Service Director

Blue Plate Catering•Chicago, IL

About The Position

The Service Director develops, leads, and elevates Blue Plate Catering’s service standards to ensure consistent execution of the Blue Plate Hospitality approach across events and service environments. The role leads the Blue Plate Training Academy, including the development of training curricula, service standards, and professional development programs for all positions. It oversees recruitment, onboarding, training, and ongoing team development, building a reliable, hospitality-driven workforce. Working closely with the Director of Operations, the Service Director provides hands-on leadership at events and develops the people, processes, and standards needed to deliver exceptional guest experiences. The role is accountable for promoting hospitality, professionalism, teamwork, and continuous improvement across the department. The Service Director leads training and service-standard development; recruitment, onboarding, and workforce development; and staffing strategy and coordination. This includes managing Event Staffing Coordinators, optimizing the use of Nowsta, forecasting staffing needs, coordinating with staffing agencies, and ensuring events are staffed in advance. The position is full-time, salaried, and exempt, with customary workdays Monday through Friday and 40 hours per week. Hours vary and may include evenings, holidays, and extended hours as business requires. The position requires at least five years of event service management experience. A bachelor’s degree in Hospitality Management or a related field is preferred. The role may involve standing throughout a shift, lifting or moving up to 60 pounds, and working in extreme temperatures, wet conditions, loud environments, and near chemicals, fumes, airborne particles, or moving mechanical parts.

Requirements

At least five years of event service management experience.
Strong leadership and team-building skills.
Strong understanding of culinary and service integration in event operations.
Ability to work 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 perform the essential duties of the position, with reasonable accommodations where applicable.
Ability to frequently stand, walk, sit, use hands to feel, reach with hands and arms, and stoop, kneel, or crouch; constant standing throughout the shift is required.
Ability to regularly lift and/or move up to 60 pounds.
Vision requirements include close-range, distance, and peripheral vision, depth perception, and the ability to adjust focus.

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 comprehensive 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 for new and existing team members.
Develop ongoing education, skills development, and leadership training to support career growth and internal advancement.
Set service expectations, performance standards, and training benchmarks.
Develop and implement Blue Plate’s hospitality approach and ensure team members deliver guest service aligned with company values and standards.
Evaluate training effectiveness and improve programs based on 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 a qualified, reliable, appropriately sized staffing pool.
Manage third-party staffing agency relationships and build a dedicated roster of high-performing agency team members.
Integrate third-party staff into Blue Plate training so they understand and deliver the company’s hospitality approach and service standards.
Develop structured onboarding and evaluation pathways to prepare new hires for event execution.
Identify high-potential team members and develop advancement pathways into lead and supervisory positions.
Support retention and engagement through communication, coaching, recognition, and development opportunities.
Establish performance expectations and service standards that foster accountability, collaboration, professionalism, and continuous improvement.
Partner with the Event Operations Manager on performance management and corrective action as needed.
Maintain an active presence at key events to lead service teams, reinforce hospitality standards, and support successful execution.
Lead proactive 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.
Establish scheduling timelines, staffing events at least two weeks in advance and securing anchor and large-scale events well in advance using Blue Plate’s core team.
Forecast staffing needs based on event volume, projected business, and seasonal demand.
Work with staffing agencies to secure advance personnel holds, build 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 minimize last-minute staffing challenges.
Balance service quality, workforce reliability, operational efficiency, and responsible labor management in staffing practices.