Key Responsibilities and Required Skills for Catering Logistics Director

🎯 Role Definition

The Catering Logistics Director is a senior operations leader who designs, implements, and optimizes end-to-end logistics for high-volume catering and food-service events. This role owns supply chain planning, vendor and fleet management, cold‑chain integrity, inventory and procurement strategies, event logistics execution, safety and regulatory compliance (HACCP, ServSafe, OSHA), and cross-functional collaboration with culinary, sales, and production teams. The Catering Logistics Director ensures on-time, cost-efficient, and food-safe delivery of catering services for corporate events, stadiums, weddings, festivals, and multi-venue activations while continuously improving processes and metrics.

📈 Career Progression

Typical Career Path

Entry Point From:

Catering Operations Manager
Logistics Manager / Distribution Manager (food service)
Event Operations Manager
Supply Chain Coordinator in hospitality

Advancement To:

Vice President of Operations (Hospitality / Food Service)
Head of Catering / Director of Hospitality Operations
Chief Operating Officer (smaller hospitality groups)

Lateral Moves:

Director of Event Production
Director of Procurement / Strategic Sourcing
Director of Transportation & Fleet Operations

Core Responsibilities

Primary Functions

Develop and execute the end-to-end logistics strategy for catered events, including multi-venue and multi-day activations, ensuring on-time delivery, correct menu fulfillment, and optimum resource utilization for high-volume catering accounts.
Plan, direct and supervise all transportation and delivery operations—fleet scheduling, driver assignments, route planning, load sequencing, and last-mile logistics—to meet strict event timelines and maintain food quality.
Oversee cold‑chain logistics and temperature control protocols for perishable goods, implementing HACCP- and ServSafe-aligned procedures and continuous monitoring to protect product integrity from kitchen to client site.
Lead procurement and vendor management for food suppliers, equipment rentals, packaging, and subcontracted transport; negotiate supplier agreements, set SLAs, manage contracts, and develop alternative sourcing strategies to reduce cost and supply risk.
Create and maintain robust inventory management systems (par level planning, cycle counts, FIFO controls) for central kitchens and satellite staging areas; minimize waste, spoilage, and stockouts through accurate forecasting and reorder policies.
Partner closely with culinary leadership and event sales teams to translate event specifications into detailed pick lists, load plans, staffing plans, and delivery checklists that guarantee menu fidelity and exceptional guest experience.
Build and manage a high-performing logistics team (supervisors, schedulers, drivers, staging staff), including hiring, onboarding, performance management, coaching, and professional development to sustain reliable event delivery.
Own budgeting, financial forecasting and P&L responsibilities for logistics operations; drive cost control through transportation optimization, route consolidation, vendor renegotiation, and labor productivity improvements.
Implement and manage logistics KPIs and dashboards (OTD, fill rate, on‑time start, cost per delivery, food loss %, driver utilization) to measure performance, enable data-driven decisions, and support continuous improvement.
Coordinate cross-functional planning for complex events—staging, load-in/load-out sequencing, onsite production staging, staging area footprinting and site logistics—to minimize downtime and ensure smooth operations.
Manage permits, regulatory compliance and site liaison activities for event setups, including municipal parking/street closures, loading dock access, HVAC/utility coordination, and venue-specific policies.
Lead risk management and contingency planning, creating playbooks for equipment failure, traffic disruption, weather impacts, supply shortages, and last-minute menu changes to preserve client satisfaction and event continuity.
Oversee equipment lifecycle for racks, warmers, coolers, insulated containers, and transport vehicles; plan preventative maintenance, capital replacement, and asset tracking to maintain reliability.
Deploy technology solutions—TMS, WMS, route optimization, mobile driver apps, and order management systems—to automate scheduling, real-time tracking, proof of delivery, and reporting that improve speed and transparency.
Drive sustainability and packaging strategy for logistics (reusable transport containers, recyclable packaging, fuel-efficient routing) to meet company ESG goals and reduce operational waste.
Establish and enforce on-site safety protocols and driver/crew training programs; ensure OSHA compliance and maintain incident reporting, near-miss analysis, and corrective action plans.
Manage third-party logistics partners and temporary labor vendors for peak season scalability; evaluate performance through scorecards, SLAs and periodic business reviews.
Lead continuous improvement (Lean/Six Sigma) projects to streamline load planning, staging processes, and kitchen-to-truck handoffs, reducing setup times and labor costs.
Serve as the primary logistics point-of-contact for major clients and event producers, proactively communicating status, resolving issues, and presenting post-event performance and improvement plans.
Direct capacity planning including peak season staffing models, equipment staging, cross-training plans and scalable workflows to ensure consistent service levels during surges.
Develop and administer RFPs for large-scale logistics contracts, analyze bids, recommend suppliers, and execute onboarding of new service partners to expand capabilities or reduce costs.

