Senior Manager, Front Desk Operations

The Cal Alumni Association (CAA) provides all Cal graduates with rewarding connections to the university, to fellow alums, and to current students. Founded by the original graduates of the University of California in 1872, the Cal Alumni Association today represents more than half a million alums living throughout the world. Our mission is to cultivate a lifelong relationship with our alma mater by connecting and inspiring alums, students, and the campus community through meaningful and inclusive opportunities.

We foster a culture that celebrates diversity, creates a sense of belonging, and advances equity.   Senior Manager, Front Desk Operations Department: Facilities Operations Reports To: Senior Director of Facilities Operations Classification: Full-Time, Exempt Location: Alumni House, UC Berkeley Campus   Position Summary The Senior Manager, Front Desk Operations is a vital professional leadership role responsible for establishing, cultivating, and maintaining an elite customer service ecosystem at the California Alumni Association (CAA).

Reporting directly to the Senior Director of Facilities Operations, this role serves as the premier authority on front-of-house hospitality, workspace operational efficiency, and cross-functional operational alignment. A primary focus of this role is the creation, delivery, and continuous evaluation of a comprehensive hospitality training framework that spans across multiple professional levels including permanent operational staff, contractors, temporary employees, and undergraduate student workers.

The Senior Manager acts as a strategic process driver: designing Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs), spearheading campus and inter-organizational communication pipelines, optimizing and administrating front desk supply budgets, and partnering directly with CAA Engagement Teams and UC Berkeley administrators to deliver high-level visitor experiences. Core Responsibilities Hospitality Strategy & Front-of-House Training Excellence (45%) Hospitality Framework Design: Build, launch, and refine a standardized advanced hospitality program rooted in modern concierge standards, to ensure elite service delivery for visiting alumni, donors, dignitaries, and university administrators.

Comprehensive Workforce Onboarding: Author and deliver a mandatory hospitality and service-excellence training curriculum tailored to various user levels, ensuring consistent execution across permanent staff, temporary workforce additions, and student support teams. Guide the employee onboarding and institutional onboarding process for new hires at various levels. Performance Auditing & Coaching: Establish service milestones, execute regular service evaluations, and provide targeted coaching to front desk staff to maintain maximum customer satisfaction and professional presence.

Desk Management & Resource Workflows: Direct the strategic master schedule for front-of-house student and employee coverage, structuring smooth shift transitions, policy adherence, and proper handover routines across all employee groups. SOP Engineering, Emergency Communication & Risk Readiness (25%) Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs): Research, draft, and issue modernized front-of-house operational manuals included but not limited to; facility operational sequences, access control, guest reception mechanics, and technical incident reporting.

Emergency Communication & Crisis Command: Serve as the front-of-house emergency coordinator. Maintain direct, active linkage with the UC Berkeley Police Department (UCPD), Environmental Health & Safety (EH&S), and university safety officials to develop and deploy real-time building evacuation and emergency communication pipelines. Facilities Operations Monitoring: Continually assess the spatial environment of the lobby, reception corridors, and adjacent shared public spaces to preserve aesthetic upkeep, security compliance, and CAA quality brand alignment.

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