Event, Food, & Beverage manager

The Position

MCA Denver is seeking an Event, Food & Beverage manager to join our team. We are looking for a creative, passionate, and driven individual who can grow our client and hospitality business and deftly execute onsite public and private events. As a vital member of our team, you will collaborate with internal departments, serve as a mentor to your team, and effectively communicate with outside partners for both our downtown museum gallery space and the Holiday Theater located in Denver’s northside neighborhood. This is a full-time position with benefits, and the successful candidate will have a flexible schedule to support evening and weekend events with the flexibility to work remotely on administrative tasks. Our headquarters, and this position, are based in downtown Denver.

About You

You are a hospitality enthusiast and enjoy creating elevated and delightful experiences for MCA visitors and event host clients.
You can appreciate the intersection of art and food culture in a contemporary setting.
You embrace the opportunity to establish solid foundations and scalable processes to support future growth.
You are client focused and are jazzed about creating memorable experiences for our guests and clients through strong attention to detail and impeccable follow-up.
You have the desire to work with a creative, diverse, and collaborative team while bringing excellent organization and communication skills to help achieve the goals of the F&B/Event team.

A Day in the Life

Event Rental Management

Schedule and facilitate all event details from acquiring the event to day-of operations including floor plan and logistics, beverage and bar service, catering, sound and a/v needs and final invoicing. Evaluate event logistics to ensure details are being executed to the expectations of MCA Denver and those of the client.
Manage client relationship efforts for the event rental program in adherence to broader institutional goals relating to revenue and customer experience.
Support marketing material development and strategies to grow rental opportunities.
Coordinate with internal departments such as Café Operations, Visitor Services, Programs, Development, Exhibitions, and Facility Management on public and private event needs.
Build and nurture relationships with vendors and other industry contacts.

Food & Beverage Management

Create, produce, and manage all aspects of the MCA food and beverage programs supporting public and private events at the MCA Cafe & Bar and the Holiday Theater.
Develop and execute seasonal food and beverage menus.
Product ordering, inventory, and item management with the support of the Cafe Shift Lead and Event Captain.
Apply for and maintain compliance with applicable safety regulations and licensing.
Create, implement, maintain, and regularly update all procedural manuals and process documentation.
Assist the Facility and Building Operations Manager with all food and beverage equipment contracts, maintenance, and repairs.

People Leadership

Manage food and beverage staff members (including special events), including recruitment, hiring, training, daily management, scheduling, coaching, and mentorship.
Manage food and beverage staff member payroll and tip allocation.
Train staff members on food and beverage workplace safety, proper handling techniques, and techniques for a high-end visitor experience.

Program Financial Oversight

Responsible for budget management, food/labor cost per capita, capture rate, and overall food, beverage and event rental sales.
Create, maintain, and adhere to the event rental, food and beverage budgets. Assist the Deputy Director with the creation and presentation of periodic status reports.
Oversee event rental finances including client billing and invoice reconciliation.
Manage staff member payroll, EOD POS procedures and tip pooling.
Manage the point-of-sale setup, training, and correct use by staff members.
Assist with annual and periodic auditing.

Collaboration

Collaborate across internal departments to achieve food, beverage and event program success.
Lead, foster and coordinate local relationships, sponsorships, and partnerships in the Denver and Colorado food, beverage and event industries.
Support development activities through procuring occasional food and beverage donations for fundraising events.
Review and make suggestions for operational process improvement.

What You Bring to Us

College degree in the Food and Hospitality field is preferred or any equivalent combination of education and/or experience.
Requires a minimum of 5 years’ experience in restaurant management, or restaurant or retail customer service, including high volume bartending or barista services, cash handling, budgeting, and P&L management.
Experience with event planning/marketing and mentoring a team is required.
Passion for and knowledge of contemporary art a plus.
Must have at least 3 years’ experience leading and supervising others.
Proficiency with Microsoft Office, G Suite and hospitality POS systems is required.
Requires excellent organizational skills, written and oral communication skills, attention to detail, and ability to prioritize work and tasks.
Requires adaptability to produce and meet deadlines in a fast-paced, multi-task environment, and the ability to work independently as well as part of a team.
Must have good decision-making skills and the ability to handle sensitive information with diplomacy.
Flexible schedule required including days, evenings, and weekends to support our epic events, with the flexibility to work remotely on administrative tasks. Approximately 40 hours per week with flexible comp time off for weeks that are more event heavy.

