Director of Events & Catering | Full-Time | Grand River Conference Center

Oak View Group•Dubuque, IA

24d•$70,000 - $80,000•Onsite

About The Position

Oak View Group is the global leader in venue development, management, and premium hospitality services for the live event industry. Offering an unmatched, 360-degree solution set for a collection of world-class owned venues and a client roster that includes the most influential, highest attended arenas, convention centers, music festivals, performing arts centers, and cultural institutions on the planet . Position Summary The Director of Events & Catering oversees all event management operations at the Grand River Center, including Front of House services, as well as Food & Beverage operations at the Five Flags Center. This position ensures all functions align with OVG policies and objectives to deliver exceptional guest experiences, maximize profitability, and maintain a positive, productive, and compliant work environment. The Director of Events & Catering is responsible for the effective management of the event services department; Front of House catering; beverage service; and concessions across both the Grand River Center and Five Flags Civic Center. Key responsibilities include event planning and scheduling, coordinating with culinary teams on food cost control, ensuring compliance with food safety and sanitation standards, overseeing cleaning and kitchen safety practices, and hiring, scheduling, training, and supervising all catering, concession, and support staff. This role provides high-level operational and personnel oversight to ensure seamless execution of all events and food service outlets. Excellent attendance and the ability to work a flexible, event-driven schedule—including evenings and weekends—are essential. Professional presentation, strong interpersonal skills, and the ability to work independently are required. This role pays an annual salary of $70,000-$80,000 and is bonus eligible Benefits for Full-Time roles: Health, Dental and Vision Insurance, 401(k) Savings Plan, 401(k) matching, and Paid Time Off (vacation days, sick days, and 11 holidays) This position will remain open until March 13, 2026. About the Venue The Grand River Conference Center is a full-service meeting and event facility located in the heart of downtown Dubuque, Iowa. Newly renovated in 2020, featuring over 80,000+ square feet of meeting and exhibition space for events up to 2,000. The Five Flags Civic Center is located in downtown Dubuque. The arena has a capacity of 4,500 guests and has the ability to transform for an occasion from concerts and sports tournaments to banquets and general sessions. The theater is a National Historic Landmark that seats 711 guests and Bijou Room is a black box theater with a capacity of 135 guests.

Requirements

Minimum of 5-7 years of increasingly responsible experience in event management in an arena, stadium, convention center or other multi-purpose public assembly facility
Experience across a range of food and beverage operations, including volume feeding, à la carte service, fine dining, catering, as well as purchasing, storage, and handling.
Maintains a current Food Handler’s card and alcohol service permit if required by state or local government
Supervisory experience required
Bachelor’s degree or better from an accredited college or university
Possession of, or ability to obtain a valid state driver’s license
Knowledge of customer service practices
Ability to prepare, track, control and analyze budgets
Ability to communicate clearly and concisely in the English language, both orally and in writing
Must be able to work a flexible schedule including; early mornings, evenings, weekends, holidays and extended number of consecutive days.
Ability to work independently and as part of a team
Proficient in the use of Microsoft Office programs & ability to quickly learn other venue appropriate software.

Responsibilities

Oversee event management activities at the Grand River Center, including front of house management for Grand River Center and Food & Beverage operations at Five Flags Center
Direct, coordinate and oversee the activities of employees engaged in providing event coordination, food & beverage, event security, fire regulation compliance, exhibitor services, parking and overall client satisfaction during events at Grand River Center
Supervise, recruit, interview, select, train, motivate and evaluate Event Managers at the Grand River Center & the Food & Beverage Manager at Five Flags Civic Center.
Recruit, interview, select, train, schedule, motivate and evaluate front of house employees, inclusive of servers, concessionaires and bartenders at the Grand River Center; provide or coordinate staff training; work with employees to correct deficiencies; implement discipline and termination procedures
Create service plan, timelines and daily activity list of part time service staff
Review of BEOs and Event Resumes before distribution
Hold weekly event department meeting
Lead weekly BEO Meeting to ensure department continuity, Manages the control of beverage and labor costs through proper scheduling and purchasing
Conducts regular inspections to assure cleanliness and maintenance meet company standards
Oversee and manages monthly beverage inventory
Responsible of Front of House staff in providing high quality, fresh food products in a timely manner for delivery to guests
Coordinates the storage, maintenance and repair of front of house equipment to ensure operational readiness
Maintains sanitation, health and safety standards and training in work areas
Prepare departmental annual budget; recommend capital improvements; control and monitor departmental expenditures; assist in preparation of estimated revenues for facility budget
Support Event Managers as needed in planning, BEO/Event Resume creation, menu selection, set-up and execution of events
Develop crowd management and event staffing plans and supervise event staff during events when needed
Review and approve final billing to facility users prior to settlement or release of invoice
Work closely with the general public by monitoring services provided and addressing concerns in a timely manner
Demonstrate continuous effort to improve operations, decrease turnaround times, streamline work processes, and work cooperatively and jointly to provide quality seamless customer service
Conduct a variety of industry operational studies; recommend modifications to service delivery methods and operational policies and procedures as appropriate
Interpret and apply all relevant federal, state and local regulations
Review and prepare bi-weekly payroll.
Serve as Event Manager in the absence of team members
Routinely serve as Manager on Duty
Additional duties as assigned