Banquets Operations Manager

Department: Business Development - Banquets Operations

Position Type: Full-Time – Permanent

Expected Start Date: end-August, 2025

What we offer:

• Flexible work arrangements
• Comprehensive Benefits package includes Extended Health Care, Dental Benefits, Basic Life Insurance, Accidental Death and Dismemberment, Short-Term and Long-Term Disability, and Employee and Family Assistant Program (EFAP)
• Employer-matched Pension Plan at 5%
• Generous paid time off, including Vacation days, Sick Time
• Working in a beautiful park setting.
• Free entrance to the Park, including to our many public special events.
• Employee discounts on food and retail items and free parking.

Who We Are:

Heritage Park is Canada's largest living history museum and offers visitors a chance to experience life in Western Canada from the 1860s to the early 1950s. The Park features historical buildings, costumed interpreters, working antiques, and various exhibits that provide insight into the region's past.

Job Overview:

The Banquets Operations Manager is responsible for leading the strategy, planning, and execution of all banquet operations at Heritage Park. This role ensures exceptional guest experiences, high-functioning teams, and efficient event execution through cross-functional coordination, budget management, and strategic oversight. This leader brings senior-level experience to oversee large-scale events, support people leaders, and contribute to the ongoing growth of Heritage Park’s banquet services. Approximately 90% of this role focuses on banquet operations and leadership, while 10% is dedicated to providing oversight and strategic support for custodial operations.

Responsibilities:

Strategic Leadership and Banquets Operations Excellence

• Provide strategic oversight for banquets-related programming, aligning goals with Heritage Park’s mission, revenue targets, and guest satisfaction priorities.
• Oversee long-term event planning and forecasting, ensuring staffing, supplies, and systems are scalable and sustainable.
• Identify opportunities for innovation and service enhancements that increase bookings, improve efficiency, and build brand reputation.
• Oversee the end-to-end execution of banquet operations including pre-event planning, room setup, AV logistics, on-site execution, teardown, and post-event review.
• Collaborate cross-departmentally (e.g., catering, travel trade, custodial, warehouse, volunteer services) to ensure operational continuity and readiness.
• Ensure requisitions for supplies, equipment, and staffing are placed accurately and in a timely manner.
• Lead linen, equipment, and inventory management strategies to meet event needs.
• Represent the organization in client meetings, walkthroughs, and service briefings, offering customized solutions to meet client expectations.
• Lead efforts to enhance the guest experience through detailed event planning, polished service, and consistent post-event feedback analysis.
• Promote an anticipatory service approach, empowering staff to resolve issues on the spot and deliver wow moments.
• Conduct structured event debriefs with team and partners.
• Represent the department in cross-functional meetings, audits, and planning sessions.

Strategic Compliance & Licensing Oversight

• Ensure that the banquet department operates within the parameters of all applicable legislation, including Alberta Health Services (AHS) Food Regulation and Alberta Gaming, Liquor and Cannabis Commission (AGLC) policies.
• Maintain oversight of liquor licensing for all events, including ensuring appropriate permits are secured and aligned with event requirements.
• Partner with internal stakeholders and the AGLC to stay informed of regulatory updates, audits, or changes in compliance requirements, and adjust training and SOPs accordingly.
• Design and oversee the implementation of department-wide food safety and alcohol service compliance protocols, ensuring alignment with best practices and regulatory standards.
• Track and report on departmental compliance metrics, including ProServe certification rates, AHS inspection results, and incident reports related to food or liquor service.
• Lead periodic compliance audits and collaborate with the HSE Manager to investigate any incidents involving food safety, alcohol service, or guest well-being.

