Assistant Director for Dining Operations and Services

About the role

The Assistant Director of Operations & Services plays a key leadership role in supporting the daily operations, communications, and guest-facing programs of University of Chicago Dining. This position provides cross-functional oversight of nutrition and wellness programs, marketing coordination, sustainability initiatives, and quality assurance to ensure a consistent, inclusive, and student-centered dining experience across campus.

Responsibilities

• Serve as the primary relationship manager for campus partners including Housing & Residence Life, Student Wellness, Student Disability Services, Athletics, UChicago Grad, academic groups, and other campus cohorts, to help maintain and build university-wide support for dining on campus.
• Lead marketing coordination and student engagement initiatives in partnerships with campus and vendor marketing teams.
• Oversee the Campus Dining Advisory Board (CDAB) meetings and participate in other student feedback forums to gather insights and drive continuous improvement.
• Aid in providing strategic direction for retail dining on campus, including concept development, menu creation, and sales analysis.
• Work in close partnership with the Campus Dietitian to support dietary accommodations, allergen management, wellness initiatives, and nutrition-related programming.
• Lead the dining team during Orientation Week including planning, logistics, communication and coordinating all major receptions, cultural programming, and high-profile campus events.
• Assist the Associate Director in ensuring that the dining vendor participates in and supports all University diversity, social justice, and sustainability initiatives.
• Support sustainability, food waste diversion, and educational initiatives in collaboration with campus partners and contract vendors.
• Support dietetic internship partnerships with participating universities.
• Stay informed and current on new concepts, practices, and trends in food service technology as they relate to institutions of higher education.
• Coordinate with the vendor in maintaining all certification for Kosher, Halal, and Gluten Free options.
• Visit dining locations daily, and perform spot checks on service, contract compliance, food quality, labeling, and practices.
• Use in-depth knowledge and experience to administer the delivery of services to program participants and/or beneficiaries such as communicating with programs sponsors and academic advising for undergraduate students.
• Develop and communicate program priorities and performance standards and assess operations using these criteria.
• Plan and conduct quality assurance reviews and recommend changes as appropriate.
• Perform other related work as needed.

Requirements

Education: Minimum Qualifications - A college or university degree in related field. Work Experience: Minimum requirements include knowledge and skills developed through 5-7 years of work experience in a related job discipline.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree with a focus on Hospitality Management, Food Service Management, Public Administration, Business Administration, Communication, Dietetics or a closely related field.
• 5–7 years of progressive experience in hospitality, dining services, or large-scale food service operations, with at least 2 years in a lead/supervisory capacity (e.g., managing programs, people, or cross-functional initiatives).
• Demonstrated experience coordinating multi-site operations.
• Proficiency with Windows based computers, including the Microsoft Office Suite (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Publisher, and Outlook).
• Exposure to sustainability initiatives (food waste diversion, composting, responsible sourcing) and continuous improvement frameworks.
• Prior proven ability to lead departmental communications.
• ServSafe® certified (current).
• Certified Foodservice Manager (City of Chicago).
• Valid Driver’s License.

Skills

• Experience managing multi-site operations using checklists, SOPs, and performance metrics across diverse dining venues.
• Comfort with survey tools and feedback systems (e.g., Qualtrics/Google Forms) to synthesize student, parent, and partner input for continuous improvement.
• Familiarity with Kosher/Halal certification processes and gluten-free/special diet best practices; able to coordinate with credentialing partners.
• Proficient with project management and collaboration platforms (e.g., Teams, SharePoint, Asana/Trello) for tracking initiatives, timelines, etc.

Preferred Competencies

• Ability to craft clear, empathetic messages for student-facing updates and executive-level briefs; navigates sensitive issues calmly.
• Prioritize accessibility, inclusivity, and responsiveness in daily operations and program design.
• Use feedback and analytics to iterate programs, enhance service outcomes, and steward contract commitments.
• Ability to handle fast-paced demands, escalations, and operational disruptions with calm, structured solutions.
• Demonstrate knowledge of proficient customer service skills.
• Excellent multi-tasking skills.
• Excellent oral and written communication skills.
• Excellent organizing skills, detail oriented, focused, and proficient in time management.
• Ability to work independently with a high degree of initiative, yet a team player.