Secondary Functions

Support commercial sales and account teams with logistics input during contract negotiations, site walkthroughs, and scoping calls to ensure feasibility and cost accuracy for proposals.
Conduct post-event reviews and root-cause analysis to capture lessons learned, update standard operating procedures, and implement corrective actions to prevent recurrence.
Collaborate with IT and data teams to refine analytics and forecasting models for demand planning, seasonal menu shifts and lead times that improve purchase accuracy and inventory turns.
Participate in menu rollouts and new product introduction planning to ensure packaging, transportability and staging considerations are vetted and operationally feasible.
Lead cross-training and career development initiatives to broaden capabilities of culinary, setup and delivery teams and increase workforce flexibility across event types.
Maintain up-to-date knowledge of food safety regulations, local health department guidelines and venue-specific requirements; implement necessary procedural updates and audits.
Facilitate vendor performance reviews, quarterly business reviews, and supplier development programs to strengthen relationships and secure preferential terms.
Support marketing and client experience teams for brand activations by providing logistics engineering for experiential events, pop-ups and temporary kitchens.
Manage small capital projects for logistics infrastructure—cold storage expansion, staging area redesign, vehicle acquisitions—and coordinate with facilities and finance to deliver on-time and on-budget.
Act as an internal change agent to champion digital adoption of logistics tools, drive user adoption and ensure operationalization of new systems across shifts and locations.

Required Skills & Competencies

Hard Skills (Technical)

Supply chain & logistics management specific to food service and event catering
Cold-chain management and HACCP / ServSafe compliance procedures
Transportation management and route optimization (TMS) and last-mile logistics experience
Inventory control, demand forecasting, par planning and waste reduction strategies
Contract negotiation and vendor/3PL management for food suppliers and transport partners
Operational budgeting, P&L ownership and cost-per-delivery analysis
Familiarity with ERP/WMS systems (NetSuite, SAP, Microsoft Dynamics) and order management platforms
Proficiency with Excel (advanced modeling), BI tools (Tableau, Power BI) and logistics KPIs
Fleet management and vehicle maintenance planning (TEU scheduling, preventive maintenance)
Event load planning, staging diagrams, site logistics and production coordination
RFP development, procurement sourcing and supplier scorecarding
Knowledge of OSHA safety standards and on-site incident management

Soft Skills

Strong interpersonal and executive stakeholder management (clients, venue ops, culinary)
Strategic thinking with a bias for operational excellence and continuous improvement
Clear, calm problem-solving and crisis management under tight event timelines
Excellent written and verbal communication; capable of presenting to senior leadership
Team leadership, coaching and talent development for multi-shift operations
Negotiation skills and commercial acumen to balance service levels and cost control
Attention to detail and process orientation, with the ability to document SOPs
Adaptability and resilience in a fast-paced, event-driven environment
Collaborative mindset to work cross-functionally with culinary, sales, production, and finance
Project management skills with the ability to prioritize multiple live events

Education & Experience

Educational Background

Minimum Education:

Bachelor’s degree in Supply Chain Management, Hospitality Management, Business Administration, Logistics, or related field; or equivalent professional experience.

Preferred Education:

Bachelor’s or Master’s degree with concentration in Supply Chain, Hospitality Operations, or Business. Certifications such as Lean Six Sigma, CPSM, or MBA are a plus.

Relevant Fields of Study:

Supply Chain Management
Hospitality Management
Business Administration
Logistics & Transportation

Experience Requirements

Typical Experience Range:

8–15+ years of progressive logistics, supply chain or operations experience with at least 5 years in food service, catering, or event logistics.

Preferred:

Proven track record managing large-scale catering operations, multi-venue events, or stadium/arena food service; experience with cold-chain and perishable goods logistics; demonstrated success implementing TMS/WMS and leading cross-functional teams.