Manager, Restaurant Operations and Events
The School of Hospitality & Tourism is seeking a dynamic and highly visible Manager, Restaurant Operations & Events to provide leadership for Highwood Kitchen & Bar and the School's growing events portfolio.
Reporting to the Associate Dean, this role works collaboratively with faculty, staff, students, industry partners, and institutional stakeholders to deliver exceptional hospitality experiences while advancing applied, real-world learning. This unique leadership opportunity combines the excitement of commercial restaurant and event operations with the rewarding impact of supporting student success in a live learning environment.
As Manager, you will balance operational excellence with educational priorities, ensuring every decision supports both outstanding guest experiences and meaningful student outcomes. You will be accountable for operational performance, financial stewardship, people leadership, continuous improvement, business development, and the continued growth of the School's events portfolio.
This hands-on leadership role requires a consistent presence during restaurant service, particularly dinner service. You will coach employees, mentor supervisors, engage with guests, support student learning, and foster a culture of hospitality excellence.
How you'll contribute
- Provide leadership for Highwood Kitchen & Bar and the School's events portfolio, delivering exceptional guest experiences while supporting student learning.
- Lead restaurant and event operations, ensuring service excellence, operational performance, quality standards, and regulatory compliance.
- Drive the growth of the events portfolio through business development, client relationships, proposal development, and revenue-generating opportunities.
- Collaborate with faculty, staff, industry partners, and institutional stakeholders to create authentic hospitality and event learning experiences.
- Lead, coach, and develop supervisors and frontline teams, fostering a culture of service excellence, accountability, and continuous improvement.
- Oversee budgets, labour utilization, financial performance, forecasting, and business planning for restaurant and event operations.
- Serve as a visible, hands-on leader, engaging with guests, mentoring employees, and supporting student success in a live learning environment.
- Champion operational excellence by identifying opportunities to improve service delivery, efficiency, and overall performance.
What you bring
- Diploma or degree in Hospitality Management, Business, Culinary Management, or a related discipline
- Minimum five (5) years of progressive hospitality leadership experience in restaurant and/or event operations
- Demonstrated experience leading teams, managing budgets, and delivering exceptional guest experiences
- Food Safe Certification or equivalent
- ProServe Certification
- WSET Level 2 Award in Wines or equivalent wine education
- Event Management certification
- First Aid certification
- Leadership, coaching, and team development
- Guest-focused hospitality and service excellence
- Strong business, financial, and operational acumen
- Excellent project management, communication, and relationship-building skills
- Sound judgment, professionalism, and problem-solving abilities
- Ability to balance competing priorities in a fast-paced environment
- Collaborative leadership style with a focus on accountability, continuous improvement, and inclusion
- Proficiency with Microsoft Office and hospitality technology, including POS systems