Account Manager (Hospitality)

Responsibilities

• Strategic Client Partnership: Partner with client and brand teams to understand business objectives, identifying opportunities to offer innovative experiential solutions. Specifically leveraging F&B, culinary integration, and hospitality-driven touchpoints to drive measurable results.
• Large-Scale Hospitality Partner Management: Direct vendor relationships and operational onboarding for complex, multi-vendor culinary activations, managing up to 30 individual restaurant, chef, or hospitality partners per event.
• FOH & BOH Operations Integration: Bridge Front of House service standards (guest flow, table service, VIP hospitality, bar pacing) with Back of House kitchen realities (staging areas, prep timelines, cold storage, equipment load-in, waste management, and chef coordination) with a primary emphasis on dining excellence.
• Experiential & F&B Program Planning: Guide and coordinate the development of Experiential tactical plans for live, hybrid, and culinary-focused activations in partnership with Strategy/Creative, Production, Tech, Digital, Social, and Culinary Operations teams.
• Regulatory & Permitting Oversight: Serve as the primary Account Lead for venue buyouts, restaurant partnerships, bar program builds, menu development, staffing protocols, and temporary health/liquor permitting compliance across all participating culinary partners.
• Day-to-Day Account Skills: Manage day-to-day project activities, providing clear direction and seamless execution across internal cross-functional teams, external vendors, master mixologists, Executive Chefs, FOH leads, and venue owners.
• Communication & Meeting Facilitation: Lead weekly client status meetings, deep dives, and post-event debriefs. Direct the proper distribution of all project communications, timelines, run-of-shows (ROS), Banquet Event Orders (BEOs), and kitchen load-in schedules throughout the engagement.
• Financial Management & Budgeting: Provide ongoing monitoring of expenses, vendor contracts, culinary talent fees, and actual costs for approved program budgets. Obtain client approvals, manage scope changes, and reconcile all project expenses in partnership with the Program Producer.
• Performance Feedback & Quality Control: Provide timely performance feedback on all activations, catering partners, and internal team members to senior management, maintaining white-glove dining standards across all touchpoints.

Requirements

• 3+ years of experience in marketing, promotions, live events, or experiential marketing (agency experience strongly preferred).
• Minimum 2 years of experience as an Account Lead, acting as the primary point of client contact.
• Demonstrated experience in hospitality and dining operations, including direct experience managing both Front of House service and Back of House kitchen logistics.
• Proven track record of managing large-scale culinary activations, specifically coordinating multi-vendor footprints featuring up to 30 distinct restaurant, chef, or bar partners simultaneously.
• Experience managing live events, hospitality suites, food festivals, pop-up dining concepts, and high-volume experiential activations.
• BA/BS in marketing, hospitality management, business administration, communications, or a related field.

Preferred

• Natural Curiosity: A drive to constantly explore emerging culinary and beverage trends, track Zagat/Infatuation Hit List/Michelin/James Beard-level developments, and push creative boundaries in experiential dining.
• Schedule Flexibility: High energy and comfort working non-traditional hours, including evenings, weekends, and late nights as event schedules and restaurant operations dictate.
• Travel & Office Hybrid: Willingness to work a hybrid office schedule (up to 4 days in-office) and travel up to 30% of the time for venue walk-throughs, menu tastings, and on-site event execution.
• Team Builder & Coach: Ability to build trust, respect, and high team morale through active coaching, direct communication, and inclusive leadership.

Benefits

• medical/dental/vision insurance
• employer-paid basic life and personal accident insurance
• Annual Profit Sharing/Bonus Plan
• 401(k)
• Healthcare Flexible Spending Account
• Dependent Care Flexible Spending Account
• PTO
• STD/LTD insurance benefits