Lead Event Planner Job at Hugh Groman Group in Oakland
Hugh Groman Group, Oakland, CA, United States
THE HUGH GROMAN GROUP
Oakland, CA · Full-Service Catering & Private Events
Lead Event Planner — Operational Focus
Oakland / San Francisco, CA | Full-Time, Hybrid | $85,000 — $110,000 | Flexible hours incl. evenings & weekends
Most event planning jobs are about keeping clients happy. This one is about making sure everything actually works.
We are The Hugh Groman Group — a full-service catering and events company headquartered in Oakland, California, with over two decades of experience producing high-end corporate dinners, board meetings, large-scale receptions, and private celebrations across the Bay Area. Our portfolio includes full-service catering, drop‑off operations under Greenleaf Catering, and private venue rental through Lovely Day Events.
We are not looking for someone to manage relationships and hope for the best. We are at a point in our growth where we need a planner who brings structure — someone who owns the process end to end, keeps everyone aligned before the event, and makes sure the field team has exactly what they need to execute without last‑minute scrambling.
This is a seat at the table. If you are the kind of planner who thrives on precision, gets satisfaction from airtight documentation, and finds loose processes genuinely irritating — read on.
What you will own
Full ownership of event planning from contract signature through day‑of execution
Authoring and maintaining accurate, structured BEOs — the single source of truth for every event
Enforcing client‑facing deadlines: final guest counts, menu confirmations, rental logistics, and setup details
Cross‑department coordination with kitchen, warehouse, and field operations — ensuring alignment before the event, not the morning of
Leading internal pre‑event readiness reviews to confirm all teams have what they need
Serving as the operational authority on all event‑specific details — when there is a conflict between what a client wants and what is operationally possible, you resolve it clearly
Identifying and flagging documentation gaps, process breakdowns, or repeat failure points — this team is actively improving, and your observations matter
Building and maintaining strong client relationships for corporate accounts, repeat business, and private social events
Whom we are looking for
5 years in event production, catering operations, or full‑service event planning
Track record managing multi‑stakeholder events from planning through execution
Demonstrable bias toward structure, timelines, and documentation over improvisation
Comfortable enforcing deadlines with clients and internal teams — calmly, not reluctantly
Fluent in BEOs, catering logistics, vendor coordination, and event production timelines
Clear, direct communicator who moves toward problems rather than around them
Experience with event management software (CaterEase familiarity is a plus)
Bachelor’s degree in Hospitality, Event Management, or related field preferred but not required with equivalent experience
Able to work flexible hours including evenings and weekends as events require
This role is not for you if…
You prioritize client satisfaction over operational reality
You rely on last‑minute improvisation when planning falls apart
You prefer loosely defined roles and flexible expectations
You avoid conflict or find it difficult to enforce structure with internal teams
You measure success only by whether clients liked the event, not by how well it was prepared for
Why this role exists
The Hugh Groman Group is actively rebuilding its operational backbone. We have strong client relationships, a talented team, and a reputation built over two decades. What we are building now is the infrastructure to match — cleaner documentation, better cross‑department alignment, and a planning function that supports the field team rather than reacting to it.
That means real influence over how this company operates going forward, and direct visibility to senior leadership.
If you want a role where the work you do today changes how the company runs tomorrow, this is it.
How to apply
Send your resume and a brief note to HG-hiring(at)proton.me — not a cover letter, just a paragraph — explaining a specific event you planned where something operationally broke down before the event and what you did about it. We are not looking for the story where everything went perfectly. We want to see how you think when it doesn’t.
Applications without that context will not be reviewed.
Thank you for taking the time reviewing this job post. We are looking forward to hearing from you.
THE HUGH GROMAN GROUP · Oakland, CA · hughroman.com
Full‑Service Catering · Greenleaf Drop‑Off · Lovely Day Events
#J-18808-Ljbffr
Oakland, CA · Full-Service Catering & Private Events
Lead Event Planner — Operational Focus
Oakland / San Francisco, CA | Full-Time, Hybrid | $85,000 — $110,000 | Flexible hours incl. evenings & weekends
Most event planning jobs are about keeping clients happy. This one is about making sure everything actually works.
We are The Hugh Groman Group — a full-service catering and events company headquartered in Oakland, California, with over two decades of experience producing high-end corporate dinners, board meetings, large-scale receptions, and private celebrations across the Bay Area. Our portfolio includes full-service catering, drop‑off operations under Greenleaf Catering, and private venue rental through Lovely Day Events.
We are not looking for someone to manage relationships and hope for the best. We are at a point in our growth where we need a planner who brings structure — someone who owns the process end to end, keeps everyone aligned before the event, and makes sure the field team has exactly what they need to execute without last‑minute scrambling.
This is a seat at the table. If you are the kind of planner who thrives on precision, gets satisfaction from airtight documentation, and finds loose processes genuinely irritating — read on.
What you will own
Full ownership of event planning from contract signature through day‑of execution
Authoring and maintaining accurate, structured BEOs — the single source of truth for every event
Enforcing client‑facing deadlines: final guest counts, menu confirmations, rental logistics, and setup details
Cross‑department coordination with kitchen, warehouse, and field operations — ensuring alignment before the event, not the morning of
Leading internal pre‑event readiness reviews to confirm all teams have what they need
Serving as the operational authority on all event‑specific details — when there is a conflict between what a client wants and what is operationally possible, you resolve it clearly
Identifying and flagging documentation gaps, process breakdowns, or repeat failure points — this team is actively improving, and your observations matter
Building and maintaining strong client relationships for corporate accounts, repeat business, and private social events
Whom we are looking for
5 years in event production, catering operations, or full‑service event planning
Track record managing multi‑stakeholder events from planning through execution
Demonstrable bias toward structure, timelines, and documentation over improvisation
Comfortable enforcing deadlines with clients and internal teams — calmly, not reluctantly
Fluent in BEOs, catering logistics, vendor coordination, and event production timelines
Clear, direct communicator who moves toward problems rather than around them
Experience with event management software (CaterEase familiarity is a plus)
Bachelor’s degree in Hospitality, Event Management, or related field preferred but not required with equivalent experience
Able to work flexible hours including evenings and weekends as events require
This role is not for you if…
You prioritize client satisfaction over operational reality
You rely on last‑minute improvisation when planning falls apart
You prefer loosely defined roles and flexible expectations
You avoid conflict or find it difficult to enforce structure with internal teams
You measure success only by whether clients liked the event, not by how well it was prepared for
Why this role exists
The Hugh Groman Group is actively rebuilding its operational backbone. We have strong client relationships, a talented team, and a reputation built over two decades. What we are building now is the infrastructure to match — cleaner documentation, better cross‑department alignment, and a planning function that supports the field team rather than reacting to it.
That means real influence over how this company operates going forward, and direct visibility to senior leadership.
If you want a role where the work you do today changes how the company runs tomorrow, this is it.
How to apply
Send your resume and a brief note to HG-hiring(at)proton.me — not a cover letter, just a paragraph — explaining a specific event you planned where something operationally broke down before the event and what you did about it. We are not looking for the story where everything went perfectly. We want to see how you think when it doesn’t.
Applications without that context will not be reviewed.
Thank you for taking the time reviewing this job post. We are looking forward to hearing from you.
THE HUGH GROMAN GROUP · Oakland, CA · hughroman.com
Full‑Service Catering · Greenleaf Drop‑Off · Lovely Day Events
#J-18808-Ljbffr