Senior Manager, Food & Beverage - Production & Delivery

Global Sports Jobs Limited; Los Angeles (CA); On-site; USD 110,000 - 170,000; Full time

Job summary

On Location is seeking an experienced Catering Operations Lead to own catering strategy and execution across multiple venues. You will translate programme objectives into clear service standards, manage contracts, and partner with senior leadership to deliver high-quality, on-brand hospitality within budget.

In planning, lead multi-venue catering contracts; in operations, oversee the Catering Operation team at competition venues, coordinating with site teams, suppliers and labour relations to

Qualifications

• 3-5 years in catering or hospitality, with multi-venue operations.
• Experience overseeing food and beverage operations in large venues.
• Experience managing subcontractors and vendors, with budgets and schedules.

Responsibilities

• Lead the execution of catering concepts and service standards for venues.
• Translate concepts into service standards and run-of-show requirements.
• Monitor contractor performance against KPIs, quality, service and budgets.
• Conduct venue audits and tastings, driving corrective actions.
• Maintain timelines from planning through load-in and load-out.
• Coordinate with cross-functional teams to ensure executable catering plans.
• Identify risks and opportunities, resolving issues with leadership.
• Gather feedback and drive service improvements within standards.
• Oversee planning and operations across multiple venues and contracts.
• Manage the Catering Operation team at competition venues.

Skills

Multi-venue operations

Team leadership

Budget management

Vendor management

Food & beverage operations

Operational planning

Education

Bachelor's degree in Hospitality Management

Tools

Microsoft Office

Adobe Acrobat

Zoom

DocuSign

Smartsheet

Job description

About the Role

The role sits within the On Location Event Production department and serves as the primary operational lead for catering scope, service standards and contractor performance across assigned venues. Working within the broader F&B strategy, it translates programme objectives into clear venue-level requirements and partners with senior leadership and cross-functional teams to ensure contracted catering partners deliver consistent, high-quality, on-brand service on time and on budget across the hospitality portfolio. During the planning phase, the role manages multiple catering contracts across multiple venues and assists with the development and implementation of the catering strategy and concept of operations across all competition venues. During the operational phase, it evolves into an operational position managing the Catering Operation team at competition venue level alongside site venue management, catering service providers and the On Location venue team.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead the execution of catering concepts and service standards for assigned venues, including delivery strategies, staffing models and service expectations by venue type.
• Translate approved concepts and programme requirements into service standards and run-of-show requirements, briefing contractors at key milestones, confirming understanding of deliverables and resolving gaps between requirements and execution plans.
• Work with cross-functional areas to monitor contractor performance against established KPIs, quality standards, service expectations and agreed budgets.
• Conduct venue walk-throughs, audits and tastings, identifying performance gaps and leading corrective action in partnership with contractors and internal stakeholders.
• Maintain integrated timelines and critical paths for assigned venues and workstreams, coordinating deliverables from planning and mobilisation through load-in, games operations and load-out.
• Partner with logistics, design, venue operations, hospitality sales and other cross-functional teams to ensure catering plans are realistic, coordinated and executable under live-event conditions.
• Identify operational risks, dependencies and opportunities for improvement, working with senior leadership and cross-functional partners to resolve issues and strengthen execution throughout planning and live operations.
• Gather guest, client and stakeholder feedback and implement service improvements within established programme standards.
• Manage multiple catering contracts across multiple venues during the planning phase, assisting with the development and implementation of the catering strategy and concept of operations across all competition venues
• And focusing on one or more specific or specialist planning elements for the overall project.
• Manage the Catering Operation team at competition venue level during the operational phase, working with site venue management on hospitality catering operations, catering service providers and the On Location venue team.

Required Experience & Qualifications

• 3-5 years of progressive, full-time experience in catering or hospitality, including multi-unit or multi-venue operations, with at least 2 years leading managers or large teams.
• Proven success overseeing food and beverage or catering operations in stadiums, arenas, convention centres or comparable large-scale sports and entertainment venues, including live-event, high-volume and premium hospitality environments.
• Experience managing subcontractors, vendors or contracted operators, including developing scopes and specifications, communicating expectations, verifying understanding and monitoring performance against quality, schedule and budget requirements.
• Track record of leading, developing and holding accountable a multi-tiered organisation, including direct reports and indirect teams.
• Strong prioritisation skills with the ability to coordinate multiple venues, partners and deadlines simultaneously and maintain detailed project timelines.
• Bachelor's degree in Restaurant Management, Hospitality Management, Food Service or a related field, or an equivalent combination of education, training and hands-on experience.
• Working knowledge of budgets, forecasting and labour cost management.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite, Adobe Acrobat, Zoom, DocuSign and Smartsheet.
• Hands-on working knowledge of collective bargaining agreements, including scheduling and staffing under CBA requirements, working with shop stewards and union representatives, and resolving operational issues in partnership with Labour Relations and other internal stakeholders.
• Exceptional organisational and process management skills, with the ability to establish structure, maintain operational consistency and execute against defined standards across multiple sites.
• Strong interpersonal, communication and negotiation skills, with experience resolving conflicts and collaborating across diverse teams, subcontractors, unions and client stakeholders.
• Sound judgment, composure and accountability in fast-paced, deadline-driven environments.

Preferred Skills

• Experience with large-scale, multi-venue or major-event programming (e.g., Olympics, World Cup, Super Bowl, major festivals or tournaments).
• Experience with Los Angeles-area labour agreements and workforce.
• Flexibility and a positive attitude to work long days, evenings, weekends and holidays when necessary.
• Experience working in a multi-cultural organisation and with international stakeholders such as Government Organisations, Sporting Federations and Local Organising Committees.
• Good administration and IT skills, including Microsoft Office and cloud-based programmes.
• Strong verbal and written communication skills.

Salary

• Competitive salary, commensurate with job position and experience.

About the Company

TKO also services and partners with major sports rights holders through IMG, an industry-leading global sports marketing agency, and On Location, a global leader in premium experiential hospitality.