Senior Manager, Catering & Events in Arlington, Texas at The National Medal of Honor Museum Foundation

Position Summary

The purpose of the Senior Manager, Catering & Events, is to oversee the day-to-day banquets/catering operations at the National Medal of Honor Museum. This highly motivated professional will manage the back of house and front of house operations for the event spaces within the museum while working closely with the Culinary and Event Sales teams for overall preparedness for special events.

The ideal candidate brings strong hospitality and operational discipline, exceptional client relationship skills, and deep expertise in event management systems, serving as a System Administrator for Tripleseat to ensure seamless functionality across all stakeholders.

What We’re Looking For

• A collaborative, professional, and service-driven leader who thrives in a fast-paced, detail-oriented environment and is passionate about delivering memorable guest experiences.
• A systems-minded operator who understands how CRM accuracy drives operational success.
• A collaborative team player who builds trust across departments.
• A proactive problem-solver who anticipates client needs and operational challenges.
• A leader who thrives in mission-driven environments and honors the significance of our venue.

Primary Responsibilities

Event Operations Leadership

• Oversee all operational aspects of catered and museum-hosted events, including setup, presentation, service, and breakdown.
• Direct front-of-house and back-of-house teams to ensure seamless execution and exceptional service standards.
• Develop comprehensive service plans in partnership with Culinary and Stewarding teams.
• Ensure all room flips, resets, and changeovers are executed on time and to standard.
• Maintain all on-site event equipment, supplies, and linens.
• Manage bar and beverage operations including inventory control, ordering, receiving, stocking, and reconciliation.
• Be on-site for Private Events to meet with event clients and work with day-of teams on high quality event execution.

Client & Vendor Management

• Partner closely with Private Event Sales to ensure smooth transition from contract to execution.
• Lead all client communication during planning and execution phases, ensuring expectations are exceeded.
• Serve as primary liaison for vendors, rental partners, and third-party staffing agencies.
• Coordinate and execute museum-hosted events including ceremonies, member programs, corporate events, and high-profile gatherings.

Event Planning & Cross-Functional Coordination

• Prepare and distribute detailed Banquet Event Orders (BEOs) for all departments.
• Lead BEO meetings and pre- and post-event briefings to ensure alignment and continuous improvement.
• Collaborate with Security, Facilities, AV, Culinary, and Operations teams to ensure event readiness.
• Monitor event costs, labor, and inventory against budgets and report variances.

Event CRM & Systems Administration (Tripleseat)

• Serve as the Tripleseat Event CRM Subject Matter Expert and System Administrator.
• Maintain system integrity, workflows, templates, reporting dashboards, and user permissions.
• Ensure accurate event data flow between Sales, Finance, and Catering operations.
• Provide internal training and support for Tripleseat users.
• Identify process improvements and system optimizations to enhance operational efficiency and reporting accuracy.

Team Leadership & Development

• Recruit, train, schedule, and supervise banquet event staff.
• Manage payroll input and overtime monitoring for hourly staff.
• Provide ongoing service coaching and conduct service trainings.
• Identify and develop Banquet Captains and key leadership team members.
• Monitor and track TABC and Food Safety certifications; establish compliance benchmarks.
• Conduct monthly safety review sessions.

Pay and Benefits

• Competitive salary range of $80,000 – $88,000 annually, commensurate with experience, and a generous benefits package that includes medical, dental, vision, life and disability insurance, paid vacation, and 401k plan.
• Monthly incentive for Private Event execution.

Required Skills and Abilities

• Skilled at fine dining service and full-service etiquette
• Proven ability to lead cross-functional teams in a professional, collaborative manner.
• Strong interpersonal skills; can effectively communicate and relate to all levels within and outside the organization; creates and builds positive and productive relationships
• Ability and willingness to respond quickly and effectively to changing trends and circumstances; embraces change and welcomes fresh perspectives.
• Ability to walk, stand, sit, use of hands to handle, or feel, reach with hands and arms
• Ability to lift and/ or move up to 50 pounds.
• Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision and distance vision
• Proficient in Microsoft Office: Excel, Word, Outlook, and PowerPoint required
• Must be able to work non-traditional shifts to include extended hours and flexible schedule, including early mornings, weekends, days, nights, and holidays
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Bilingual in Spanish a plus

Education and Experience

• Bachelor’s Degree preferred
• High School Diploma or GED required
• At least five (5) years’ experience of progressive leadership experience in catering or banquets hospitality management in a large volume event venue
• Experience serving as a CRM/Event Management system administrator or internal systems trainer- Tripleseat experience strongly preferred.
• Experience managing high-volume or high-profile events in a museum, cultural institution, luxury venue, hotel or destination event space.
• Experience in leading teams and managing resources to get projects completed; has a strong ability to multi-task and keep organized
• Current TABC and Food Manager Certifications (or ability to obtain)

The National Medal of Honor Museum Foundation is an Equal Opportunity Employer. The Foundation’s leadership is dedicated to this policy with respect to recruitment, hiring, placement, promotion, transfer, training, compensation, benefits, employee activities, and access to facilities and programs.