Meeting and Conference Centre Team Lead

Norton Rose Fulbright Canada LLP is seeking a Conference & Hospitality Team Lead to join our Toronto office. Reporting to the Manager, Office Services & Facilities, this role is responsible for overseeing the daily operation of the firm's conference floor, catering and hospitality services, and reception function. The successful candidate will lead a team responsible for delivering an exceptional and consistent experience for clients, visitors, lawyers, partners, and business services professionals.

This role requires a hands-on leader who thrives in a fast-paced environment, demonstrates strong operational discipline, and is committed to service excellence. The duties include, but are not limited to the following:

Conference Floor Operations & Client Experience Lead the day-to-day operation of the conference floor, ensuring meeting rooms, boardrooms, and client-facing spaces are maintained to the highest standards

Oversee the planning and execution of internal and external meetings, including room setup, catering, audio-visual requirements (in coordination with our AV team), hospitality services, and room turnover.

Act as the primary point of coordination for conference floor operations, proactively managing scheduling conflicts, service issues, and last-minute requests.

Partner with lawyers, assistants, facilities, AV, and other stakeholders to ensure a seamless meeting and client experience.

Establish and maintain operating procedures and service standards that reflect a premium professional services environment.

Catering & Hospitality Leadership Lead, coach, schedule, and develop the catering and conference services team while fostering a culture of accountability, professionalism, and exceptional client service.

Ensure catering, food and beverage service, meeting support, inventory management, and hospitality services are delivered consistently and to a high standard.

Manage vendor relationships, monitor service quality, and oversee hospitality-related invoices and expenses

Establish, implement, and monitor service standards to ensure consistent execution and the highest levels of cleanliness, health and safety, organization, and presentation across all client-facing and service areas.

Support the planning and delivery of client events, receptions, and firm functions as required.

Reception & Front-of-House Excellence Oversee reception and front-of-house operations, ensuring a welcoming, professional, and seamless experience for all clients and visitors.

Ensure appropriate reception coverage and provide leadership support during peak periods, absences, and high-profile meetings.

Establish and reinforce front-of-house service standards, visitor management protocols, and escalation procedures.

Serve as the escalation point for client-facing service issues and identify opportunities to continuously enhance the visitor experience.

Ensure reception and conference services operate as an integrated team to deliver exceptional service across all client touchpoints.

Qualifications:

5+ years of experience in conference services, hospitality, catering, reception, or client-facing operations within a professional services, hospitality, or corporate environment.

Previous leadership experience with responsibility for coaching, scheduling, training, and performance management.

Experience working in a law firm, professional services firm, private club, luxury hotel, or similar high-service environment is strongly preferred.

Strong organizational, communication, and stakeholder management skills.

Demonstrated ability to manage multiple priorities while maintaining exceptional attention to detail and service standards.

Experience overseeing vendors, budgets, inventory, and service delivery.

Strong proficiency with Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook) and experience using room booking and event management systems to support efficient operations and a high-quality client experience.

Fluency in English, bilingualism in French is an asset.

Willingness to work flexible hours, including after-hours and weekends as needed

Working Arrangement:

This is a highly collaborative, client-facing leadership role that requires a significant on-site presence. The successful candidate will be expected to work from the Toronto office a minimum of 4 days per week, with five days per week strongly preferred to support the conference floor, hospitality team, reception operations, and client service requirements.

Core hours are generally 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.; however, this role supports an operational coverage window that typically spans 7:30 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. and requires flexibility to adjust working hours accordingly. As a hands-on leadership role, the successful candidate must be prepared to support meetings, events, receptions, and operational demands outside regular business hours and to provide coverage or coordinate solutions when unexpected staffing shortages or service requirements arise.

Why join our team:

Hybrid work environment

Retirement…