CLEVELAND — Week one of the 2021 NFL season starts this week. The Browns will start the year with an away game in Kansas City; home of the world's best barbecue and the 2020 Super Bowl Champions, the Kansas City Chiefs.
Fans may have wanted to start the new season with game one at home but another week with an empty stadium is welcome news for people running off-field operations at FirstEnergy.
When the Browns do return home to play the Texans on Sept. 19, the stadium may be at full capacity, but the workforce may not.
"We're always looking," said Director of Stadium Operations, Brad Mohr.
His entire job is to make sure there are enough people behind the scenes on games days. And this year, two weeks before the home opener, Mohr is looking for more help.
"We really want our workforce to reflect our fan base," he said.
A quick online search showed more than 70 positions open; everything from food prep to servers to supervisors. Some of these positions are part-time and seasonal but "we also have events year-round. We have weddings, holiday parties, corporate events," said Jessica Jacobson with Aramark.
She said there is a job fair at the stadium on Sept. 10. This opportunity for job seekers comes a week after the newest U.S. jobs report was released.
Numbers in the report were disappointing for experts and employers. The original prediction put the July gains near 725,000 jobs. But the report showed less than half that expectation was met. In the end, less than 300,000 jobs hit the books. Hospitality jobs, like the ones at the stadium, were flat.
That's not discouraging for Mohr or Jacobson who both said these jobs are vital for the fan experience.
"You name it, we do it," Mohr said. "We have events here almost every day of the year."
