Catering Manager

Compass Group•San Francisco, CA

8d•$80,000 - $90,000•Onsite

About The Position

The Catering Manager oversees a fast-paced, high-volume corporate catering operation supporting multiple locations throughout San Francisco’s Mission Bay campus. The role manages simultaneous daily events ranging from executive meetings and VIP dinners to large campus functions for up to 2,000 guests. The manager partners with culinary, operations, vendors, and client stakeholders to ensure strong event execution, hospitality, and financial performance across a complex catering portfolio. The position provides shared leadership for a growing operation with five Catering Supervisors (expanding to six) and 16 hourly team members, including Catering Attendants, Drivers, Porters, and Dishwashers. It is primarily based at the Mission Bay campus, with occasional support at Mountain View locations as business needs dictate. The schedule is primarily early morning, with typical starts between 6:00 AM and 8:00 AM, and requires flexibility for occasional evening events and limited weekend support, generally no more than five weekends annually.

Requirements

At least 3 years of catering, hospitality, conference services, banquet, or foodservice management experience in a high-volume environment.
Strong understanding of Banquet Event Orders (BEOs), event logistics, labor management, and catering financials.
Proven experience managing multiple concurrent events across various locations.
Strong food knowledge and ability to collaborate effectively with culinary teams.

Nice To Haves

Experience supporting corporate dining, technology campuses, conference centers, hotels, convention venues, or large-scale hospitality operations.
Experience with VIP service, executive dining, and large-scale special events.
Experience in proposal development, event costing, budgeting, and financial management.
Bilingual English/Spanish.

Responsibilities

Manage and execute a high-volume catering operation supporting 60 or more banquet event orders (BEOs) during peak periods.
Oversee concurrent events across multiple Mission Bay venues, including conference rooms, cafés, lounges, executive spaces, and outdoor venues.
Review and interpret BEOs to ensure accurate staffing, production planning, equipment allocation, and event execution.
Coordinate with culinary teams, vendors, facilities, transportation teams, and client stakeholders to deliver service seamlessly.
Lead events including executive breakfasts, working lunches, receptions, happy hours, plated dinners, VIP functions, and large-scale campus events for up to 2,000 guests.
Develop staffing plans and deploy resources across multiple venues and simultaneous events.
Direct supervisors, catering attendants, drivers, porters, dishwashers, and temporary event staff.
Monitor event budgets, labor costs, rental expenses, and food costs to meet departmental financial objectives.
Participate in proposal development, event costing, and operational planning for recurring and special events.
Maintain service standards, food safety requirements, quality expectations, and hospitality guidelines.
Support executive and VIP clients with discretion, professionalism, and exceptional service.
Resolve operational challenges and last-minute event changes while maintaining a positive guest experience.
Coach, train, and develop supervisors and frontline staff.
Foster accountability, teamwork, operational excellence, and continuous improvement.

Benefits

Medical insurance
Dental insurance
Vision insurance
Life insurance
Disability insurance
Retirement plan
Paid time off
Holiday time off (varies by site/state)
Associate Shopping Program
Health and Wellness Programs
Discount Marketplace
Identity Theft Protection
Pet Insurance
Commuter Benefits
Employee Assistance Program
Flexible Spending Accounts (FSAs)
Paid Parental Leave
Personal Leave
Potential paid and/or unpaid time off benefits in accordance with applicable federal, state, and local laws