and passion for the culinary and hospitality industry and providing an excellent guest experience
• Proven knowledge of retail restaurants, public dining, food and beverage catering of all types, facility rental and event management services, operational policies, vendor management, vendor/operator contracts, and budgeting and financial management
• Excellent leadership, organizational, communication, writing and interpersonal skills
• Excellent facilitation, collaboration, and negotiation skills
• Excellent skills with spreadsheet analysis and word processing software

Position and Compensation Details

• The salary for this position is $70,000
• This position is Full-Time, Exempt, and 35 hours per week
• This position is part of the AFSCME Local 397 bargaining unit.
• This position reports to Associate Director, Events & Dining
• Physical requirements:
  • Able to remain stationary for extended periods of time, to utilize computers and other office equipment required of this job, to perform physically administrative duties in a typical interior office environment, gallery, or exhibit space, and to access most public and staff areas of the museum campus
  • Able to regularly set up, adjust, and operate a computer/keyboard and other office equipment used to generate work/transmit data
  • Able to move items up to 30 pounds
  • Able to remain stationary for up to seven hours
• Background check required after a conditional job offer is made. Consideration of the background check will be tailored to the requirements of the job

Institutional Requirements

• Upholds the professional standards of the field, always acts in a manner that is consistent with the best interests of the museum and protects and enhances its reputation and standing within the community of museums
• Adheres to the museum’s code of ethics and Employee Handbook and avoids any real or perceived conflicts of interest
• Shows respect for co-workers and visitors and an understanding of and appreciation for the diversity of the museum’s staff, volunteers, and audiences
• Maintains confidentiality
• Adheres to all museum protocols, procedures, rules, and policies

Application Timeline

Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis. We encourage candidates to apply early as the position will close once we have a robust applicant pool or a candidate has been selected.

What We Offer

Our employees are at the center of the museum. As an employee, you will have access to numerous museum perks including, but not limited to:

• Free general admission to the museum for you and your immediate family
• Discounted guest tickets for admission
• Discounts on gift memberships
• Special staff tours and presentations from our curatorial and conservation teams
• Discounts at the museum restaurant, museum cafés, and museum retail and online stores

We offer a comprehensive benefits package for employees including:

• Medical, dental, and vision benefits
• Fully paid short-term disability insurance, long-term disability insurance, and life insurance
• Health savings or flexible spending account program
• Retirement savings program with museum match
• Paid vacation, personal days, sick days, and holidays

*Eligibility for certain benefits is based on a variety of factors including the employee’s regular schedule and tenure.