Physical Requirements

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by a staff member to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made upon request to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.
Ability to speak, understand, and communicate in English effectively, in person and in writing. Ability to hear adequately in person and by phone, in personal and group settings.
Ability to work with, and process information from, a variety of individuals and media (e.g. computers, projected images, printed materials), and sitting and/or standing up to 6 hours per day.
Mobility necessary to access various offices and a wide variety of meeting and museum settings. Mobility necessary to perform a variety of tasks that involve standing, walking, sitting, stooping, kneeling, bending and twisting, occasionally climbing stairs or using an elevator, possibly reaching chest high and overhead for materials.
Ability to reach for, move and/or lift up to 50 pounds and the use of hands to finger, handle, or feel objects, tools, or controls.

Other Duties and Responsibilities

The nature of this position requires safeguarding against the release of confidential and proprietary information of MCA.
Assists with establishing and is responsible for adhering to departmental operational budgets.
Other assistance, as designated by the Deputy Director, to support the overall goals of the department and organization. Management retains the right to add or change duties and/or responsibilities at any time.

About Us

The Museum of Contemporary Art (MCA Denver) is a nonprofit organization providing an innovative forum for contemporary art that inspires and challenges, creating understanding and dialogue about the art of our time. MCA Denver is paving a new path for a 21st century museum that is Both/And: We are both advancing the field of contemporary art and providing a platform for creative expression, in the broadest sense of the term. We present both world-class exhibitions and quirky events, serious lectures and epic parties. We are both sophisticated and unpretentious. We welcome all audiences, celebrate all voices, and share all stories to provide one-of-a-kind experiences for our community.

Our Core Values

We are:

Adventurous – We are risk-takers. We are creative, open, curious, and sometimes weird.

Excellent – We strive to be the best in our field, we have high expectations, we believe in being resilient, creative problem-solvers, and professionals.

Human Centric – We are collaborative. We strive for emotional intelligence, and we value relationships.

Inclusive – We are welcoming to all audiences, voices, and stories. We believe in being authentic and inclusive. We actively seek and engage with diverse perspectives.

MCA Denver is committed in policy, principle, and practice to maintaining an environment that prohibits discriminatory behavior and provides equal opportunity for all persons. MCA Denver affirms its commitment to provide a welcoming and respectful work and educational environment, in which all individuals within the museum community may benefit from each other’s experiences and foster mutual respect and appreciation of divergent views. All employment decisions at MCA Denver are based on business needs, job requirements and individual applicant qualifications, without regard to race, color, religion, or belief, ancestry, age, sex (including pregnancy, sexual orientation, and gender identity), family or parental status, or any other status protected by law. MCA Denver will not tolerate discrimination or harassment based on any of these characteristics.

Our History

MCA Denver was founded in 1996 by philanthropist Sue Cannon and a group of committed volunteers and artists who responded to the community’s need for a contemporary art museum in Denver. In 2007, we opened our new, 27,000-square foot, environmentally sustainable facility in the Riverfront neighborhood of Lodo Denver. Our building has five galleries on two floors as well as dedicated education spaces, a gift shop, an innovative art lending library, and a rooftop bar and café. In 2021, MCA Denver opened a satellite location at the Holiday Theater in Denver’s Northside. This 390-seat auditorium is the site of museum programming and events.

Visit us at https://mcadenver.org to learn more.

Application Process

This is an exempt, salary position. The salary range is $65,000 to $70,000 commensurate with experience and includes our standard benefits package, including a medical plan, dental plan, basic term life insurance, short term disability, 403b retirement, holiday pay and generous paid time off.
Applications will be accepted until the position is filled, but priority consideration will be given to those received by September 30, 2023.

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