Are you a dynamic leader with a passion for food, customer service, and operational excellence? Do you thrive in a fast-paced environment where creativity and trust are at the heart of everything you do? If so, we want you to join our team as an Assistant Director of Sales – Catering at Puff ‘n Stuff, a premier catering company dedicated to delivering exceptional experiences.

Company Overview & Core Values

At Puff ‘n Stuff, we don’t just cater events—we create memorable experiences.

Passion: We love what we do and take pride in delivering exceptional food and service.

Customer Focus: We go above and beyond to exceed client expectations.

Trust: We build lasting relationships with clients, partners, and team members through integrity and reliability.

Creativity: We embrace innovation to craft unique culinary and event experiences.

About the Position

The Assistant Director of Sales – Catering serves as a key leader within the Tampa sales organization, supporting the Director of Sales in executing sales strategies, developing talent, driving accountability, and ensuring seamless collaboration across departments. This role combines hands-on sales leadership with operational coordination to maximize revenue, maintain exceptional customer satisfaction, and strengthen Puff ‘n Stuff’s position as the preferred catering partner in the Tampa market.

Key Responsibilities

• Support the Director of Sales in leading and developing the Tampa sales team.
• Coach, mentor, and hold sales team members accountable to individual and team performance goals.
• Conduct regular one-on-one meetings, training sessions, and performance reviews.
• Assist with onboarding and development of new Sales Event Coordinators and other sales team members.
• Meet or exceed annual revenue sales goals, exclusive of taxes and gratuities.
• Maintain, grow, and defend the existing client base while re-engaging and reviving inactive accounts from previous years.
• Target competitive catering accounts, venue partners, and prospective clients for conversion opportunities.
• Actively prospect and develop new business through networking, referrals, venue partnerships, industry events, and strategic outreach initiatives.
• Manage lead and client account activity, including follow-up, opportunity management, client retention efforts, and cancellations.
• Drive timely lead response and conversion to maximize revenue capture and sales effectiveness.
• Monitor sales performance metrics including closing ratios, leads managed, conversion rates, average revenue per event, and other key performance indicators.
• Analyze trends and identify opportunities to increase market share, client acquisition, and event revenue.
• Support forecasting and budgeting efforts by providing accurate pipeline and sales performance insights.
• Collaborate with Marketing to maximize lead generation and brand awareness initiatives.
• Identify opportunities to increase average event revenue through strategic selling, upselling, and account development.
• Create and execute an annual Personal Development Plan focused on leadership growth, sales excellence, professional development, and industry engagement.
• Partner closely with Operations, Culinary, Marketing, and Venue Relations teams to ensure alignment between sales commitments and event execution.
• Lead the weekly Production Meeting for the Tampa market.
• Ensure the Sales team is fully prepared for the weekly Production Meeting and has collaborated with Culinary and Operations partners prior to the meeting date.
• Facilitate proactive collaboration between Sales, Culinary, and Operations teams and drive accountability for follow-up items.

Expanded Leadership Competencies

• Demonstrates strong leadership presence and the ability to motivate high-performing teams.
• Builds a culture of accountability, collaboration, and continuous improvement.
• Communicates effectively with team members, clients, venue partners, and leadership.
• Uses sales metrics, forecasts, and dashboards to guide decision-making.
• Balances customer satisfaction, operational excellence, and profitability objectives.
• Develops future leaders through coaching, mentoring, and succession planning.

Prerequisites

• Previous experience leading, coaching, or supervising a sales team.
• Strong understanding of customer relationship management and consultative selling.
• Demonstrated ability to communicate, present, and influence effectively at all levels of the organization.
• Excellent mentoring, coaching, and people management skills.

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration, Marketing, Hospitality Management, or related field.
• Minimum of 5 years of sales experience with at least 2 years in leadership, supervisory, or coaching responsibilities.
• Experience in the catering, hospitality, event planning, or related industry.
• Proven track record of achieving sales goals and developing strong client relationships.

Preferred Qualifications

• Working knowledge of Caterease Catering Software and CRM systems.
• Experience leading cross-functional teams and operational meetings.
• Strong analytical, strategic thinking, and decision-making abilities.

Physical Demands

While performing the duties of this job, the Assistant Director of Sales – Catering is frequently required to stand, sit, talk, hear, and see. There will be a need to travel on occasion for team meetings, client interactions, venue visits, networking events, and catered events. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform essential physical job functions.