Who We Are: Based in Stratford, Ontario, the Stratford Festival is one of the world’s foremost repertory theatre companies. It operates year-round, presenting a season of about a dozen plays each year between the months of April and November, a rich stream of digital content and hundreds of events designed to deepen understanding of the plays. For every person a theatregoer sees on our stages, we have seven people working behind the scenes, some of the world’s most dedicated and experienced arts workers.

The Stratford Festival is committed to ongoing work to support equity, inclusion, anti-racism and anti-oppression in all areas of our work. These areas include play selection, casting, marketing and public relations efforts, education programs, production, design, recruitment of staff and volunteers, and the composition of the Board of Directors.

Why You Should Apply:

• Creative work environment
• Paid operational shutdown in December, with flexibility of days being used at alternative times during the year
• Group Insurance Benefits
• Employer matched RRSP
• Employee Assistance Program to encourage work-life balance and strong mental health
• Complimentary & discounted ticket offers and events
• Employee discounts on merchandise and event space
• Being a part of the magic of live theatre!

The F&B Service Manager is responsible for the operational leadership, financial performance, and staff oversight of all bar and café operations across the Stratford Festival’s four theatres, as well as providing support to the service events team.

This role serves as the primary owner of day-to-day bar and café outcomes, managing established revenue, labour, and cost of goods targets set by the Associate Director, Food & Beverage. The Manager supports the implementation of departmental strategy by ensuring systems, standards, and operational plans are executed consistently creating a high-quality guest experience across all locations.

The position provides visible, hands-on leadership through regular on-site presence, performance monitoring, coaching, and continuous operational improvement. While not a scheduled shift-working role, the Food & Beverage Service Manager maintains active visibility during service periods whenever possible to support teams, address issues, and reinforce standards.

Responsibilities:

• Bar & Café Operations Leadership
• Oversee the daily and weekly operations of all bar and café outlets at Festival, Tom Patterson, Avon, and Studio Theatres, as well as the Festival Theater’s Greenroom Cafe.
• Hire and train service staff to support all Food & Beverage concessions and events, ensuring ongoing oversight of guest services to ensure patron satisfaction and delight.
• Responsible for product mix, inventory management, and seasonal adjustments to offerings across all venues.
• Ensure operational readiness, service consistency, and adherence to established standards across all locations.
• Act as the senior on-site operational contact for bar and café service, addressing issues, removing barriers, and supporting teams during peak periods, including providing Manager-on-Duty coverage as required.
• Financial Performance & Accountability
• Manage bar and café operations toward established revenue, labour, and cost of goods targets.
• Monitor sales performance, labour utilization, and cost trends, identify risks and opportunities, and take corrective action where required.
• Prepare and present operational and financial updates to the Associate Director, Food & Beverage, making performance visible and actionable.
• Partner with F&B Ops Manager and Finance to ensure accuracy in settlements, invoices, inventory reporting, and financial controls.
• Inventory & Product Management
• Oversee bar and café inventory processes, including ordering, transfers, counts, variance review, and corrective follow-up.
• Support GreenRoom purchased product, as well as establishing and maintaining service standards in collaboration with the Executive Chef
• Ensure compliance with product standards related to storage, handling, portioning, and presentation.
• Collaborate with the Associate Director, Food & Beverage on seasonal product selection and menu updates, providing operational input and execution support.
• Identify opportunities to improve product mix, manage slow-moving inventory, and support overall revenue performance.
• People Leadership & Development
• Directly manage the service team members across all Food & Beverage functions, collaborating with the Manager Events as required.
• Participate in recruitment, onboarding, performance reviews, and development planning for bar and café staff.
• Support disciplinary processes and performance management in collaboration with Human Resources and the Associate Director, Food & Beverage.
• Foster a professional, accountable, and inclusive workplace culture aligned with Stratford Festival values.
• Systems, Standards & Continuous Improvement
• Implement and uphold established operational systems, SOPs, and service standards for bar and café operations. Support the Manager of Events in ensuring staff are trained for the additional responsibilities of events service.
• Lead operational improvements related to service flow, bar layouts, inventory practices, and POS usage to enhance efficiency and guest experience.
• Use POS data and operational reporting to inform performance management and decision-making.
• Support pilot projects, process refinements, and operational initiatives that improve consistency and scalability across venues.
• Collaboration & Cross-Department Support
• Work collaboratively with internal departments and external vendors to ensure bar equipment, systems, and infrastructure are maintained and operational.
• Coordinate with the Food & Beverage Leadership Team to support alignment and consistency across outlets.
• Contribute to off-season planning, reporting, and preparation for upcoming seasons.
• Provide operational support to other Food & Beverage areas during the off-season as required, including events, catering, and Greenroom operations.
• Adhere to the Stratford Festival Health & Safety Commitment and Procedures, and ensure that safe work practices and policies are supported and enforced within reporting structure.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

Minimum Qualifications:

• Post-secondary diploma program, typically a two year program, or equivalent, (i.e. Community college, Technical Institute or Trade School, etc.) in Hospitality Management, Business, or a related field, or equivalent professional experience.
• 1 to 2 years of related experience in hospitality operations, preferably in multi-outlet or high-volume environments.
• Demonstrated experience managing labour, inventory, and cost controls in a revenue-driven setting.
• Strong people leadership skills with the ability to coach, develop, and hold teams accountable.
• Solid financial literacy with the ability to interpret sales, labour, and cost data.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office, POS systems, and operational reporting tools.
• Smart Serve certification required.
• Food handling certification is considered an asset.

Behavioural Competencies:

• Leadership: successfully guide others to maximize their capabilities to achieve a collective goal; help them to succeed and thrive
• Commercial awareness: understand how the business makes money, what customers want and what challenges there are in the industry
• Strategic mindset: consider, anticipate and prepare for various outcomes, situations and challenges; practice global and long-term thinking
• Teamwork: readily work with others towards a shared goal, actively support teammates and recognize everyone’s contributions

This full-time posting is for a newly created position located in Stratford, Ontario. This position requires the candidate to work onsite, with remote available when required. Regular work hours for this position are Monday to Friday, but may require the candidate to work holiday and weekend hours as scheduled

**Job Type:**Full-Time

Annual Salary:$65,324 - $81,000

**Application Deadline:**Open Until Filled

Shared Values:

• Inclusion: contribute to an environment where everyone is welcome, valued and respected; consistently demonstrate an open-mindedness and intellectual curiosity that promote and celebrate the diversity of perspectives.
• Innovation: put experience and knowledge into creative problem-solving and the continuous improvement of the organization.
• Rigor: show integrity in behaviour, attention to detail in work and commitment to excellence and professional evolution
• Caring: be empathetic, understanding and attentive to others
• Connection: establish and maintain trusting relationships that are respectful and constructive

Who Should Apply: We welcome applicants of every identity, and encourage applications from Indigenous, Black, People of Colour, Deaf, disabled and 2SLGBTQ+ folks. We are committed to accommodating people with disabilities throughout the recruitment process and beyond. If you require accommodation (including, but not limited to, an accessible interview site, alternative format documents, ASL Interpreter or Assistive Technology) during the recruitment and selection process, please let our recruitment team know.

No candidate will meet every desired qualification. If your experience looks a little different from what we've identified and you think you can bring value to the role, we’d love to learn more about you!

If you would like to contribute your own remarkable talents to North America’s largest not-for-profit theatre, we’d like to hear from you.