Associate Director of Catering & Events (Internal Only) - Strand, London, WC2R 2LSTHIS VACANCY IS OPEN TO INTERNAL APPLICANTS ONLYAbout us:Are you a dynamic leader with a passion for delivering exceptional catering, hospitality and events services? We are seeking a visionary Associate Director of Catering & Events to take strategic ownership of our catering, hospitality and events operations across multiple sites, enhancing the community experience while driving commercial sustainability.About the role:The Associate Director of Catering & Events will be responsible for developing the overall strategy, driving operational excellence, optimising revenue and profitability to ensure financial sustainability. They will lead the strategic and operational delivery of high-quality catering and conference services, tailored to meet the specific needs of the University, while ensuring an outstanding customer experience across all sites to all stakeholders.In this pivotal role, you will set the strategic direction for all catering and events services, ensuring they are customer-focused, high quality, and cost-effective. You will lead the planning and delivery of innovative refurbishment projects, optimising the use of our spaces and maximising customer satisfaction. A key objective will be the development of a highly profitable conference business that supports both academic and commercial aspirations, while consistently maintaining an outstanding standard of service and presentation. We are looking for a motivational and inspirational leader who can build high-performing teams across catering and events. You will empower and develop staff, promoting a culture of accountability, creativity, and service excellence. Strong change management experience will be essential, as you implement improvements aligned with departmental strategies. You’ll also be responsible for staff development, performance management, and ensuring alignment with HR best practices. You will provide strategic leadership to drive continuous service improvement, enhance customer satisfaction, and improve commercial performance. This includes the development and monitoring of annual operating plans, service level agreements, and key performance indicators. Working closely with stakeholders, you’ll ensure transparent communication and champion new ways of working, innovation, and customer engagement through effective use of social media and feedback mechanisms. From a financial perspective, you will lead with sound business acumen—overseeing budget setting, income optimisation, cost control, and the pursuit of new business opportunities. Market analysis, supplier management, and financial reporting will be key tools in guiding strategic decisions and ensuring sustainability and growth. A strong commitment to community engagement and innovation is vital. You will develop services that reflect the needs of our diverse university community and support our Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Strategy. Quality assurance, continuous improvement, and customer communication will be at the heart of your approach, with an emphasis on new ideas, improved menus, technology integration, and promotional activity. As a sustainability champion, you will develop and lead the catering, hospitality and events sustainability strategy, ensuring we not only meet but exceed environmental targets. You will embed sustainable practices and promote healthy eating across all services, supported by team training and a shared ethos of environmental responsibility. Finally, you will ensure full compliance with all regulatory and legislative requirements. You will lead the approach to risk management within Catering & Events and provide clear direction on health and safety, ensuring that operations are safe, legally compliant, and reflective of best practice. If you are an experienced leader with a track record of driving commercial success, developing high-performing teams, and delivering customer-focused services, we’d love to hear from you. Join us in shaping the future of Catering & Events at King’s. The role will require the post holder to be flexible with working hours to respond to business needs, this will require an element of evening and weekend working. King’s Community Business Services operate a “one team” approach to service delivery, therefore all post holders are expected to support colleagues with an integrated team approach. This is a full time (35 Hours per week), and you will be offered an indefinite contract.