Senior Director, Yale Hospitality
Reporting to the Associate Vice President for Hospitality, the Senior Director of Yale Hospitality (Residential Dining)provides strategic and operational leadership for Yale’s renowned Residential Dining program, encompassing 14 residential colleges and associated operations that collectively serve more than 12,000 meals daily. As a cornerstone of the residential life experience, this role ensures an exceptional, inclusive, and mission-aligned dining program that enhances student life, fosters community, and reflects the academic and cultural values of Yale University.
The Senior Director leads a talented management team to drive operational excellence, financial stewardship, and workforce engagement within a complex, highly unionized environment. Key priorities include advancing long-term strategic goals, optimizing budget performance, and cultivating a collaborative and high-performing culture dedicated to continual enhancement of culinary offerings, service quality, and workplace morale.
In close partnership with senior university leadership-including the Yale College Dean’s Office, Heads of College, student leaders, and campus partners-the Senior Director plays a central role in stakeholder engagement and change management. The position also collaborates across Yale Hospitality and university divisions such as Finance, Culinary, HR, IT, and Operational Effectiveness to ensure seamless service delivery, data-driven decision making, and alignment with institutional priorities.
As a member of the Yale Hospitality Senior Leadership Team, this role contributes to strategic initiatives that elevate the residential dining experience, strengthen financial and operational sustainability, and reinforce the university’s commitment to innovation, authenticity, and community. The Senior Director oversees approximately three managing directors who, in turn, lead multi-tiered teams comprising up to 40 managerial and professional staff and 250 union employees.
Serving as an institutional partner across Yale Hospitality and campus leadership, this role advances operational performance, service delivery, and sustainability while fostering engagement and alignment with Yale’s mission and values.
Leadership and Strategic Responsibilities:
Strategic and Operational Leadership
- Provide vision and executive leadership for Yale’s Residential Dining program, ensuring alignment with university priorities and Yale Hospitality’s mission.
- Develop and implement operational strategies that advance food quality, service delivery, student satisfaction, and sustainability across all dining halls.
- Lead performance management and continuous improvement initiatives to strengthen operational outcomes, fiscal accountability, and compliance with health, safety, and sustainability standards.
- Partner with Facilities, Capital Projects, and Planning teams to inform long-range infrastructure investments and guide dining-related capital roadmaps.
- Inspire and motivate multi-layered teams through clear communication of organizational vision, values, and expectations.
Financial and Resource Stewardship
- Oversee a large, complex operating budget, ensuring responsible financial management and cost-effective operations while maintaining exceptional quality and service standards.
- Partner with Finance and Procurement to optimize forecasting, budgeting, and cost-control processes through data analytics and performance insights.
- Identify opportunities for innovation, menu enhancement, and strategic partnerships that support financial sustainability and student value.
People and Culture Leadership
- Lead and develop a diverse, unionized workforce, fostering a culture of inclusion, accountability, and engagement.
- Collaborate with Labor Relations and Human Resources to strengthen training, professional growth, and workforce development initiatives.
- Model Yale’s leadership values through transparent communication, recognition, and empowerment of staff at all levels.
Collaboration and Stakeholder Engagement
- Serve as the principal liaison to Heads of Colleges, Deans, and student organizations, ensuring residential dining supports academic, cultural, and community objectives.
- Partner with Finance, Facilities, Procurement, Human Resources, and Communications to align strategic goals and operational practices across the Residential Dining portfolio.
- Build and maintain productive relationships with Local 35 leadership and key university stakeholders to support a collaborative, solutions-oriented environment.
- Engage with students and student organizations to gather feedback and co-create inclusive dining experiences that enhance campus life.
Innovation and Strategic Planning
- Champion innovation in culinary programming, technology, and service models to enhance efficiency and the residential experience.
- Lead and contribute to master planning and capital project initiatives that support facility renewal, modernization, and long-term service design.
- Monitor and integrate national and global best practices to ensure Yale’s continued leadership in collegiate dining.
Culture and Organizational Development
- Foster a workplace culture grounded in Yale Hospitality’s priorities: communication, recognition/appreciation, training and development, and morale.
- Demonstrate proactive leadership and collaboration that promote shared accountability, adaptability, and service excellence across all operations while embracing our values:
- Integrity: "We do the right thing."
