Operations & Logistics Manager (Catering & Events)

Purpose: Owns every event from costing to closing. Pricing it, ordering everything it needs, moving it to site, running it on the ground and reporting on it afterwards.

• Costing & proposals
• Build the full costing sheet for every enquiry and RFP (manning, logistics, equipment, F&B, commercial summary)
• Set selling prices against target margin, labour cap and revenue split
• Produce operation plans, floor plans, risk assessments and method statements
• Event execution
• Run events on site: setup, service, breakdown and derig
• Plan station layouts, staff deployment and equipment per section
• Logistics
• Plan and book all logistics movements: trucks, deliveries, storage runs (Jafza-Expo) and kitchen dispatches
• Keep logistics within the costed budget
• Beverage
• Order all beverages for every event
• Manage beverage stock, counts and post-event reconciliation
• Staffing
• Set manning per event and order casual staff from agencies
• Build the weekly ops rota; reconcile agency invoices against actual hours
• Equipment & storage
• Own all company equipment and the off-site storage
• Order rentals (e.g. IHS) and consumables; record breakages and losses
• POS & revenue share (Tevalis)
• Create all Tevalis buttons for every event and outlet
• Record all revenue-share arrangements in Tevalis and reconcile them after each event
• Reporting
• EOD, post-event and breakage reports
• Monthly event P&L
• 2-week expense calendar for Finance cash-float planning

Key KPIs

• Net margin per event at or above target
• Labour, food (30-33%) and beverage (30%) costs within targets
• Zero missed orders on event day
• Reports submitted on time

Requirements

Qualifications

• Minimum high school education or equivalent
• Relevant training or certifications in hospitality, catering operations, food safety or HSE would be an advantage but are not mandatory
• Valid UAE driving licence preferred

Professional Experience

• Minimum 5-7 years of relevant experience in catering, hospitality or event operations, including at least 3 years in an operational management or supervisory capacity
• Proven experience managing large-scale catering events, corporate functions, VIP events, festivals and outdoor catering operations
• Strong practical experience in event logistics, equipment rentals, supplier management and casual manpower coordination
• Demonstrated experience in event costing, budgeting, operational planning and cost control
• Previous UAE catering and events experience strongly preferred

Key Skills & Competencies

• Strong Microsoft Excel skills, particularly event costing, budgeting and operational reporting
• Ability to independently manage the full event cycle, from costing and planning through to execution, breakdown and financial reconciliation
• Strong understanding of manpower planning, logistics, procurement, inventory and equipment management
• Knowledge of HACCP, food safety and HSE requirements
• Excellent organisational, leadership, communication and problem-solving skills
• Commercially aware, with a focus on profitability, efficiency and cost control
• Highly hands-on, resourceful and capable of working independently under pressure
• Flexible to work extended hours, weekends and public holidays according to operational requirements

Important: Practical experience, operational competence and a proven ability to independently deliver large-scale catering events are more important than formal academic qualifications for this position.