Manager, Hospitality Services EMEA

We back you with benefits that support your holistic well-being so you can be and deliver your best. This means caring for you and your loved ones physical financial and mental health as well as providing the flexibility you need to thrive personally and professionally:

• Competitive base salaries
• Bonus incentives
• Support for financial-well-being and retirement
• Comprehensive medical dental vision life insurance and disability benefits (depending on location)
• Flexible working model with hybrid onsite or virtual arrangements depending on role and business need
• Generous paid parental leave policies (depending on your location)
• Free access to global on-site wellness centers staffed with nurses and doctors (depending on location)
• Free and confidential counseling support through our Healthy Minds program
• Career development and training opportunities

Offer of employment with American Express is conditioned upon the successful completion of a background verification check subject to applicable laws and regulations.

At American Expressourcultureisbuilton a 175-yearhistoryofinnovationsharedvaluesand LeadershipBehaviours and anunwaveringcommitmenttobackourcustomerscommunities andcolleagues. AspartofTeam Amexyoullexperiencethispowerfulbackingwithcomprehensivesupportforyourholisticwell-beingandmanyopportunitiestolearnnewskillsdevelopasaleader andgrowyourcareer.

Hereyourvoiceandideasmatteryourworkmakesanimpact andtogetheryouwillhelpusdefinethefutureofAmerican Express.

How will you make an impact in this role

The Manager Hospitality Services based in the UK will report directly to the Director Hospitality Services based in partnership with key functional leads and vendor partners they will oversee the American Express workplace services and amenities for all office locations across the EMEA region focusing on a colleague-first approach to frictionless experiences.

Specifically the Manager Hospitality Services will be responsible for overseeing aspects of the delivery of food and drink services experience services and any other workplace amenities which contribute to the American Experience workplace proposition. Such services include onsite food and drink outlets and delivery services pantries meeting and event catering community support and engagement welcome and reception services meeting and event coordination and planning concierge services and management of other onsite amenities and programs.

The Manager will contribute to and support a multi-year roadmap which aligns with the priorities of the enterprise and the GREWE Vision and Mission to plan pivotal initiatives and operations that deliver the objectives of the region and enterprise. Aligning with a global framework the regional roadmap will include every aspect of regional operations including third-party selection and performance/contract management new services and locations capital management commercial/financial targets digital interfaces ESG legislative or compliance factors. The Manager will be responsible for execution of such aspects of the roadmap that are assigned to them.

As an experienced Hospitality professional the Manager will proactively influence and guide to broadly cultivate a Hospitality approach within the diverse EMEA team of American Express and vendor colleagues. They will work with a group of colleagues across multiple cities in the region and will be responsible to ensure that third parties execute against plans for the engagement development recruitment and retention of third-party talent.

This role also focuses on the high quality and safe delivery of the services in a compliant open manner. The Manager will work closely with Facilities Management Health and Safety Compliance and Relationship Management colleagues to ensure that a seamlessly robust and consistent approach to workplace services is adopted in every location every day. Operational controls as globally or regionally defined will be adopted and implemented for all in-scope services to ensure adherence to American Express and GREWE policies & procedures and all applicable codes and regulations.

In terms of consistent service operations which are performed at the highest level this is a meaningful role which requires a strong understanding of the management of third-party suppliers. They will be required to oversee all aspects of the performance of the suppliers based on an agreed governance structure. The governance structure will cover all aspects of performance including that related to SLAs KPIs and any other scorecard that is agreed.

Integral to this role will be the maintaining of relationships with internal and external customers and pro-actively driving a closed feedback loop approach for all services. Similarly this role is responsible for representing the voice of the colleague or customer in scenarios where friction is present to drive outcomes that promote seamlessness in the experience in every location for every colleague.

With consistent service excellence being a high priority for this role there are also requirements for the Manager to be commercially literate and to be able to administrate operational services preferably a highly regulated environment. Rigorous analytical and financial skills to drive creative solutions that focus on value generation and capture outstanding market opportunities are desired. The ability to supervise sophisticated hospitality financial models and to drive the best financial outcome for American Express is required.

Core Responsibilities:

• Show up as a visible Hospitality professional every day. Demonstrate the Blue Box values and Leadership Behaviors as a figure head
• Contribute to the delivery of food & drink services and other workplace services and amenities across the region
• Put Enterprise Thinking First to manage outcomes and vendor performance for service lines including:
  • Food outlets & delivery services
  • Catering
  • Reception & welcome services
  • Meeting & event planning
  • Concierge services
  • Pantries community engagement onsite amenities
• Be the voice of the colleague in scenarios where friction in the workplace experience is present to facilitate its removal.

Strategic & Operational Planning:

• Contribute to a multi-year strategic roadmap aligned to enterprise and regional goals.
• Manage third-party vendors performance/contract management site launches and contribute to capital planning in accordance with defined processes.
• Align with digital ESG legal/compliance and financial targets.

