Senior Manager, Food & Beverage - Production & Delivery

Who We Are:

TKO Group Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: TKO) is a premium sports and entertainment company. TKO owns iconic properties including UFC, the world’s premier mixed martial arts organization; WWE, the global leader in sports entertainment; and PBR, the world’s premier bull riding organization. Together, these properties reach 1 billion households across 210 countries and territories and organize more than 500 live events year-round, attracting more than three million fans. TKO also services and partners with major sports rights holders through IMG, an industry-leading global sports marketing agency; and On Location, a global leader in premium experiential hospitality.

The Role

The Senior Manager, part of the On Location Event Production department, serves as the primary operational lead for catering scope, service standards, and contractor performance across assigned venues. Working within the broader F&B strategy, this role translates program objectives into clear venue-level requirements and partners with senior leadership and cross-functional teams to ensure contracted catering partners deliver consistent, high-quality, on-brand service on time and on budget across the hospitality portfolio.

• During the planning phase, the senior manager will be responsible for managing multiple catering contracts across multiple venues, while assisting with development and implementation of the catering strategy and concept of operations across all competition venues, as well as focusing in on one or more of the specific and specialist planning elements for the overall project.
• During the Operational Phase, the role will evolve into an operational role and manage the Catering Operation team at competition venue level with the site venue management of the hospitality catering operations, catering service providers and On Location venue team.

Responsibilities

• Lead the execution of catering concepts and service standards for assigned venues, including delivery strategies, staffing models and service expectations by venue type.
• Translate approved concepts and program requirements into service standards and run-of-show requirements. Brief contractors at key milestones, confirm understanding of deliverables and resolve gaps between requirements and execution plans.
• Work with cross functional areas to monitor contractor performance against established KPIs, quality standards, service expectations and agreed budgets.
• Conduct venue walk-throughs, audits and tastings; identify performance gaps and lead corrective action in partnership with contractors and internal stakeholders.
• Maintain integrated timelines and critical paths for assigned venues and workstreams, coordinating deliverables from planning and mobilization through load-in, games operations and load-out.
• Partner with logistics, design, venue operations, hospitality sales and other cross-functional teams to ensure catering plans are realistic, coordinated and executable under live-event conditions.
• Identify operational risks, dependencies and opportunities for improvement and work with senior leadership and cross-functional partners to resolve issues and strengthen execution throughout planning and live operations.
• Gather guest, client and stakeholder feedback and implement service improvements within established program standards.

You Have These

• 3–5 years of progressive, full-time experience in catering or hospitality, including multi-unit or multi-venue operations, with at least 2 years leading managers or large teams. Proven success overseeing food and beverage or catering operations in stadiums, arenas, convention centers or comparable large-scale sports and entertainment venues, including live-event, high-volume and premium hospitality environments.

• Experience managing subcontractors, vendors or contracted operators, including developing scopes and specifications, communicating expectations, verifying understanding and monitoring performance against quality, schedule and budget requirements.

• Track record of leading, developing and holding accountable a multi-tiered organization, including direct reports and indirect teams. Strong prioritization skills with the ability to coordinate multiple venues, partners and deadlines simultaneously and maintain detailed project timelines.

• Bachelor’s degree in Restaurant Management, Hospitality Management, Food Service or a related field; or an equivalent combination of education, training and hands-on experience. Working knowledge of budgets, forecasting and labor cost management. Proficient in Microsoft Office Suite, Adobe Acrobat, Zoom, DocuSign and Smartsheet.

• Hands-on working knowledge of collective bargaining agreements, including scheduling and staffing under CBA requirements, working with shop stewards and union representatives, and resolving operational issues in partnership with Labor Relations and other internal stakeholders.

• Exceptional organizational and process management skills, with the ability to establish structure, maintain operational consistency and execute against defined standards across multiple sites. Strong interpersonal, communication and negotiation skills, with experience resolving conflicts and collaborating across diverse teams, subcontractors, unions and client stakeholders. Demonstrates sound judgment, composure and accountability in fast-paced, deadline-driven environments.

 

We’d Love If You Also Have These

• Experience with large-scale, multi-venue or major-event programming (e.g., Olympics, World Cup, Super Bowl, major festivals or tournaments).

• Experience with Los Angeles-area labor agreements and workforce.

• Flexibility and positive attitude to work long days, evenings, weekends and holidays when necessary.

• Experience in working in a multi-cultural organisation and with international stakeholders such as Government Organisations, Sporting Federations and Local Organising Committees
• Good administration and IT skills including Microsoft Office and Cloud based Programmes Strong verbal and written communications skills

 

Compensation

Competitive salary, commensurate with job position and experience.

On Location is an Equal Opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, colour, religion, sex, age, national origin, disability, or genetic information.

 

This job description is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of the employee's activities, duties, or responsibilities for this job. Duties, obligations, and activities may change at any time with or without notice.

TKO EEO Statement:

TKO is an Equal Opportunity Employer and complies with all applicable federal, state, and local laws regarding non-discrimination in employment. TKO makes employment decisions based on merit and qualifications, without considering an employee’s or applicant’s race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, national origin, age, disability, marital status, veteran status, or any other basis prohibited under federal, state or local laws governing non-discrimination in employment in every location in which the Company has facilities. TKO also provides reasonable accommodations for qualified individuals with disabilities in accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and applicable state or local laws. For information about Privacy and Information Security for TKO employment candidates, please review our Privacy Policy. For information regarding Terms of Use for this and other TKO websites, please review our Terms of Use.