Director of Residential Dining Operations

About the Role

Harvard University Dining Services (HUDS) seeks a leader with a genuine passion for hospitality and a commitment to a diverse, delicious, nutritious, and sustainable program around which community at this world-renowned institution can be forged. Reporting to the Managing Director for Dining Services, the Director for Residential Dining oversees the operational activities of 13 residential dining units and a kosher dining hall. This position is a member of the HUDS Senior Leadership Team. Collectively, the department provides meals for 7,000 undergraduate, residential students in addition to vital members of the community such as Tutors, Faculty Deans, Alumni, and guests of the University. Residential Dining has an annual operating budget of more than $40 million and employs more than 300 unionized staff plus approximately 40 managers.

Responsibilities

• Strategic Planning: Develop a strategic and proactive approach to programming and services that advances the mission of the College, including visionary leadership that manages extensive student feedback with broader House Life goals. Shape a program that is innovative, on trend, customer driven and responsive. Engage the community in daily and broader-reaching dialogue about the meal plan experience. Utilize customer feedback and survey data to develop action plans and motivate teams to continuously improve. Connect with student leaders and affinity groups to ensure an inclusive program. Coordinate closely with the Dean of Students Office. Participate in the HUDS Senior Leadership Team as a colleague and collaborator.
• Operational Management: Lead a professional service team in the management, preparation, and delivery of approximately 18,000 meals per day in compliance with all food and occupational safety regulations and customer service expectations. Provide tactical oversight for 13 undergraduate dining halls, a summer school program, and a kosher dining service. Provide strong operations and financial oversight, including compiling annual budgets, capital and facilities renewal budgets, and long-range planning. Ensure high standards are met via the implementation of all quality assurance policies. Oversee systems that manage key expense categories (food, labor, revenue, safety, and sanitation). Develop and maintain positive relationships with internal and external stakeholders. Ensure the physical plant is well run and in good repair. Implement and manage strategic sustainability goals. Ensure all reporting and record-keeping is completed per university standards. Encourages creative approaches to improved financial viability including cost reduction initiatives.
• Campus Partners and Key Resource Relationship and Engagement: Build strong relationships with key campus partners and stakeholders at FAS, The College, and within campus. Ensure HUDS delivers a high-quality, financially viable, valuable service to clients. Maintain strong and multi-tiered communications pathways between HUDS and The College partners. Act as a senior escalation point for key issues where required.
• Employee and Labor Management: Recruit and provide leadership and direction to a diverse team. Develop and maintain a positive and collaborative working environment that promotes open communication, consistency, fairness, and opportunities for continuous learning. Develop and maintain positive, professional relationships with all team members via regular meetings, two-way communication, timely feedback, collaboration, mentoring, training, and consistent visibility. Hire and develop candidates to shape a diverse, inclusive team. Ensure performance expectations and work rules are clearly communicated. Conduct direct reports' annual performance evaluations. In consultation with Human Resources, imposes corrective action measures as needed. Ensure employment practices are compliant with the current Collective Bargaining Agreement and all University personnel policy. Participate in grievance hearings, arbitrations, contract negotiations and labor-related committees. Assist with the development and implementation of new policies, procedures and training.
• Financial Planning and Management: Ensure financial viability through active development and management of budgets based on realistic goals. Accountable for financial management including developing and managing the annual operational budget which includes establishing food and labor cost goals. Provides support to Department management team with the development of unit-specific operating budgets. Works in collaboration with HUDS Senior Management Team to develop annual capital budget. Ensure all reporting and record-keeping is completed per university standards. Encourages creative approaches to improved financial viability including cost reduction initiatives.
• Safety, Sanitation and Facilities: Facilitate the prompt and efficient care for health, safety, sanitation, and operational concerns, working in coordination with campus resources and supported by the Director for Facilities and Operations. Routinely review standard operating procedures, regulations, and reports and immediately prioritize and take a leadership position on addressing areas including: Fleet management, Food safety, Workplace safety, and Infrastructure issues such as equipment repairs.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree or equivalent work experience required
• Minimum of 10 years' relevant work experience
• Supervisory experience
• Degree in Hospitality Management, Culinary Arts or related field preferred
• Minimum of 10 years' senior leadership experience in a major collegiate food service or corporate environment including responsibility for residential dining programs, preferred
• Strong record of exceptional business acumen including strategic planning, financial and human resource management, budget development and management
• Outstanding communication skills including interpersonal communication, writing, public speaking and presenting, teaching and instruction
• Exceptional customer service skills
• Highly skilled at addressing complex situations and negotiating successful outcomes with a diverse group of stakeholders
• Experience managing in a unionized environment and general knowledge of labor relations practices
• Extensive knowledge of current food trends
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office applications
• Operational experience with a variety of food service applications and computerized menu management systems
• Ability to learn and adapt to new systems and applications as needed
• Ability to become ServSafe Certified within six months of employment
• Ability to work nights, weekends and holidays as needed

Working Conditions & Physical Requirements

• Ability to work evenings, weekends and holidays as needed
• Subject to wet floors, temperature extremes, and excessive noise
• Standing and walking for significant amounts of time is necessary
• Light to medium work. Exerting up to 25 pounds of lifting force occasionally and/or a negligible amount of force constantly to move objects
• Position frequently involves long hours and widely diverse duties
• Must be able to bend, stoop and perform regular walking and standing

Additional Information

Work Format Details: This position has been determined by school or unit leaders that all duties and responsibilities must be performed at a Harvard or Harvard-designated location. Certain visa types may limit work location. Individuals must meet work location sponsorship requirements prior to employment.

Pre-Employment Screening: Identity, Education, Criminal, Motor Vehicle Record, Drug Test, CORI, References

Visa Sponsorship Information: Harvard University is unable to provide visa sponsorship for this position.

This response is AI-generated, for reference only.