Director - Production Operations at The Culinary Institute of America in Napa, CA

Job description

• The Director – Production Operations provides operational leadership for the full portfolio of events, conferences, meetings, and experiences hosted at the Culinary Institute of America (“CIA”) Copia, as well as Consumer Businesses activity at the CIA’s Greystone campus. The Director leads the Production Operations team and partners across CIA departments to ensure every activation held at Copia and Greystone, including special events, culinary programming, guest experiences, institutional gatherings, and hosted conferences, is delivered with operational excellence, financial discipline, and outstanding hospitality.
• While team members bring specialized depth in particular program types, the Director has full latitude to assign, reassign, and cross-deploy Associate Directors and their teams across any program type or location based on business need, ensuring Production Operations functions as one integrated team rather than a set of fixed specialties.

Responsibilities

• Leads the operational planning and execution of the full range of events, meetings, and experiences hosted at CIA Copia and Consumer Businesses activity at Greystone.
• Establishes operational priorities, project timelines, and resource allocation across multiple concurrent programs across both sites.
• Provides leadership throughout all phases of event production, from concept development through post-event evaluation, in partnership with the Associate Directors - Production Operations and the Production Operations team.
• Directs the assignment of Associate Directors and their teams across special events, conferences, and other Copia and Greystone based programs, matching skill and specialization to business need while building versatility across the team over time.
• Builds a unified, cross-functional Production Operations culture in which specialization is a starting strength, not a fixed lane, actively developing team members' ability to lead across program types.
• Ensures programs are executed with exceptional quality, hospitality, safety, and attention to detail, consistent with the CIA brand.
• Serves as the operational lead during on-site execution, providing leadership, decision-making, and issue resolution.
• Leads, mentors, and develops the Production Operations team, fostering accountability, collaboration, professional growth, and continuous improvement.
• Develops and manages operating budgets for Copia and Greystone based Consumer Businesses programs in partnership with the General Manager, Copia. Monitors financial performance throughout the planning lifecycle, identifying risks and opportunities while maintaining fiscal responsibility.
• Negotiates vendor agreements and manages expenditures in accordance with CIA policies and approved budgets.
• Leads pre-event planning and logistics infrastructure for all Copia and Greystone programs, including registration support, purchasing and equipment ordering, vendor and production scheduling, shipping and receiving, signage, audiovisual coordination, and culinary logistics and staffing planning.
• Partners closely with Food Enthusiast Programming, Marketing, and other Consumer Businesses teams to translate program objectives into successful operational execution.
• Coordinates operational planning meetings and ensures clear communication across all cross-functional teams supporting Copia and Greystone events.
• Supports sponsor and partner activations by ensuring operational requirements are successfully incorporated into each program.
• Establishes and continuously improves operational standards, planning tools, workflows, and documentation across the department.
• Evaluates event operations and attendee feedback to identify opportunities for innovation and continuous improvement.
• Champions the effective use of technology and project management tools that improve efficiency and collaboration.
• Maintains departmental operating procedures, planning resources, and knowledge management systems.
• Partners directly with Center for Food & Beverage Leadership (CFBL) Conference Experiences team (led operationally by the Senior Director - Strategic Partnerships, Industry Leadership & Impact, under the VP of Strategic Partnerships, Industry Leadership & Impact) to deliver the guest journey, F&B, hospitality, and on-site experience layer for CFBL conferences and collaboratives hosted at Copia, per the CIA Conferences & Guest Experience Alignment model.
• Manages cost control and internal cost allocation for conference delivery support provided to CFBL programs, ensuring scope and experience level are defined upfront and full financial transparency is maintained with the Conference Experiences team.
• Ensures conference and collaborative delivery reflects a single, consistent CIA guest experience standard shared across all guest-facing environments (conferences, Food Enthusiast programming, retail, catering), adapted appropriately by audience and context.
• Identifies and supports productization opportunities that extend conference and special event experiences into Food Enthusiast classes, chef demonstrations, and other monetized add-ons.
• Identifies operational opportunities that enhance Copia and Greystone's ability to grow, improve quality, and support the CIA's Vision 2035.
• Participates in organizational planning, annual budgeting, staffing discussions, and departmental initiatives.
• Represents Production Operations on Institute committees and cross-functional working groups as appropriate.
• Takes on occasional production assignments at other CIA campuses or external locations as directed, without these becoming a standing part of the role's core scope.
• Any and all other duties as assigned.

Requirements

• Bachelor's degree in Hospitality Management, Business Administration, Event Management, or a related field, or equivalent professional experience.
• Minimum of five (5) years of progressively responsible leadership experience in event/conference operations, hospitality, or production, ideally within a multi-venue or destination environment.
• Demonstrated experience managing complex, multi-day events or large-scale programs with multiple stakeholders and budgets exceeding $500,000.
• Experience leading and developing professional hospitality or operations teams.
• Exceptional organizational and project management abilities.
• Strong financial acumen and budget management experience.
• Proven leadership and team development skills.
• Ability to prioritize multiple complex projects simultaneously.
• Strong collaboration and relationship-building skills.
• Commitment to hospitality, innovation, and continuous improvement.
• Excellent written, verbal communication, and presentation skills required. Must have demonstrated ability in organizational, time management, problem solving and interpersonal skills.
• High attention to detail and commitment to operational excellence.
• Must have a history of developing programs to support strategic vision, partnering with stakeholder groups and effective problem solving and negotiation.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office Suite and event management technologies.
• Experience in higher education, hospitality, destination management, or nonprofit organizations.
• Experience with Cvent, project management software, and event technologies.
• Familiarity with food and beverage operations.
• Experience supporting executive-level meetings and VIP events.

Skills

Required

• Leadership
• Team development
• Collaboration
• Relationship-building
• Communication
• Problem solving
• Interpersonal skills
• Organizational skills
• Time management
• Attention to detail
• Commitment to continuous improvement
• Microsoft Office Suite

Benefits

• The hiring salary for this position is $100,000.
• The CIA offers a substantial benefits package that includes medical coverage available at no cost to qualifying employees, dental insurance, vision insurance, life insurance, short and long term disability insurance, retirement savings plan with high employer contributions, a generous paid time off program, and more!
• As the benefits package at the CIA results in a significant value above the base hiring salary for this position, we encourage you to apply so that our recruiters can share more information with you about the benefits of working for the CIA.