Operations Manager, Venue Operations

Our vision is to be the global leader in outstanding venues and events with a mandate to generate economic and community benefit for the people of British Columbia through prudent management of public facilities.

The award-winning Vancouver Convention Centre, owned and operated by the BC Pavilion Corporation (PavCo), is currently searching for dynamic, innovative and event-oriented Operations Manager to join our team.

At PavCo and the Vancouver Convention Centre, our vision is to be the global leader in outstanding venues and events with a mandate to generate economic and community benefit for the people of British Columbia through prudent management of public facilities.

Reporting to the Manager, Venue Operations, the Operations Manager provides leadership, oversight, and supervision to the Guest Services Operations Centre (GSOC) team, who operate a high-volume, 24/7/365, operations centre. Engaged in both event execution and operational oversight, this role requires a keen problem solver with elevated critical thinking skills, and the ability to lead a team in demanding, high stress situations, while remaining calm under pressure. Liaising with multiple internal departments, suppliers, clients, stakeholders and industry partners, they will champion service excellence for our client’s events, while safeguarding the operational integrity of the venue.

This role operates on a compressed work week of four days. Shifts are scheduled Sun-Wed or Wed-Sat and hours of work vary between 0700-1600 hours; 1500 - 2400 hours and 2300 - 0800 hours.

**KEY RESPONSIBILITIES**:

- Providing leadership, oversight, and supervision to the Guest Services Operations Centre (GSOC) team, which includes performance coaching, first point for issue escalation resolution, and ensuring a high-level of professionalism, efficiency, and quality of work is applied to department responsibilities
- Playing a critical role as Incident Commander during emergency response
- Liaising with clients & suppliers during any emergency response incidents, ensuring communication of essential information, guest safety, and mitigated event impact
- Using critical analysis and first point resolution techniques to solve escalated, difficult or moderately complex issues where possible, and only escalating more complex and/or ongoing issues to the Manager, Venue Operations
- Managing operational and event delivery priorities such as operational levels, access control, signage, deliveries, shipping & receiving, people counting, visitor management, public safety, and security
- Act as ongoing liaison with client and supplier contacts for each event ensuring execution as planned
- Coordinating seamlessly with GSOC, the Operations Lead and other Operations Managers during high event periods for event requests, including prioritizing and communicating changes to function space, service requirements, and staffing while balancing logístical feasibility with venue standards and ensuring a synchronized approach
- Coordinating service efforts of all staff & suppliers towards the goal of providing exceptional event experiences
- Managing multiple move-ins and outs in collaboration with clients & suppliers and liaison with Security, Site Safety Officers, and Vancouver Traffic Authority
- Ensuring safety regulations are adhered to including emergency exiting pathways, implementing safety zones, enforcing maximum capacities, use of PPE, and age regulations, and ensuring that clients & suppliers are familiar with the safety, security, and emergency measures
- Determining and communicating incident escalation to appropriate VCC Senior Managers
- Maintaining a detailed and published log of activities during each shift, and reviewing the logs and reports of others for approval prior to publishing
- Communicating all relevant information during handover to ensure seamless shift transitions with team members including in-person handover briefings and handover notes
- Approving timesheets for GSOC staff on each shift and directly addressing non-compliant behaviours
- Managing and resolving GSOC sick calls and last minute absences
- Mentoring and training staff for their professional and personal development including enabling cross-training opportunities for depth in coverage
- Maintaining emotional composure while multi-tasking during stressful situations
- Contributing to the development and maintenance of resources in the Ungerboeck Documents Library
- Coordinating with representatives from FortisBC to cue timed lighting of the Olympic Cauldron

**EDUCATION**:

- Diploma or degree in Business Administration and or Event Management (minimum 2 years)
- Completion of Incident Command Levels 100 and 200 or equivalent is an asset

**EXPERIENCE**:

- 5-7 years of related experience in a complex environment within the events industry and venue operations is preferred
- Experience in public safety, emergency response, client relations, and logistics is preferred
- Experience w