Food & Beverage Assistant Manager for Special Events

The Virginia Museum of Fine Arts in Richmond is one of the largest comprehensive art museums in the United States. VMFA’s growing encyclopedic collection houses more than 50,000 works of art spanning 6,000 years of world history.

Our holdings include the largest public collection of Fabergé outside of Russia, the finest collection of Art Nouveau outside of Paris and one of the nation’s finest collections of American art. VMFA is also home to important collections of Chinese art, English silver, French Impressionism, Postimpressionism, British sporting art, and modern and contemporary art, as well as renowned South Asian, Himalayan, and African art.

Recently named the 11th-best art museum in the United States by The Washington Post, VMFA is the only US art museum open 365 days a year with free general admission.

VMFA is a state-supported, privately endowed educational institution created for the benefit of the citizens of the Commonwealth of Virginia. Its purpose is to collect, preserve, exhibit, and interpret art, to encourage the study of the arts, and thus to enrich the lives of all.

About Food Services Department:

At the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts (VMFA), we facilitate beautiful memories.

Our Events Team is relentlessly passionate about their work. Every event detail is a touchpoint, a foundational pinning, evoking the right ambiance, feeling, and desired energy. Our dedicated service professionals bear witness and make possible some of the best days ever for our guests.

“…people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” – Maya Angelou

The team works to provide reasonable and advanced-scheduling notice to staff within the agreed upon availability. We are open 365 days a year, therefore there are a variety of shifts to work.

Work with people whose talents shine not only at work but also beyond work hours. Many of our staff are creatives who find an ease in serving others, have an eye for the details, and enjoy the flexibility this position offers.

Revenue from Special Events and other Enterprise operations directly supports museum operations. VMFA is the only art museum in the United States open 365 days a year with free general admission. Our purpose is to collect, preserve, exhibit, and interpret art and to encourage the study of the arts.

Professionalism is a key tenet in our workplace. We treat each other no less than how we treat our guests. Come create career-supportive relationships with some of the best service professionals in the industry. Learn and grow with us.

We are currently seeking applications for skilled service professionals who are team-centric and positively energetic individuals to join our Food Services Department as a Food & Beverage Assistant Manager of Special Events.

The Food & Beverage Assistant Manager of Special Events reports to and works with the Food & Beverage Manager of Special Events to manage day-to-day, front-of-house operations for large-scale special events and staff and assist restaurant managers in the supervision and operation of their venues.

• Along with manager, ensures front-of-house Event Staff members and supervisors have the training, equipment, and authority necessary to perform their jobs.

• Supports manager to see that the requirements of the performance planning and evaluation system are met and evaluations are completed by established deadlines with proper documentation.

• Performance issues are addressed and documented as they occur

• Assist with the management of front of the house operations for Event program; scheduling staff and providing supervision and direction, either directly or via subordinate supervisors.

• Ensures staff compliance with Food Service, VMFA, Department of Health and Commonwealth of Virginia codes, policies and procedures.

• Ensures that safety, health and housekeeping standards are present and that staff are aware and working towards meeting these goals.

• Works with manager to onboard new staff.

• Seeks to solve problems and improve direct reports' and colleagues' performance and productivity.

• Offers positive support to other staff members and mentors developing staff.

• Regularly participates in weekly Events Team meetings and offers constructive input.

• Ensures that event set ups are correct; guests are happy with the progress and experience of the event and effectively manages the closing and tear down of events.

• Looks over venues and equipment, making sure everything is clean and in proper working order.

• Oversees activity of Event staff and temp workers to maximize service to guests.

• Receives complaints as to food and service and makes appropriate adjustments to accommodate guests.

• Periodically inspects food as it comes out of the kitchen to assure quality and consistency of presentation.

• Takes a long-term view and initiates new ideas, keeps proper staffing levels, anticipates future business levels.

Selected candidates must pass a criminal history background check.

You will be provided with a confirmation of receipt when your application and/or résumé is submitted successfully. Please refer to “Your Application” in your account to check the status of your application for this position.

Name: HR Services

Phone: For the most up-to-date status of your application, please refer to your Jobs.Virginia.Gov account. We do not provide application status updates via phone.

Email: recruitment@vmfa.museum for recruitment related questions.

 Emailed applications, resumes, or cover letters will not be accepted. For the most up-to-date status of your application, please refer to your Jobs.Virginia.Gov account. 

Employment is contingent upon the successful completion of a criminal background check.

E-Verify Notice: After accepting employment, new hires are required to complete an I-9 form and present documentation of their identity and eligibility to work in the United States. Virginia Museum of Fine Arts uses the E-Verify system to confirm identity and work authorization.

Advertised: 23 Sep 2026 Eastern Daylight Time
Applications close: 29 Sep 2026 Eastern Daylight Time

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