People Engagement & Performance Leadership

• Cascade organizational priorities to team goals, ensuring all banquet and custodial staff understand how their work contributes to the broader mission.
• Ensure alignment with Heritage Park’s values, COR certification goals, and cultural objectives.
• Build a Customer-Focused Culture and lead by example in guest interactions and operational decisions, instilling customer-first thinking at all levels of the team.
• Celebrate service excellence and embed hospitality principles into onboarding, training, and performance reviews.
• Champion employee recognition and feedback loops.
• Collaborate with P&C to interpret and respond to employee engagement survey results.
• Develop individualized development plans and growth paths. Develop hands-on training for servers and AV staff tailored to banquet service excellence.
• Oversee the Banquets & Custodial Services Manager’s training and operational execution for custodial employees.
• Promote open communication, psychological safety, and solution-focused collaboration. 
• Support the success of the team by ensuring access to tools, resources, and coaching.
• Establish performance standards and service benchmarks for each function (banquet, AV, custodial).
• Routinely measure compliance and quality against indicators and report variances with corrective plans.
• Conduct regular performance reviews with measurable KPIs in quality, timeliness, customer feedback, and team engagement.
• Facilitate calibration sessions with other people leaders for continuous improvement.

Financial Management & Resource Optimization

• Treat each event as a “mini project” with defined timelines, responsibilities, budget targets, and evaluation steps.
• Approve all banquet-related casual and seasonal schedules, ensuring coverage aligns with event demands. Maintain control over overtime, shift swaps, and payroll accuracy.
• Review inventory usage and service models to identify areas of cost savings. Pilot innovations that improve margins while preserving the guest experience.
• Leverage scheduling software, timesheet systems, and inventory tracking tools to reduce errors and increase accountability. Identify digital opportunities to streamline event briefings, post-event reviews, and ordering.
• Ensure accurate inventory transfers, alcohol requisitions, and internal chargebacks.
• Track liquor cost per event and manage monthly variance reports with the warehouse and accounting.

Safety Compliance & Organizational Excellence

• Ensure Hazard Assessments Are Conducted and Communicated. Conduct and document task-specific hazard assessments for all banquet and custodial functions.
• Ensure all team members are trained on emergency response, WHMIS, and job hazard protocols.
• Champion COR and Safety Culture and ensure adherence to COR standards through daily inspections, safety talks, and incident reporting protocols.
• Collaborate with HSE Manager to investigate incidents, track trends, and embed safety in team culture.
• Lead by Example in Stewardship and Professionalism. Act as a role model for Heritage Park values, service standards, and ethical leadership.

Required Qualifications:

• Post-secondary education in Hospitality Management, Event Management, Business Administration, or a related field is required.
• Additional certifications such as ProServe (required), WHMIS, and Food Safety Handling are considered assets.
• Experience using project management principles and COR (Certificate of Recognition) familiarity or training is a strong asset.
• Minimum 5 years of formal management experience in banquet/event operations, preferably in a high-volume, multi-venue setting.
• Proven experience leading large teams, including supervisors, casual staff, and cross-functional partners.
• Demonstrated success managing budgets, labour forecasting, and scheduling for complex events.
• Experience working in a not-for-profit, tourism, or cultural organization is an asset.

Technical & Operational Skills:

• Strong proficiency in Microsoft Office 365 (SharePoint, OneDrive, Teams), scheduling systems (e.g., WhenToWork, Deputy), timesheet platforms, and event management tools.
• High comfort level with service standards, liquor control processes, event logistics, and AV setups.
• Solid understanding of occupational health and safety legislation, hazard assessments, and COR standards.
• Ability to manage inventory, requisitions, and procurement workflows in coordination with warehousing teams.

Technical & Operational Skills:

• Strong leadership presence, with a demonstrated ability to inspire and engage frontline and supervisory staff.
• High emotional intelligence and problem-solving skills, with the ability to remain calm under pressure.
• Exceptional organizational, communication, and conflict-resolution skills.
• Proven ability to build relationships with internal stakeholders, clients, and vendors.
• Strategic thinker with the ability to link day-to-day operations to long-term organizational goals.

Special Clothing and Equipment:

• Business attire is required when working in the office, ensuring a professional and presentable appearance.

Special Working Conditions:

• The position will be exposed to weather extremes and will work both indoors and outdoors and
• This position is physically demanding, and the incumbent must have the ability to lift heavy items, stand for long periods of time and walk throughout the Park for extended periods
• Must be proficient in operating Park vehicles, ensuring safe and efficient transportation as needed.

Hours of Work:

• The standard hours for this position are 40 hours per week;  
• Flexibility is required as the schedule will vary throughout the year, depending on the work required and event schedule. 
• This position is required to work all Events which will include some evenings for preparation and set-up.

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