Leadership & Collaboration:

• Approach colleague vendor and stakeholder relationships as a mutual partnership.
• Collaborate with internal teams and senior leaders across EMEA.
• Foster the attraction and retention and engagement of hospitality talent within third party relationships throughout the region.
• Manage third-party action plans and roadmaps that drive consistent delivery and continuous improvement.
• Partner with such American Express partners as CEG Healthy Living Digital Workplace Public Relations and Communications Security Brand to build a seamless One CX approach to the colleague workplace experience.

Service Quality & Compliance:

• Ensure high-quality compliant and safe service delivery across in-scope services including food safety.
• Work closely with Facilities Health & Safety Compliance and Relationship Management teams.
• Support the implementation of standard operating controls and governance frameworks.
• Manage closed-loop style feedback mechanisms.

Vendor & Performance Management:

• Administrate agreements for new and existing services from procurement to agreement execution.
• Manage and ensure third-party compliance in line with American Express standard operating procedures and standards.
• Manage third-party supplier performance via SLAs KPIs and governance metrics.
• Build meaningful partnerships that drive results for American Express.
• Foster continuous improvement and represent the customer/colleague voice in services.

Data Finance & Innovation:

• Use data to deliver insights measure outcomes and drive improvements.
• Supervise and administrate hospitality financial models as required in partnership with other colleagues.
• In line with American Express standards ensure that all financial planning (including capital plans asset registers in year or long-range financial plans) are followed for all in-scope services.
• Analyse financial performance ensuring key risks and opportunities are highlighted and reported on a minimum monthly basis; provide forecast updates variance explanations and bottom-up operating budget calculations as required.
• Facilitate GREWEs financial position by way of commercial negotiations with third-party suppliers.
• Maintain financial records for all contracts in line with American Express standards.
• Liaise with GREWE Finance Operations regarding financial information relating to budgets business unit costs and financial systems compliance.
• Work with Global Supplier Management to ensure a compliant approach to any procurement or contracting actions required.
• Provide invoice approval and payment product validation (and/or other payment methods) in accordance with American Express standards.

Minimum Qualifications:

Operational Leadership:

• Experience supporting the delivery of a multi-year enterprise-aligned roadmap within regional or country-level operations.
• Strong organizational and execution skills across multiple sites and teams.
• Proactive analytical and dependable team player with the ability to work independently and take initiative.
• Demonstrated ability to lead day-to-day operations with limited supervision while escalating key risks and opportunities appropriately.
• Experience supervising or coordinating outsourced third-party teams in a matrixed environment.

Hospitality and Workplace Experience Expertise:

• Deep understanding of commercial hospitality operations with management experience in hotel food and beverage outlet or events businesses.
• Experience in food and beverage operations workplace amenities and/or employee experience programs in a corporate or professional services environment desired.
• Proven ability to manage local hospitality service delivery with focus on consistency service quality and customer satisfaction.

Supplier & Vendor Management:

• Hands-on experience managing third-party vendors and service providers.
• Skilled in monitoring performance against SLAs and KPIs and ensuring contract compliance.
• Ability to support contract renewals issue escalation and continuous service improvement initiatives.

Operational Excellence & Compliance:

• Superior knowledge of regulatory health & safety and food safety standards in hospitality settings.
• Familiarity with ESG sustainability and compliance frameworks relevant to hospitality operations.
• Comfortable using digital tools and data systems to monitor performance and drive improvements.
• Wizard in Excel Word and PowerPoint for reporting and communication.

Stakeholder Collaboration:

• Strong relationship-building skills with peers internal stakeholders and vendors.
• Ability to communicate clearly and influence at an operational level to align on priorities and outcomes.

Hospitality & Customer-Centric Mindset:

• Dedicated to customer experiences in any setting.
• Possess a hospitality mindset with an innate ability to listen with empathy. Deep understanding of the leadership behaviours and competencies required to deliver hospitality.
• Passionate about creating human connections to meet and exceed customer expectations.

Financial & Commercial Acumen:

• Proven experience in managing budgets and tracking spend against targets.
• Ability to analyse cost identify efficiencies and support value-for-money initiatives.
• Familiarity with financial reporting processes and use of data to support business decisions.

Change Management & Innovation:

• Comfortable adapting to transformation and process change within a dynamic environment.
• Brings forward ideas for operational improvement and innovation in service delivery.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Desired: undergraduate degree in a hospitality field (hotel general management food and beverage management event management).
• Knowledge with qualifications desired of relevant local regulations laws and familiarity with food services environmental and safety codes and systems.
• Working knowledge of (European) languages desired.

Non-considerations for sponsorship:

Employment eligibility to work with American Express in theUKis required as the company will not pursue visa sponsorship for these positions.