Operations Specialist

Job Summary:

The Operations Specialist at Hospitality Services Group (HSG) provides in-office operational support from the Chicago office, with primary responsibility for weekend and holiday coverage. This role keeps HSG operations running when most of the corporate team is off - serving as the central point of contact for field teams, on-property supervisors, and vendor partners across all HSG entities during off-peak hours.

The Operations Specialist handles incoming requests, resolves day-to-day operational issues, triages escalations, and ensures that nothing falls through the cracks between Friday close and Monday open. The role is built for someone who can work independently, exercise sound judgment, and keep operations steady during the times most leadership is unavailable.

• Serve as the primary in-office operations contact during weekends, holidays, and other designated off-hour coverage windows.
• Monitor incoming communication channels, phone, email, ticketing, and messaging platforms and respond within established service levels.
• Triage incoming requests by urgency and route to the correct internal team, vendor, or on-property leader.
• Handle routine operational requests directly without requiring weekday leadership involvement.
• Maintain visibility into open issues across HSG entities and ensure they are tracked through to resolution or proper handoff.

• Support on-property supervisors, vendor leads, and field teams with operational questions and requests during coverage windows.
• Coordinate last-minute staffing changes, call-offs, and coverage requests in partnership with the appropriate scheduling or talent acquisition contacts.
• Provide quick-turn answers on policies, procedures, and standard processes to field teams.
• Escalate urgent or high‑impact issues to the appropriate corporate leader using established escalation protocols.

• Apply sound judgment to determine which issues can be resolved independently and which require leadership involvement.
• Follow defined escalation paths for after-hours incidents, guest impact events, safety issues, vendor failures, or significant staffing gaps.
• Document all significant events, decisions, and escalations in real time.
• Prepare a clear weekend or holiday recap for leadership at the start of each business week, covering open items, resolved issues, and anything requiring follow‑up.

• Maintain accurate records, logs, and trackers used to manage off‑hour operations.
• Process routine administrative tasks such as updates to schedules, trackers, and shared documentation.
• Support weekday corporate teams with project work, data entry, and operational tasks during slower coverage periods.
• Help maintain the Chicago office during coverage windows - receiving deliveries, supporting visiting team members, and managing basic office needs as required.

• Identify recurring weekend and holiday issues and surface them to leadership with recommendations to prevent repeat occurrences.
• Help build and maintain standard operating procedures for off‑hour coverage.
• Contribute to playbooks, escalation matrices, and reference guides used by the coverage function.

• Associate's degree or equivalent experience; bachelor's degree preferred.
• 2+ years of experience in an operations, coordinator, dispatch, or customer‑support role ideally in hospitality, staffing, security, or multi‑site service environments.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills.
• Proven ability to work independently, manage competing priorities, and exercise judgment without close supervision.
• Comfortable working in business systems including email, ticketing, scheduling/workforce tools, and Microsoft Office (Excel, Word, Outlook).
• Calm, professional demeanor when handling time‑sensitive or escalated issues.
• Reliable, accountable, and follow‑through oriented - comfortable being the on‑duty point of contact.
• Must be able to work a schedule that includes weekends and holidays as the primary coverage pattern.
• Bilingual (English/Spanish) preferred.

• Competitive salary commensurate with experience
• Comprehensive benefits package including health insurance, paid time off, and professional development opportunities
• Gain diverse experience and expand your network
• Be part of a supportive, high‑energy team that's as passionate as you are