The opportunity
Delaware North Sportservice is seeking an Assistant General Manager to support operations at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit, Michigan. This role serves as a senior operational leader responsible for supporting the General Manager, leading assigned food and beverage operations, and helping drive financial performance, labor efficiency, guest experience, compliance, and client service across a complex sports and entertainment environment. The Assistant General Manager will provide direct leadership over assigned operational departments, including concessions and related support functions, while partnering closely with premium services, culinary, retail, finance, human resources, information technology, and venue leadership to ensure consistent execution across Detroit Red Wings, Detroit Pistons, concerts, family shows, special events, and other arena activity.
The ideal candidate is a steady, hands-on operator who can lead through others, manage high-volume event execution, develop managers and hourly leaders, improve labor and inventory discipline, and build strong working relationships with internal teams, clients, vendors, union partners, and not-for-profit groups. This position requires a leader who can balance day-to-day operational execution with long-term planning, process improvement, team development, and financial accountability.
Pay
Minimum - Anticipated Maximum Base Salary: $111,900 - $151,000 / year
In addition to base salary, we offer an annual bonus plan based on company and individual performance, or a role-based, uncapped sales incentive plan. The advertised pay range represents what we believe at the time of this job posting, that we would be willing to pay for this position. Only in special circumstances, where a candidate has education, training, or experience that far exceeds the requirements for the position, would we consider paying higher than the stated range. Information on our comprehensive benefits package can be found at https://careers.delawarenorth.com/benefits/.
What we offer
At Delaware North, we care about our team members' personal and professional journeys. These are just some of the benefits we offer:
* Medical, dental, and vision insurance
* 401(k) with up to 4% company match
* Annual performance bonus based on level, as well as individual, company, and location performance
* Paid vacation days and holidays
* Paid parental bonding leave
* Tuition and/or professional certification reimbursement
* Generous friends-and-family discounts at many of our hotels and resorts
What will you do?
* Support the General Manager in setting short- and long-term goals for assigned departments, including people development, operational execution, labor management, guest experience, compliance, financial performance, and client service
* Serve as the senior operational leader for assigned food and beverage departments, with primary oversight of concessions and related support operations, while ensuring alignment with overall arena priorities
* Lead season planning and event preparation processes for assigned areas, ensuring staffing plans, deployment models, product readiness, equipment needs, and operational standards are in place before each event
* Partner with department heads across concessions, commissary, culinary, premium services, retail, finance, HR, IT, and administration to create consistent execution across the full venue
* Manage department-level financial performance, including revenue, cost of goods, labor productivity, operating expenses, inventory controls, cash handling, payroll procedures, and monthly projections
* Review financial reports, event recaps, sales trends, labor reports, inventory results, and guest feedback to identify opportunities, develop action plans, and improve performance
* Drive labor planning discipline by evaluating staffing models, management schedules, event requirements, productivity expectations, and workload balance across assigned departments
* Lead, coach, and develop salaried managers, supervisors, and hourly associates to build operational capability, accountability, consistency, and bench strength
* Support recruiting, onboarding, training, performance management, and succession planning for assigned departments in partnership with Human Resources and department leaders
* Conduct regular meetings and pre-event communication to ensure managers and associates understand event expectations, client needs, service standards, staffing plans, and operational priorities
* Partner with culinary leadership and procurement resources on menu planning, product availability, cost control, equipment needs, and operational execution for concessions and assigned revenue streams
* Build and maintain strong relationships with clients, venue partners, vendors, subcontractors, not-for-profit groups, union partners, guests, and Delaware North team members
* Ensure timely and detailed communication with internal and external stakeholders so client expectations, event requirements, service needs, and operational changes are understood and executed
* Maintain compliance with Delaware North policies, client requirements, collective bargaining agreements, responsible alcohol service guidelines, food safety standards, sanitation expectations, workplace safety requirements, and applicable state and federal regulations
* Identify and lead continuous improvement opportunities related to event execution, labor efficiency, inventory control, equipment readiness, guest service, associate engagement, and operational processes
* Support capital planning, equipment replacement, facility improvement, and operational project work as assigned by the General Manager
* Serve as the designated senior leader when the General Manager is absent from the unit, ensuring operational continuity and appropriate escalation of issues
* Complete special projects and strategic initiatives as assigned by the General Manager or regional leadership
More about you
* Minimum of 5 years of food and beverage leadership experience in a high-volume arena, stadium, ballpark, convention center, hospitality, or sports and entertainment environment is required
* Prior experience leading concessions, commissary, premium services, restaurants, catering, or multi-department food and beverage operations is strongly preferred
* Bachelor's degree in hospitality, business management, food and beverage management, or a related discipline is preferred; equivalent operational leadership experience may be considered
* Strong understanding of event-based operations, labor planning, staffing deployment, inventory control, cash handling, cost of goods, payroll procedures, and P&L management is required
* Demonstrated ability to lead through managers, build accountability, coach performance, develop talent, and maintain morale in a fast-paced, high-pressure environment
* Experience working in a union environment, including familiarity with collective bargaining agreements, work rules, and labor relations, is preferred
* Strong communication skills with the ability to clearly align internal teams, clients, vendors, and cross-functional partners before, during, and after events
* Ability to manage competing priorities, make sound decisions under pressure, respond quickly to operational needs, and maintain professionalism during high-volume events
* Strong technical skills, including experience with POS systems, inventory systems, labor reporting tools, Microsoft Office, and event-based reporting platforms
* Commitment to guest service, associate engagement, operational excellence, compliance, safety, and continuous improvement
Shift details
Days
Evenings
Holidays
M-F
Evenings as needed
Weekends
Events
Who we are
Delaware North is the food, beverage, and retail provider at Little Caesars Arena. The 20,000-seat venue opened in 2017 and is home of the NHL's Detroit Red Wings and the NBA's Detroit Pistons. We provide a full accompaniment of services, including concessions and premium dining services in a variety of innovative club areas, loge boxes, and suites.
Our business is all about people, and that includes you. At Delaware North, you're not just part of a team - you're part of a global legacy: a family-owned company with 100+ years of history behind it. Our operations span the world, offering you unique paths to growth and success.
Who says you can't love where you work? With jobs in iconic sports arenas, stunning national parks, exciting casinos, and more, we pride ourselves on giving the world great times in great places. And whether you're interested in restaurants, hotels, sports, gaming, operations, or retail, part-time or full-time, we're invested in helping you achieve your career goals.
Together, we're shaping the future of hospitality - come grow with us!
Delaware North, along with its subsidiaries, is an equal opportunity employer, showcasing job opportunities and considering applicants for all positions without regard to race, color, religion, sex, gender identity, national origin, age, disability, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, or any other legally protected status.
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