Director of Operations, Banquets and Catering

Position Title & Department

Director of Operations, Banquets and Catering;
Banquets and Catering Posting #

5489

Full-time regular

San Diego

Administrator, Dining Services

The Division of Student Affairs is committed to grounding our policies, programs, and procedures in anti‑racist practice. With this commitment, we recognize the importance of educating ourselves and holding one another accountable to ensure our work is approached through equity, inclusion, and social justice lens. We recognize our need for ongoing development in this area and continue to strive to improve.

We expect all members of the Division of Student Affairs are willing to engage in this work alongside us to uphold our Catholic mission in creating a welcoming environment where the dignity of all students, staff, administrators, and faculty at USD is embraced.

The University of San Diego, an engaged and contemporary Catholic institution, was founded by the Diocese of San Diego and the Society of the Sacred Heart in 1949. Governed by an independent board of trustees since 1972, USD remains committed to a liberal arts education grounded in the Catholic intellectual tradition and the pursuit of truth, goodness and beauty. Inspired by this centuries old tradition of Catholic higher education, the University welcomes people of all faith traditions and any, or no, religious background.

The future success of USD relies on the contributions of those who seek to foster the development of engaged global citizens and an earnest confrontation of humanity’s urgent challenges.

The Director of Operations, Banquets and Catering is responsible for overseeing all aspects of the catering operation within the Division of Hospitality Services. The Director of Operations, Banquets and Catering is responsible for the catering operation, including managing staff, coordinating with vendors, ensuring quality food services, executing events smoothly, meeting client needs, maintaining budgets, and upholding food safety standards, essentially acting as the leader in ensuring seamless execution of catering events from start to finish.

The Director of Operations, Banquets and Catering is responsible for training, coordinating and evaluating the work of the service staff and catering management team, assisting clients with menu planning, food and beverage coordination, table arrangements, decoration options, arrangement of all details of special events, (to include room set‑ups, staging, lighting, audiovisual, traffic lows, equipment packing and logistic, staffing model, menus, décor, entertainment, group room blocks, VIP services and any experiential elements related to the success of the event).

Other duties as assigned.

Guest Experience and Experiential Service Delivery Strategy

• Develop and implement catering service delivery solutions to meet customer event expectations.
• Develop and maintain effective client and customer relations.
• Meet with clients to understand their needs and expectations for events.
• Supervise and ensure the highest standards in managing event logistics including venues set up and staging, service standards, equipment rental, decorations, signage, experiential decorations, event theme, lighting, beverage station, clean up and any customized element requested by the client.
• Implement innovative and contemporary experiential service standards to support new business growth and client retention.
• Oversee the execution of events on‑site to ensure smooth operation and high‑quality service standards.
• Act as working supervisor and ensure the quality preparation of all menu and specialty items is accurate.
• In coordination with the Chef De Cuisine, responsible for the planning and facilitation of the service delivery strategy to maintain the highest standards of food quality.
• Support the ongoing review and improvement of service, product and menus standards and in coordination with the Culinary Team and the Director of Hospitality Services.
• Ensure that all food is attractively garnished and appropriately displayed.
• Ensures that…