Service Director

BLUE PLATE CATERING LTD•Chicago, IL

2d•$90,000 - $100,000

About The Position

The Service Director is responsible for developing, leading, and elevating Blue Plate Catering’s service standards and ensuring consistent execution of the Blue Plate Hospitality approach across events and service environments. The role leads the Blue Plate Training Academy, including training curriculum, service standards, and professional development programs for all positions. It oversees recruitment, onboarding, training, and ongoing team development to build a reliable, hospitality-driven workforce. Working closely with the Director of Operations, the Service Director provides hands-on leadership at events and supports successful event execution. The role develops the people, processes, and standards needed to deliver exceptional guest experiences and is accountable for fostering hospitality, professionalism, teamwork, and continuous improvement across the department. The position leads service training and workforce development; recruits and onboards service employees; coordinates with internal partners and staffing agencies; and oversees strategic staffing, booking, and scheduling. It also supervises Event Staffing Coordinators and uses Nowsta to improve scheduling efficiency, workforce visibility, and staff utilization. The role is full-time, salaried and exempt, with customary hours of Monday through Friday and 40 hours per week, varying to include evenings, holidays, and extended hours as business requires.

Requirements

Minimum of 5 years of event service management experience.
Proven leadership and team-building skills.
Strong understanding of culinary and service integration in event operations.
Ability to function independently and intuitively in a fast-paced environment.
Strong organization and attention to detail.
Professional, composed, and effective under pressure.
Experience managing large pools of event staff and vendor partnerships.
Excellent communication and presentation skills.
Proficiency in reading, writing, and speaking English.
Ability to demonstrate a strong affinity for Blue Plate’s mission to “care more” for others through food and service experiences that turn partners’ visions into reality.

Nice To Haves

Bachelor’s degree in Hospitality Management or a related field.
Prior leadership experience in recruitment, retention, and performance management.
Bilingual skills.

Responsibilities

Develop, launch, and lead the Blue Plate Training Academy and create training programs for all service positions.
Develop and maintain training curricula, course materials, guides, and resources, including materials for leadership roles.
Establish onboarding, orientation, and role-specific training programs for new and existing team members.
Develop continuing education, skills development, and leadership training to support career growth and internal advancement.
Set service expectations, performance standards, and training benchmarks, and develop the Blue Plate approach to hospitality.
Evaluate training effectiveness and improve programs using event feedback, team performance, and business needs.
Lead recruitment, hiring, and onboarding for all service positions.
Partner with the Event Operations Manager and Human Resources to maintain an appropriately sized, qualified, and reliable staffing pool.
Manage third-party staffing agency relationships and develop a dedicated roster of high-performing third-party staff.
Integrate third-party staff into Blue Plate training to ensure they understand and deliver Blue Plate hospitality and service standards.
Develop onboarding and evaluation pathways to prepare new hires for event execution.
Identify high-potential team members and develop advancement pathways into lead and supervisory roles.
Support retention and engagement through communication, coaching, recognition, and development opportunities.
Establish performance expectations and service standards that promote accountability, collaboration, professionalism, and continuous improvement.
Partner with the Event Operations Manager on performance management and corrective action as needed.
Attend key events to lead service teams, reinforce hospitality standards, and support successful execution.
Lead strategic staffing, booking, and scheduling to secure the right personnel to meet business needs.
Oversee Event Staffing Coordinators and optimize Nowsta to improve scheduling efficiency, workforce visibility, and staff utilization.
Set and maintain scheduling timelines, staffing events at least two weeks in advance and securing anchor and large-scale events well in advance using the core team.
Forecast staffing needs based on event volume, projected business, and seasonal demand.
Work with staffing agencies to secure advance personnel holds, build reliable staffing pipelines, and cover peak periods and large-scale events.
Monitor staffing levels, fill rates, availability, and reliability; identify gaps early and implement solutions to reduce last-minute staffing challenges.
Ensure staffing practices balance service quality, workforce reliability, operational efficiency, and responsible labor management.