Senior Manager, Licensing & Permits

Sodexo•Potomac, MD

1d•$100,130 - $155,540•Remote

About The Position

Sodexo Live! is seeking a Senior Manager, Licensing & Permits to join our Global Aviation team. This is a remote position with Eastern Standard Time working hours required. Venues and events don’t just bring people together, they create exceptional moments and lasting memories. Sodexo Live! provides hospitality services to airport lounges, stadiums, arenas, convention and conference centers, zoos, museums, and more. Working at one of these locations is exciting and allows you to be part of creating memorable experiences for people. The Senior Manager, Licensing & Permits is responsible for leading and strengthening the Licenses & Permits compliance across the North America (NorAm) Aviation portfolio. This role oversees regulatory compliance processes related to Liquor Licenses, Business Licenses, Health Permits, Privilege Permits, Certificate of Insurance (COI) and related operational requirements while driving operational discipline, risk mitigation, audit readiness, and executive-level reporting.

Requirements

3-5 years of experience in compliance, licensing, operations, contract administration, program management or a related field.
The ability to partner closely with Operations, Legal, Finance, HR and external agencies to ensure timely renewals, regulatory alignment, and proactive management of compliance risk across all locations.
Solid computer skills and knowledge of reporting automation, process improvement and enterprise analytics platforms.
Strong organizational & collaboration skills and the ability to manage multiple complex compliance initiatives.
Ability to travel for occasional meetings, travel audits, etc.
Proactive mindset.
Bachelor’s Degree or equivalent experience
3-5 years of experience in contracting or related experience

Responsibilities

Lead and continuously improve the end-to-end licensing and permitting compliance program for Liquor License, Business Licenses, Health Permits, Privilege Permits, Certificate of Insurance, and related regulatory requirements across the Aviation segment.
Serve as a strategic advisor to Operations leadership on compliance risks, mitigation strategies, escalations, and operational readiness.
Drive accountability and operational discipline through proactive monitoring, reporting, and leadership engagement.
Oversee permits and licenses renewals, audits, COI renewals, port requests, and regulatory submissions to maintain full operational compliance.
Ensure timely submissions, renewals, and issue resolution across all locations.
Maintain audit-ready documentation and centralized compliance records.
Lead biweekly compliance reviews with lounge General Managers (GMs) and District Managers (DMs) to evaluate current and upcoming compliance targets.
Partner closely with Legal, NorAm Licensing, Operations, Finance, HR, and external agencies to coordinate compliance activities and resolve escalations.
Coordinate with Finance on port fee payments, submissions, and compliance-related financial tracking.
Own and continuously enhance the Risk Registry, licenses and permits compliance tracking tools (Smartsheet, SoFi, and future enterprise systems).
Monitor compliance trends, identify risks proactively, and escalate issues to senior leadership as appropriate.
Develop executive-ready reporting, dashboards, KPIs, and operational summaries.
Co-lead monthly Compliance Office Hours and oversee Teams channel engagement and support.
Support and enhance HMF (Hospitality Management Fundamentals) Licenses & Permits compliance training course.
Develop communication materials, SOPs, process documentation, and operational guidance.
Support integration of compliance data into enterprise analytics initiatives, including the Data Cube.
Identify automation opportunities and help evolve the compliance function toward scalable, technology-enabled operations.
Participate in special projects related to operational excellence, governance, and risk management.