Catering Manager

About the Position

Are you passionate about hospitality, leadership, and creating exceptional culinary experiences while enjoying your nights, weekends, and holidays free? The Power Design SURGE Café is seeking a Catering Kitchen Manager to lead our growing catering operations at our corporate headquarters in sunny St. Pete.

In this role, you'll oversee the daily operations of our catering kitchen, ensuring every event—from executive meetings and company celebrations to large-scale campus functions—is executed with excellence. You'll lead a talented culinary team, drive operational efficiency, maintain the highest food quality standards, and help create memorable experiences for the Power Design family and our guests. If you're an organized leader who thrives in a fast-paced environment and is passionate about hospitality, we'd love to have you join our team.

Position Details/Responsibilities

• Oversee all daily catering kitchen operations, ensuring efficient food production and successful event execution.
• Lead the planning, preparation, and execution of catering for corporate meetings, special events, and campus functions.
• Partner with chefs, event coordinators, and café leadership to ensure catering expectations are met and exceeded.
• Maintain exceptional standards for food quality, presentation, consistency, and service.
• Train, mentor, and develop catering kitchen staff while fostering a collaborative and positive team culture.
• Develop staffing schedules and production plans based on catering volume and operational needs.
• Monitor food costs, labor expenses, inventory, and purchasing to maximize efficiency and minimize waste.
• Manage vendor relationships and maintain appropriate inventory levels for catering operations.
• Assist with menu planning, seasonal offerings, and continuous improvement of catering services.
• Ensure compliance with all health, safety, sanitation, and food handling regulations.
• Maintain organized production schedules, event documentation, and operational procedures.
• Resolve catering challenges and ensure a high level of customer satisfaction for every event.
• Support café operations and assist with additional culinary responsibilities as needed.

Here's What We're Looking For

• At least 5 years of progressive leadership experience in catering, banquet, food service, or large-scale culinary operations.
• Previous experience managing kitchen teams in a high-volume hospitality environment.
• Strong knowledge of catering production, event execution, kitchen operations, and food safety standards.
• Experience managing labor, food costs, inventory, purchasing, and operational budgets.
• Excellent leadership, coaching, communication, and organizational skills.
• Ability to manage multiple events and priorities while maintaining exceptional attention to detail.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office and catering or food service management software is preferred.
• ServSafe Manager Certification or the ability to obtain one is preferred.
• Ability to work in a fast-paced environment while maintaining a positive, customer-focused attitude.
• Demonstrate and uphold all of Power Design's core values, which include integrity, accountability, teamwork, innovation, and growth.

At Power Design, we are committed to providing an environment of mutual respect where equal employment opportunities are available to all applicants and teammates without regard to race, color, religion, sex, pregnancy, national origin, age, physical and mental disability, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, genetic information, military and veteran status, and any other characteristic protected by applicable law. Power Design believes that diversity and inclusion among our teammates is paramount to our success as a national company, and we seek to recruit, develop and retain the most talented people from a diverse candidate pool nationwide