- Welcoming: "We say ‘nice to see you.’ "
- Inclusive: "We are radically collaborative."
- Open: "We ask ‘What do you think?’ "
- Compassionate: "We ask ‘how are you?’ "
- Knowledgeable: "We stay hungry!"
Preferred Qualifications
- Education: Bachelor’s degree in hospitality management, Business Administration, or a related field required; or an equivalent combination of education and experience, MBA Preferred.
- Experience: Minimum of 10 years of progressive leadership in large-scale, high-volume dining or hospitality operations-ideally within a university or comparably complex organization.
- Operational Leadership: Proven success managing multi-unit operations, budgets exceeding $20M, and large, unionized workforces.
- Technical Expertise: Deep knowledge of food service management principles, including menu planning, meal plan design and analytics, financial modeling, cost control, and compliance with food safety and health regulations.
- Financial Acumen: Demonstrated ability to analyze and interpret financial statements, develop data-driven solutions, and apply advanced technical skills to optimize cost efficiency and operational performance.
- Leadership and People Management: Extensive experience leading diverse, multi-layered teams, fostering engagement, accountability, and a culture of collaboration and inclusion.
- Communication and Influence: Exceptional written, verbal, and presentation skills with the ability to engage effectively with a wide range of stakeholders, including senior leadership, faculty, and students.
- Strategic and Analytical Thinking: Strong capacity to translate institutional strategy into operational results, balancing long-term vision with day-to-day performance excellence.
- Values and Stewardship: Demonstrated commitment to sustainability, equity, inclusion, and continuous improvement as guiding principles in hospitality operations.Position requires a varied work schedule, including availability on nights and weekends as needed.
Required Skills and Abilities
- Proven record in supporting organizational change and transition.
- Proven record of accomplishment in operations, strategic planning and relationship development.
- Well-developed managerial, leadership, analytical, financial, computer and team-building skills.
- Well-developed skills in organizing, developing resources, analyzing and solving problems, establishing priorities and making evaluative judgments.
- Excellent written, interpersonal and communication skills, ability to lead, train and motivate staff, ability to work effectively with a wide range of constituencies in a diverse community.
Principal Responsibilities
- Participates in developing and executing a strategic plan that creates best in class operations, drives increased customer satisfaction and meets financial targets.
- Oversees and manages the work of the executive chef, management and culinary staff; complies with safe food handling, equipment safety guidelines and sanitation standards.
- Assures that all standard operating procedures for revenue and cost control are in place and consistently utilized.
- Creates and maintains standards of excellence; supports the training and certification processes needed to maintain standards of performance and/or ready the organization for advanced levels of service.
- Oversees and manages the food/inventory system for recipe development, creating cycle menus, forecasting production quantities, inventory levels, purchasing and cost.
- Develops an operating budget for each of the department’s revenue outlets; monitors and takes corrective action as necessary to ensure that budget goals are attained.
- Researches new products and develops an analysis of the cost/profit benefits.
- Assures that effective orientation and training for new staff and professional development activities for experienced staff are planned and implemented.
- Inspects to ensure that all safety, sanitation, energy management, preventive maintenance and other standards are consistently met.
- Helps plan and approves external and internal marketing and sales promotion activities for the food and beverage department.
- Works collaboratively with union representatives and Human Resources to address employee matters.
- Approves the menus proposed by the Executive Chef for all outlets and special events.
- Ensures that all legal requirements are consistently adhered to including federal, state and/or local laws pertaining to alcoholic beverages and food safety and sanitation.
- Helps develop wine lists and develops controls and procedures to serve alcoholic beverages for specific functions.
- Assists in planning and implementing procedures for special events and banquet functions.
- Responsible for material management and building logistics.
- May perform others duties as assigned.
Required Education and Experience
Bachelor’s degree in a related field and eight years of related experience or an equivalent combination of education and related experience.
Required License(s) or Certification(s)
Must hold a valid driver’s license.
Physical Requirements
Sustained standing; frequent bending. Move, lift and carry supplies, equipment, and materials weighing up to 25 pounds without assistance from floor to waist height and 20 pounds to shoulder height. Carry supplies up or down stairs if necessary. Work in confined areas with wide temperature variations. Lift items above shoulder height. May be required to travel to and from units and/or events.
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