Position Information

Payroll Title: Conference Dining Associate (EVENTS SPEC 2)

UC Job Code: 6291

Job Open Date: 1/25/2023

Application Review Begins: 2/9/2023

Department Code (Name): FDSR - Campus Dining

Percentage of Time: 100%

Union Code: 99- Non Represented

Working Days/Hours: Monday-Friday, 8:30am-5:00pm

Benefits Eligibility: Full Benefits

Type of Remote or Hybrid Work Arrangement: Not Eligible for remote work

Special Instructions

For full consideration, please include a resume and a cover letter as part of your application.

Department Marketing Statement

Housing, Dining & Auxiliary Enterprises houses 10,000 students, faculty and family residents on campus, provides support services for 9,300 students residing in the communities adjacent to the campus, serves 21,000 customers daily in its retail and board dining programs, manages the UCSB Campus Store and University Center, hosts 150,000 guests annually for conferences and meetings, manages a major events center (Events Center), and oversees the administration of transportation, parking and fleet services. Additional responsibilities in the HDAE portfolio include Administrative & Residential Information Technology (ARIT) and The Club & Guest House. HDAE employs 600 full-time employees and 1,800 student employees. HDAE maintains a physical plant of more than 3 million square feet of buildings and 250 acres of grounds and landscaping.

Benefits of Belonging

Brief Summary of Job Duties

The Conference Dining Associate, under the supervision of the Conference Dining Manager, plans, organizes and manages dining and catering content for assigned, moderately complex summer conference programs on campus and at University-owned apartments. The Conference Dining Associate interacts with a diverse clientele, including University professors and commercial program directors, to assess and determine how a program's dining and catering needs can be met by our services and facilities, or other on and off-campus resources. Serves as a planning consultant to event organizers to ensure that all dining and catering details have been considered, working with the client's needs and budget parameters, developing a comprehensive services package that includes vendor contracts. Determines scope of project, timelines and unit requirements to fulfill service agreements.

Required Qualifications

• Two to three years of experience and strong knowledge in event planning and management in the hospitality sector.
• Exceptional customer service skills with ability to cultivate professional business partnerships.
• Proficiency with Microsoft applications and general database management.
• Ability to learn specialized software systems quickly.
• Working knowledge of Google Workspace.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with EventMaster catering software and Kx conference software.
• Hospitality or Bachelor's degree preferred, or equivalent combination of education and experience

Special Conditions of Employment

• Must maintain valid CA DL, a clean DMV record and enrollment in DMV Pull-Notice Program
• Overtime may be required from May-August to meet the operational needs of the department. Work hours/days may vary during the summer season.
• Satisfactory conviction history background check.
• UCSB is a Tobacco-Free environment.

Special Instructions:

For full consideration, please include a resume and a cover letter as part of your application.

