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Director of Operations, in charge of Food &… at Sofitel · Amsterdam
Job Description
Company Description
We're looking for a Director of Operations with high energy, personal charm and natural leadership skills to join our team at The Hoxton, Amsterdam Herengracht. In this role, you will be the right hand of the General Manager, responsible for all F&B operations, strategies and commercials throughout the hotel.
This is a demanding job, specifically for someone engaged with their career progression and focussed on future growth opportunities withing the company. The Hoxton, and Ennismore as a wider group, are growing fast with more than 130 international hotel openings in the pipeline the coming 5 years. Restaurant and bar operations are at the heart of what we do and form the competitive edge of our differentiating lifestyle strategy.
More locally, these are exiting times to join The Hoxton, Amsterdam. We're undergoing an hotel-wide refresh. From upgraded room types to finishing a full refurbishment of our F&B outlets: Bar & Lobby, Restaurant and M&E spaces. You’ll play a key role in shaping the next chapter of our neighbourhood venues. You will be the driving force behind the evolution of our new product offer - taking ownership of its identity, creativity and development. You won’t be doing that alone; you’ll lead and recruit an engaged team to support you and work closely together with other departments in the hotel to ensure a great experience to all our guests.
More about The Hoxton
Once the Mayor’s home, now our home, The Hoxton, Amsterdam sits pretty on the Herengracht canal. The hotel houses 111 rooms, The Apartment (our meetings & events concept) and our all-day restaurant & bar; Lotti’s. As a brand, The Hoxton is a series of open-house hotels, each in a neighbourhood that we love. Ever since we opened our first hotel in Shoreditch, we’ve never just been about offering a bed for the night. We are keen to be more than that: providing a place where guests can hang out alongside the locals and submerse themselves in a neighbourhood with vibrant, welcoming public spaces.
More about us
Once the Mayor’s home, now our home, The Hoxton, Amsterdam sits pretty on the Herengracht canal. The hotel houses 111 rooms, The Apartment (our meetings & events concept) and our all-day restaurant & bar; Lotti’s. You’d be joining in exciting times, as we are giving our meeting spaces and public areas a makeover – fresh & ready for commercial opportunities.
The Hoxton is a series of open-house hotels, each in a neighbourhood that we love. Ever since we opened our first hotel in Shoreditch, we’ve never just been about offering a bed for the night. We are keen to be more than that: providing a place where guests can hang out alongside the locals and submerse themselves in a neighbourhood with vibrant, welcoming public spaces.
What you'll do
Lead, recruit, train and develop a dynamic team across multiple food and beverage outlets, including a unique events space - upholding our brand standards from the bar and restaurant to the lobby and room service.
Drive revenue through daily coaching of the teams on the floor, and strategic management of commercial initiatives with the leadership team. Your creativity will inspire the team to deliver beyond set expectations.
Both guest experience and team engagement will be at the heart of all you do. You will lead from the front and your presence in the business will be felt by the team and guests alike.
Have a firm grip on the P&L and take ownership over the costs of the business, always striving to find efficient solutions whilst keeping the quality high and the experience top-notch.
Partner closely with the General Manager, Director of F&B, Head Chef and other Department Heads, so that front-of-house, back-of-house and operations more broadly run smoothly together.
Coordinate regular menu developments, engaging internal and external stakeholders, to remain relevant and interesting to our target audiences, and to foster food quality & plating consistency.
Guarantee compliance with cash handling, administrative and audit procedures, and uphold high standards of hygiene and health & safety across all managed areas.
Know your product, systems and processes inside out - running regular inspections of food and beverage preparation and presentation, and managing inventory, equipment and par stock levels to support sales.
Coordinate monthly inventory counts, analyse beverage ratios and optimise targets accordingly, keeping as close an eye on the numbers as on the floor.
Represent Operations in senior leadership discussions, contributing to wider property strategy, budgeting and forecasting beyond F&B alone.
Champion a culture of accountability and continuous improvement, mentoring department heads and supporting succession planning across the operation.
Job Description
What’s in it for you…
- Become part of a team that’s very passionate about creating great hospitality experiences.
- 2 days holiday per month (plus bank holidays).
- Salary aligned with Scale of the horeca CAO.
- Enjoy a free night at The Hoxton and a meal for two when you first start with us.
- Training to get you settled into your role with ongoing development that helps you think, make and thrive to set you up for success at work.
- Time off to volunteer with one of our partner charities.
- Hox Hero and Nifty fifty, our rewards for going the extra mile and living our values.
- An annual diversity and inclusion calendar of events creating opportunities for you to learn, celebrate and make a positive impact.
- Regular team get togethers, from our High Fives to our (pretty special!) team parties – we know how to have a good time!
- The chance to challenge the norm and work in an environment that is both creative and rewarding.
- It’s ok not to be ok, we offer access to OpenUp, a trusted platform for professional support and a network of mental health first aiders.
- Pedal like a local - Enjoy a Swapfiets membership with a discount: repairs and maintenance included.
- Stay active your way with a discounted Urban Sports Club membership, supporting your overall wellbeing and balance.
- Join an innovative, fast-growing, international group that is shaking things up on the hospitality scene.
- Excellent discounts across The Hoxton and the global Ennismore family.
Qualifications
What we're looking for
Individuals. If you’re looking for a place where you can be yourself, this is it. We don’t even do uniforms.
A clear passion for hospitality. Whether it’s a drink, a meal, or trends in the industry – you love the world of hospitality.
Optimism. You’re all about having a positive impact on the people you interact with.
You’re not precious. We leave our egos at the door and help get things done.
You’re up for doing things differently and trying everything at least once.
If we got stuck in a lift together, we’d have a good time and share a few laughs.
You want to be part of a team that works hard, supports each other and has fun together.
5+ years’ experience in a food and beverage management/director role, in a high-paced and commercial environment.
Multi-outlet budgeting and forecasting experience; a clear understanding of the financial expectations of a successful restaurant and bar business.
Comfortable operating at a senior leadership level — used to representing Operations in property-wide strategy, budgeting and forecasting discussions, and to mentoring department heads.
An ability to manage the revenues and costs on a daily, weekly and monthly basis. You’ll be expected to report results with a granular understanding of the ongoing trends of the business.
A track record of leading large teams in restaurants, kitchen and bars; you’re a natural at inspiring trust and bringing others along on the journey.
Exceptional attention to detail in a fast-paced environment, juggling many things at once, always mindful of what makes or breaks the guest experience.
Previous experience in managing an events space would be a big plus.
Fantastic customer service is at the heart of your approach; you're imaginative when it comes to creating experiences.