Assistant Director of Banquets (Full-Time)

Company Description

Fairmont Château Laurier is the iconic hotel of Ottawa - Canada's capital city. Built in the age of grandeur, Ottawa's very own castle is a magnificent limestone edifice with turrets and masonry reminiscent of a French château. A symbol of timeless elegance, the hotel combines a distinctive blend of historic charm and modern efficiencies.

What Is In It For You

• Wonderful company culture - our colleagues are at the heart of all that we do
• Food & Beverage discount of 50% in our restaurants
• Employee benefit card offering discounted rates in Accor worldwide for you and your family
• Learning programs through our academies designed to sharpen your skills
• Ability to make a difference through our Corporate Social Responsibility activities, like Planet 21
• Comprehensive extended health benefits package

Job Description
Engaging service, delicious cuisine and distinctive surroundings make every special event at Fairmont Château Laurier a truly memorable affair. Reporting to the Director of Banquets, the Assistant Director of Banquets, you will liaise between multiple departments to ensure the success of every group function – and model exceptional service and leadership skills among your team.

Responsibilities

• Consistently offer professional, friendly and engaging service;
• To provide leadership, direction, training and support for the Colleagues and leaders in the department
• Assist in the completion of annual reviews, ongoing mentorship, and providing regular feedback to exceed performance goals
• Ensures smooth and efficient functioning of the Banquet Department on a daily basis
• Contribute to the weekly, monthly, quarterly and annual objectives
• Creative, cost-effective scheduling of the banquet Leadership Team, Captains, Banquet Servers, Coordinator, and Housepersons to minimize productivity to forecast and budget
• Maintains open communication lines with Catering and Convention Services in order to promote teamwork and exceed guest service expectations
• Maintains, enforces and enhances Fairmont Service Standards and Conference Services/F&B Core Standards
• Proactively analyzes, develops, and revamps internal processes to create new ways of providing unique and innovative services ideas and incentives
• Maintains a constructive, harmonious and communicative working relationship with all supporting departments
• Ensures all financial reporting is maintained and accurate
• Ensuring proper training of Banquets Managers and Colleagues
• Maintains and enhances staff morale and promotes a positive team environment
• Ensures departmental adherence to, and awareness of Health & Safety standards
• Shares in the responsibility to achieve or exceed financial and guest satisfaction goals (average check, payroll, beverage revenue, GSI, etc) for the department
• Active interaction with guests and conveners on an ongoing basis
• Assumes responsibility for all equipment, inventories, supplies, furniture and fixtures assigned to the Banquet Department and in addition scheduled cleaning of all banquet equipment during slow times – with reports generated to monitor completion
• Responsible for recruitment and training of new employees and maintains appropriate staffing levels at all times by liaising with the Talent & Culture Department
• Ensuring all union guidelines are followed with regard to seniority and the existing union agreement
• Establishes, evaluates, and enforces performance standards
• Responsible for the timely, precise and expert execution of all banquets functions
• Attends Operations meetings, pre-convention meetings and other departmental meetings as required
• All other related responsibilities and duties

Qualifications

• Post-Secondary Education or Hospitality Certificate
• Post-Secondary Degree in Hospitality or Food and Beverage Management is an asset
• Minimum five (5) years’ experience in Food and Beverage Management including a minimum of three years in a Banquet Manager or Assistant Banquet Manager setting an asset
• Highly organized individual with the ability to multi-task
• Ability to delegate tasks to team members and ensure their completion with a strict adherence to deadlines
• Must possess strong, proven leadership qualities and management skills
• Must have proven staff scheduling skills
• Ability to recognize and correct guest service issues through an established presence on the Banquet floor
• Management/Leadership courses an asset
• Working knowledge of Micros, Timesaver, Excel, PowerPoint, Microsoft Word
• Fluent in both official languages an asset.