SAIT Food and Beverage Operations Manager (Maternity Leave Coverage)

Job summary

The Operations Manager oversees daily catering and dining services at SAIT, ensuring high-quality food experiences and operational viability. This role involves business development, staff recruitment and training, financial management, and maintaining strong relationships with campus stakeholders.

Job details

Hotel Arts plays an essential role at the Southern Alberta Institute of Technology (SAIT) as its exclusive Food & Beverage contractor through both the Curated Catering and Residence Meal Plan program. This partnership brings Hotel Arts' reputation for exceptional hospitality, innovative cuisine, and outstanding customer service to the SAIT campus. Through a wide range of catering services for meetings, conferences, weddings, special events, and campus dining, Hotel Arts delivers high-quality food experiences that enhance both student life and professional events. The collaboration reflects a shared commitment to excellence, community engagement, and supporting local industry while providing customized dining solutions that meet the diverse needs of the SAIT community. Reporting to the Director of Food & Beverage and General Manager at Hotel Arts, the Food and Beverage Operations Manager ensures that both the Catering Sales and Operations as well as the Dining Center Sales and Operations at SAIT function as thriving and viable departments. This position is responsible for ensuring that the above-mentioned business units are constantly striving to provide the service and offerings SAIT expects from our brand, while finding ways to grow campus business. Responsibilities include the oversight of daily operations, creating business development opportunities, building and maintaining strong working relationships both across campus and with the supporting Hotel Arts teams, recruitment and training, staff development, collaboration with the marketing teams at both SAIT and Hotel Arts, and financial responsibilities including but not limited to participation in annual budget creation, expense management, daily and monthly financial reporting as well as strategic planning. Please note that this is a full-time position to provide maternity leave coverage. Qualifications Minimum 5+ years of progressive leadership experience within hospitality, food service, restaurant, or large-scale catering operations, with demonstrated success managing high-volume environments and diverse service models. Proven experience leading both restaurant and large-scale catering operations, with a strong understanding of event execution, operational efficiency, food service standards, and guest satisfaction. Strong people leader with a passion for coaching, mentoring, and developing teams, fostering a culture of accountability, engagement, continuous learning, and professional growth. Demonstrated ability to recruit, train, motivate, and retain high-performing teams while promoting a positive and inclusive workplace culture. Exceptional relationship-building skills with the ability to establish and maintain strong partnerships with clients, students, faculty, vendors, and internal stakeholders within an institutional environment. Excellent organizational, communication, and interpersonal skills, with the ability to effectively manage multiple priorities in a fast-paced, customer-focused setting. Proven track record of delivering outstanding customer experiences while balancing operational requirements, financial objectives, and service excellence. Experience implementing continuous improvement initiatives that enhance operational efficiency, employee performance, and overall guest satisfaction. Proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite, Canva, Point-of-Sale (POS) systems, and other hospitality technology platforms. Strong business acumen with experience managing budgets, labor costs, inventory controls, and operational performance metrics. Ability to work flexible hours, including evenings, weekends, and holidays, to support operational and event requirements. Experience working within an institutional food service contractor environment is considered a strong asset, with an understanding of the importance of collaboration, compliance, and service excellence in supporting the SAIT community. To learn more about Hotel Arts, visit our website at www.hotelarts.ca. Please note: Only candidates authorized to work in Canada will be considered. We appreciate all applications, but only those selected for an interview will be contacted. Hotel Arts Group is an Equal Opportunity Employer. Join us and be part of our commitment to excellence in hospitality!

What you’ll do

The Operations Manager oversees daily catering and dining services at SAIT, ensuring high-quality food experiences and operational viability. This role involves business development, staff recruitment and training, financial management, and maintaining strong relationships with campus stakeholders.

Requirements

Candidates must have at least 5 years of progressive leadership experience in hospitality or large-scale food service operations. Strong skills in team management, financial oversight, and event execution are essential for success in this fast-paced institutional environment.

Listed skills

• Operational Efficiency · Preferred
• Inventory Control · Preferred
• Budgeting · Preferred
• Financial Reporting · Preferred
• Canva · Preferred
• Staff Development · Preferred
• Team Leadership · Preferred
• Microsoft Office Suite · Preferred
• Relationship Building · Preferred
• Business development · Preferred

Other relevant skills

Identified from the job description. Confirm important requirements above.

• Hospitality management
• Food service operations
• Catering management
• Budgeting
• Staff development
• Business development
• Financial reporting
• Relationship building
• Operational efficiency
• Event execution
• Team leadership
• Inventory control
• POS systems
• Microsoft Office Suite
• Canva
• Strategic planning
• Catering Sales
• Service Models
• Canva (Software)
• Continuous Development
• Operational Efficiency
• Workplace Inclusivity
• Operational Performance Management
• Accountability
• Business Development
• Business Acumen
• Strategic Planning
• Customer Service
• Continuous Improvement Process
• Training And Development
• Food Services
• Employee Performance Management
• Expense Management
• Sales
• Financial Statements
• Leadership
• Marketing
• Innovation
• Interpersonal Communications
• Mentorship
• Microsoft Office
• Operations Management
• Operations
• Organizational Communications
• Point Of Sale
• Relationship Building
• Coaching
• Restaurant Operation
• Balancing (Ledger/Billing)

Job areas

• Hospitality
• Food & Beverage
• Management & Leadership
• Education
• Sales
• Food and Beverage Operations Manager
• Restaurant / Food Service Manager
• Restaurant Managers
• Food Service Managers