Job Functions/Percentage of Time/Duties

Planning and Analysis - 40%

• Plans, organizes and manages dining and catering content for assigned, moderately complex summer conference programs on campus and at University-owned apartments.
• Interacts with a diverse clientele (including University professors and commercial program directors), to assess and determine how a program's dining and catering needs can be met by our services and facilities, or other on and off-campus resources.
• Serves as a planning consultant to event organizers to ensure that all dining and catering details have been considered. Elicits client's needs and budget parameters, researching necessary resources and their availability and developing a comprehensive services package that includes vendor contracts. Determines scope of project, timelines and unit requirements to fulfill service agreements.
• Gives detailed direction to management teams of four dining commons and two catering units with regard to dining room and catered event operations: logistics, level of event service required, special needs and budget parameters. Ensures that departmental customer service standards are maintained and policies are enforced.
• Creates customized catering budgets by acquiring all campus and off-campus vendor rates for required products and services, in order to comply with previous rate structures or to provide fiscal solvency for a new program.
• Establishes and maintains a complex summer meal plan authorization system, including meal card encoding and distribution system for multi-week programs, and key tag tracking for short- stay programs.
• Independently maintains the Summer Guest Meal Ticket system, including ticket distribution by group and ticket type, tracking and reconciliation. Sale of guest meal tickets accounts for approximately 20% of summer dining revenue.
• Utilizes Event Master catering and Kx conference programs to manage conference event details from database entry through invoicing.
• Maintains authorization system for Summer On-line Sack Meal program, in conjunction with ARIT technicians, as required by summer session residents.
• Oversees creation and implementation of conference season media content for dining commons digital signage network.
• Administers and implements the summer dining and catering component for assigned conference programs both on campus and at University-owned apartments.
• Acts as a liaison with off-campus vendors for event services contracts.
• Represents clients in contractual agreements for services from on and off-campus vendors in order to secure services required; Authorizes contract deadlines and ensures that contract negotiations and deadlines are met.
• Responsible for the coordination of catered event equipment and services, in compliance with negotiated contract. Partners with Conference Managers to secure event space.
• Utilizes cloud-based event diagram system for internal and external client floor plan presentation.
• Negotiates catering financial arrangements, policy statements and service levels by analyzing budget restrictions in order to meet all financial commitments and University department policy requirements.
• Provides and reviews financial data and statistical data for each conference program.
• Advises the Assistant Director, Business and Finance, in the proper fund collection and allocation of dining and catering-related services.
• Uses in-depth knowledge of summer conference programs to review weekly meal count reports, investigating inconsistencies and distributing accurate reports to the dining management team.
• Prepares final individual conference reports which determine strategies for the future and figure in event pricing.
• Assists with Campus Catering sales seasonally and as assigned.

Event Planning - 35%

• Responsible for ensuring that each event is presented professionally, within University policies and departmental standards. Executes and enforces event contracts
• Meets with event directors in advance; monitors during catered events to ensure that all requirements and plans are implemented properly and professionally by caterers and coordinated service vendors.
• Provides oversight for all aspects of dining and catered event management for 40-60 different programs annually; reviews applicable University policies and procedures to confirm compliance; monitors event equipment and supply deliveries from resource providers in accordance with client's needs.
• Oversees catered events and dining commons functions to ensure success of the program.
• Acts as the primary dining and catering liaison and fields numerous requests relating to upcoming events and programs.
• Troubleshooting on-site event issues, collaborating with the event management team for solutions.

Student Supervision - 20%

March through September

• Supervises up to two paraprofessional student positions (Conference Dining Assistants). Delegates tasks and monitors progress.
• Determines student schedules and makes job duty modifications to better meet client needs while remaining cost effective.
• Recruitment and training. Recruits, hires and trains student staff positions.
• Evaluates the student applications and resumes and implements department changes or improvements needed in the hiring process.
• Implements training programs for the Conference Dining Assistant, focusing on University and department orientation, departmental and unit policies and procedures as well as customer service, safety and security issues.
• In conjunction with Conference Dining Manager, analyzes and evaluates student training programs annually, focusing on efficiency, value and program content.
• Upholds unit goals and standards.
• Establishes individual goals and evaluates performance for student position through written performance evaluations.
• Assigns, disseminates and reviews workloads in order to provide an efficient work flow.
• Facilitates job enrichment, special assignments and ongoing training for student employees to enhance professional development.
• Makes recommendations and initiates disciplinary action when necessary in accordance with University staff personnel policies and after consultation with appropriate levels of management.
• Initiates communication directly with co-workers and/or supervisor to improve and clarify working relationships, identifying problems and concerns and seeking resolution to work-related conflicts. Participates in staff training and development workshops, retreats and meetings as determined by the supervisor.

Other Duties - 5%

• May be assigned other administrative duties throughout the year.
• Promotes the departmental Educational Equity Program in hiring, training and educational practices.
• Affirm and support Residential Dining's sustainability goals to protect, preserve and regenerate our environmental resources by practicing "earth-friendly" food habits, and helping UCSB on its way to becoming a sustainable community.
• Facilitates job enrichment, special assignments and ongoing training for students.

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