Position Overview
We are seeking an experienced Senior Catering Manager to lead a high-volume catering operation in Johnson City, Tennessee. This position is responsible for overseeing catering operations, event execution, client relationships, catering sales coordination, team performance, financial controls, and food and workplace safety.
The Senior Catering Manager will oversee a complex catering operation with more than $1.5 million in managed catering volume. The ideal candidate has strong experience coordinating culinary, sales, and front-of-house teams while delivering successful events in a fast-paced food-service or hospitality environment.
Key Responsibilities
- Direct daily catering operations, including food production, inventory management, product deliveries, invoicing, and procurement.
- Oversee high-volume catering events from planning through execution.
- Manage catering and conference services sales processes and work directly with clients to design events.
- Review catering event orders and weekly event schedules to ensure accuracy and operational readiness.
- Coordinate communication between sales, culinary, and front-of-house teams to ensure timely and accurate event execution.
- Respond to client requests, including last-minute requirements, while maintaining established catering policies and service standards.
- Supervise employees by assigning responsibilities, prioritizing activities, and monitoring performance and operating standards.
- Manage employee scheduling, payroll, timekeeping, and labor-cost controls.
- Ensure employees have the equipment, supplies, and resources necessary to successfully perform their responsibilities.
- Monitor labor, inventory, equipment, materials, and other operating expenses to maintain budget requirements.
- Identify opportunities to improve catering revenue, operational efficiency, and profitability.
- Maintain food-safety and workplace-safety standards in compliance with applicable regulations and organizational requirements.
- Support a culture focused on safety, collaboration, service excellence, and continuous improvement.
Required Qualifications
- Bachelor’s degree or equivalent professional experience.
- Minimum of 3 years of management experience.
- Minimum of 3 years of experience in catering, food production, food-service management, hospitality, or a related field.
- Demonstrated experience supervising employees in a high-volume food-service or catering environment.
- Experience coordinating catering or event operations across culinary, sales, and front-of-house teams.
- Experience managing employee schedules, payroll, timekeeping, and labor costs.
- Knowledge of food safety, workplace safety, inventory management, and operational controls.
- Strong organizational skills with the ability to manage multiple events, deadlines, and changing priorities.
- Strong client-service and problem-solving skills.
Preferred Qualifications
- Experience managing high-volume or complex catering operations.
- Experience overseeing significant annual catering revenue or event volume.
- Experience with university, campus, corporate, healthcare, hotel, conference, or contract food-service operations.
- Experience with catering sales, conference services, and event design.
- Experience reviewing catering event orders or banquet event orders.
- Experience with Kronos, UKG, or similar workforce management and timekeeping systems.
- Experience with inventory, procurement, invoice management, and vendor coordination.
- Demonstrated responsibility for budgets, labor controls, food costs, and operational profitability.
Ideal Candidate
The successful candidate is a hands-on catering leader who can balance operational execution, employee leadership, financial performance, and client satisfaction. This individual should be comfortable managing a fast-paced environment with multiple events and changing priorities while maintaining strong service, safety, and quality standards.
Candidates with backgrounds in university catering, contract food service, hotels and resorts, conference centers, healthcare food service, corporate dining, or other high-volume hospitality environments are encouraged to apply.