Director, Food & Beverage

Recognized as the #1 Best Canadian Hotel in Travel + Leisure's 2024 World's Best Awards, Fairmont Empress is located in Victoria, BC, overlooking the city's sparkling Inner Harbour. A Forbes recommended and MICHELIN key hotel that offers 431 beautifully appointed guest rooms and suites, Fairmont Spa with signature West Coast experiences, and Q at the Empress featuring Pacific Northwest cuisine, an award-winning wine list, and regionally focused cocktail culture. World-famous Tea at the Empress is served in the Lobby Lounge with stunning harbour views.

The magnificent property completed a $60+ million restoration in 2017 that celebrated its proud history while moving the hotel into a new era of modern luxury and transforming the iconic property into a must-visit destination. In 2023, the property introduced a revamped Fairmont Gold Experience, including a major renovation to the Fairmont Gold floor. 88 Fairmont Gold rooms and a newly renovated lounge are ready to accommodate guests. Located on Vancouver Island, Canada's Castle on the Coast is the ideal starting point to explore British Columbia's stunning natural and expansive beauty. Historic Hotels Worldwide recognizes the property's prestigious grounds as the Top 25 Most Magnificent Gardens in the World.

What is in it for you:

• Employee benefit card offering discounted rates in Accor worldwide
• Discounted food & beverage offerings at our Vancouver sister properties
• Learning programs through our Academies
• Opportunity to develop your talent and grow within your property and across the world!
• Ability to make a difference through our Corporate Social Responsibility activities, like Planet 21
• Complimentary meals through our colleague dining program (taxes apply)
• Complimentary dry cleaning of business attire
• Access to our full benefits package, including extended health, dental, vision benefits; life and disability insurance; pension with company match, Registered Retirement Savings Program (RRSP) with company contribution, and a Tax Free Savings Account (TFSA)
• Paid time off including vacation, sick days and holidays
• Competitive Salary range of $122,500 to $153,100 Final compensation will be determined based on skills, relevant experience, and alignment with the role’s core and advanced competencies. Candidates with deeper expertise or specialized knowledge may be placed toward the upper portion of the range

What you will be doing:

Reporting to the Hotel Manager, you will be an active and contributing member of the strategic goals of the Food and Beverage Division. You will lead the Food & Beverage division by promoting a positive hotel culture and ensuring effectiveness of our luxury guest services, employee performance & development, and service enhancements. You will oversee the strategic development of Q at the Empress, Banquets, Tea at the Empress, Veranda, In-Room Dining, Culinary and Stewarding. Analytical skills, planning, creativity, and leading others are your strengths. Your responsibilities include:

• Lead, mentor and train the Food & Beverage operations team to deliver on our Service Culture and leadership promise
• Develop the annual Food & Beverage budget with a focus on revenue, costs, productivity, and efficiencies while ensuring accuracy in monthly financial outlooks and results
• Be the strategic business partner to the Executive Team in the field of Food & Beverage, working closely with other strategic departments including Sales & Marketing, Finance and P&C.
• Develop sincere relationships with guests, colleagues, and departments in a warm atmosphere
• Use your emotional intelligence to create unforgettable guest experiences by understanding each guest as a unique individual, engaging with empathy, anticipating guest needs, and delivering a flawless experience
• Inspire your team to provide our guests with a flawless, meaningful and authentic luxury experience delivered in a personal way
• Act as an Ambassador and collaborate with the operations team by responding in a professional, timely and consistent manner to guest, colleague, and third party concerns, with the goal of always improving and when necessary, recovering remarkably
• Demonstrate a commitment to Service Excellence through a visible presence on the floor, responding to and analyzing guest feedback through our Voice of Guest platform, and leading improvement activities based on guest and colleague feedback
• Coordinate F&B capital planning and projects with Department Heads
• Assist in the development and execution of the hotel’s five-year strategic plan
• Implement effective cost control measures of all food, beverage, labour and operating expenses in the F&B division by finding efficiencies and maximizing productivity
• Maximize F&B revenues in order to achieve overall hotel financial success (Rev per hour worked, Rev per occupied room, and VOP)
• Lead and implement the Fairmont Corporate F&B Vision for Accor and ensure all Food & Beverage brand standards are maintained
• Strategize on new products, service offerings, and upsell opportunities
• Create and achieve F&B goals aligned with our four pillars (colleague, guest, owner, brand)
• Create an F&B leadership succession plan by coaching and developing leaders through ongoing conversation and feedback, annual performance reviews, developmental plans, and career paths
• Lead F&B division in employee engagement initiatives and action planning based on colleague feedback and engagement survey responses
• Host and empower departmental leaders to hold monthly departmental meetings related to hotel goals and planning, guest satisfaction, financial results, employee engagement, health & safety, employee recognition, sustainability, brand standards, etc.
• Actively participate in hotel committees for recognition, sustainability, health & safety, and diversity & inclusion, and promote and champion committee initiatives
• Actively participate in the Hotel’s Emergency Response Team (ERT) and assist Executive Team in crisis management, planning, and communication following corporate guidelines
• Network with peers in the PNW region and industry to understand industry trends and develop innovative service and product ideas
• Develop and maintain strong partnerships with corporate and tourism sponsors
• Perform all other duties and special projects as assigned by Executive Team

Your experience and skills include:

• Strategic and service-focused personality is essential and minimum 5 years’ senior food & beverage leadership experience in luxury hotel required (Department or Division Head)
• Prior experience working in a union environment preferred
• University degree in Hotel Management or related discipline a strong asset
• Ability to lead by example by promoting a strong team culture and setting the scene for high performance
• Proven ability to build and maintain strong relationships with stakeholders
• Proven ability to analyze data and trends, create strategies for improvement, and take risks
• Excellent interpersonal and communications skills
• Highly organized and ability to work well under pressure with competing priorities and deadlines
• Flexibility and ability to adapt to changing priorities
• Vision and ability to lead and motivate others
• Ability to create and promote a fun working environment

Visa Requirements: Must be legally eligible to work in Canada. The hotel is unable to assist candidates in obtaining Canadian work authorization.

Your team and working environment: Welcome to Canada’s Castle on the Coast. The Empress Hotel sits proudly at the centre of culture and history in Victoria, British Columbia. This is the best of all worlds – where contrast meets distinction, opulence blends harmoniously with the understated and fabled history meshes with contemporary affairs. This award-winning Victoria hotel and National Historic Site is an alluring blend of classic and contemporary, vintage and cutting-edge: Where Modern meets Iconic. Come join our wonderful team of hospitality experts!

Our commitment to Diversity & Inclusion:
We are an inclusive company and our ambition is to attract, recruit and promote diverse talent.

Why work for Accor?
We are far more than a worldwide leader. We welcome you as you are and you can find a job and brand that matches your personality. We support you to grow and learn every day, making sure that work brings purpose to your life, so that during your journey with us, you can continue to explore Accor’s limitless possibilities.
By joining Accor, every chapter of your story is yours to write and together we can imagine tomorrow's hospitality. Discover the life that awaits you at Accor, visit https://careers.accor.com/

Do what you love, care for the world, dare to challenge the status quo! #BELIMITLESS