About the Calgary Stampede
The Calgary Stampede is a not-for-profit community organization that preserves and promotes our western heritage, cultures and community spirit with a vision to create a world-class, year-round gathering place for the community. Exemplifying the theme We’re Greatest Together, the Stampede is one of the most respected volunteer-based organizations in the world governed by a Board of Directors with over 2,500 passionate volunteers and 1,200 year-round employees.
As an organization that exists for the benefit of the community, inclusion and equity are woven into our core values of western hospitality, pride of place, integrity and commitment to the community. The world-class, year-round gathering place we have built for the community also welcomes visitors from around the world and those who are new to the local community. We know that blending diverse cultures with our long-standing traditions makes community spirit thrive.
Position Summary
Reporting to senior Food & Beverage leadership, this role leads one of the organization’s most strategically and operationally complex business units. The Manager, Catering & Events, is responsible for shaping long‑term strategy, upholding service standards, driving financial performance, elevating guest experiences, and continuously strengthening catering operations.
This position requires a leader who can think structurally, act decisively, and bring both hospitality vision and true business ownership to one of Canada’s premier event destinations.
Roles and Responsibilities
Responsibilities of the role include, but are not limited to:
Business Unit Strategy & Ownership
- Own the catering and events business unit in full; accountable for strategy, standards, financial performance, guest outcomes, and the operational systems that make consistent delivery possible across conventions, galas, corporate meetings, trade shows, and high-volume activations
- Design and govern operational standards across all front-of-house environments, building the systems and playbooks that allow the team to deliver consistently and at scale across every event type
- Maintain strategic visibility across operations, present on the floor when it matters and engaged at the planning table when it counts, with the authority and judgment to make decisions that shape both the guest experience and the business outcome
- Lead strategic planning cycles including demand forecasting, staffing architecture, capital and equipment requirements, and operational readiness reviews. The priority is thinking ahead of the event, not just managing through it
- Drive continuous improvement across the business unit by identifying process gaps, implementing scalable solutions, and measuring outcomes against defined KPIs to ensure the operation is continuously evolving
- Grow the beverage program to align with guest expectations on wines, cocktails and mocktails with revenue and responsible service top of mind
Cross-Functional Partners & Alignment
- Function as the senior strategic integrator across culinary, event management, sales, and venue operations, ensuring that every business unit decision is grounded in client expectations, operational reality, and financial outcomes
- Engage proactively with Sales & Event Management upstream, with a voice in shaping what is sold and how it is promised, not just executing what arrives at the operations team
- Partner with culinary leadership as a co-owner of the guest experience, aligning on food philosophy, service standards, and menu strategy in ways that elevate the overall program, not just individual events
- Build and steward relationships with internal leaders, external event partners, and clients, representing the catering business unit with the credibility and commercial fluency of someone who truly owns the outcome
Team Leadership & Development
- Build and lead a high-performing team of Assistant Managers, Operations & Bar Managers, Sr. Supervisors, and frontline staff, developing those who own outcomes and drive results
- Own succession planning and development within the catering team, deliberately identifying and developing the next generation of business unit leaders
- Hold full accountability for hiring standards, onboarding quality, performance management, and disciplinary processes, treating each decision as an investment in the long-term capability of the business unit
- Foster a team environment where candid communication, proactive problem-solving, and honest feedback are the norm, and where people feel confident raising issues before they become operational failures
Financial Ownership & Business Performance
- Own the financial architecture of the catering business unit, including labour budgets, operational forecasts, cost-per-head targets, and productivity ratios, with a clear understanding of how every operational decision affects the bottom line
- Track and analyze event-level and period profitability, identifying variances early, understanding root causes, and implementing corrective actions that protect margin without compromising guest experience
- Lead long-range strategic planning for peak demand periods, including the Calgary Stampede and major citywide conventions, treating each as a distinct business performance opportunity with its own strategy, staffing model, and financial targets
- Evaluate and recommend capital and operational investments with a business case mindset, articulating expected returns in service quality, efficiency, or revenue and owning the outcomes of those recommendations
Guest Experience Strategy & Service Culture
- Define and champion the guest experience philosophy across all event types, setting the standard for what hospitality looks and feels like at the BMO Centre and embedding that standard into team behaviour, not just policy documents
- Design service recovery frameworks that empower frontline teams to resolve guest issues at the point of contact, reducing escalation, improving satisfaction, and treating every recovery as data that informs future service design
- Stay ahead of evolving guest expectations, demographic shifts, and contemporary hospitality trends, translating market intelligence into program decisions that keep the BMO Centre’s catering offering relevant, competitive, and genuinely excellent
Qualifications and Education Requirements
The ideal candidate will be proactive, optimistic and have worked in a dynamic environment where they have experience delivering on multiple priorities and will hold the following qualifications:
- 7+ years progressive F&B leadership in convention centres, hotels, stadiums, or large-scale event venues with demonstrated experience operating as a business unit owner, not just an operational manager
- Demonstrated ability to lead complex, multi-team environments with a strategic lens, setting direction, designing processes, and holding the team accountable to outcomes
- Proven financial ownership: P&L accountability, labour productivity, cost-per-head management, and the ability to read business performance data and act on it
- Strong people leadership track record of building teams that own outcomes, developing succession, and creating organizational conditions for sustained performance
- Experience managing in venues with 2,000+ seat or multi-hall environments is considered an asset
- Familiarity with event management platforms and POS systems
- Post-secondary education in Hospitality Management or related field preferred
Benefits
The Calgary Stampede offers a unique and exciting work environment, an excellent total compensation package and the opportunity for advancement and employee training.
To Apply
To apply, please submit your resume. All applicants are thanked in advance and advised that only those selected for interviews will be contacted.
