Director of Residential Dining Operations

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Why join Harvard University Central Administration?

Harvard University's Central Administration (CADM) is a 5,000+ employee organization that supports the university's overall excellence by understanding and serving the needs of its schools, students, faculty, staff, alumni, and surrounding communities. Through dynamic and collaborative partnerships, CADM provides high-quality and efficient services to the schools to help them achieve their goals.

A world class University sets the table for living and learning engagement by providing a hospitality experience that fosters community, prioritizes health, cultural connection and religious sensitivity, challenges food systems convention, and relentlessly innovates.

With a holistic view of welcoming and service, the Director of Residential Dining will shape and guide the Harvard University Dining Services residential dining team in delivering an inclusive, delicious, warm, and friendly experience for students and community members. This individual will be a strategic leader, with excellent interpersonal and communication skills, creating a bridge between daily operational activities and longer-range strategic plans.

Harvard University Dining Services’ (HUDS) Residential Dining program, central to Harvard’s House Life and the hub for community building, literally sets the table for the kinds of connections that uniquely happen over a shared meal. Undergraduate dining halls serve as a student’s home kitchen, where they experience personalized hospitality and familiarity to support their individual needs. Beyond simple foodservice, HUDS undergraduate dining halls are spaces for student and faculty engagement and advocacy, celebrating diversity and inclusion through shared food experiences, and developing solutions to global food systems challenges through real-world applications.

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 Harvard University Dining Services (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 and 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.

Job-Specific Responsibilities:

Strategic Planning

Working with key partners at HUDS and Harvard College, develop a strategic and proactive approach to programming and services that advances the mission of the College. This includes visionary leadership that manages extensive student feedback with broader House Life goals to create a program that strategically supports the community while managing program resources for efficiency and effectiveness.

• 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.
• Set a team standard for thoughtful, efficient, and caring responsiveness to students and staff.
• Connect with student leaders and affinity groups to ensure an inclusive program.
• Coordinate closely with the Dean of Students Office and be responsive, accessible, proactive, and informative.
• Participate in the HUDS Senior Leadership Team as a colleague and collaborator, working to creatively and collectively share and resolve issues and craft solutions that support the entire department.

Operational Management

Lead a professional service team in the overall management, preparation, and delivery of approximately 18,000 meals per day in full 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 consistently met via the implementation of all HUDS and University quality assurance policies and procedures related to food, sanitation, equipment and facility maintenance and management, safety, etc.   
• Oversee systems and processes that manage key expense categories (food, labor, revenue, safety, and sanitation).
• Develop and maintain positive and professional relationships with internal and external University stakeholders. 
• Ensure that the physical plant is well run and in good repair, and that services are right sized to meet community needs. 
• Implement and manage strategic sustainability goals. 
• Ensure all reporting is completed per university standards and all record-keeping is maintained in accordance with University policy.
• Encourages creative approaches to improved financial viability including cost reduction initiatives and other related efforts. 

Campus Partners and Key Resource Relationship and Engagement

HUDS Residential dining program is developed in service of The College and Faculty of Arts and Sciences (FAS) with a primary focus on undergraduate student experience. 

• 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 tired communications pathway 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 while achieving the vision and mission of HUDS and the University.

• Develop and maintain positive, professional relationships with all team members via regular meetings, two-way communication, timely feedback, collaboration, mentoring, training, and consistent visibility in the work unit.
• Hire and develop candidates to shape a diverse, inclusive team with opportunities for growth and advancement.
• Ensure performance expectations and work rules are clearly communicated and implemented via regular coaching and mentoring. Conduct direct reports’ annual performance evaluations and ensure annual performance management process is completed for the Department.  In consultation with Human Resources, imposes corrective action measures as needed.
• In collaboration with Human Resources and Labor & Employee Relations, ensure employment practices are compliant with the current Collective Bargaining Agreement and all University personnel policy and procedures.
• 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 of Residential Operations through active development and management of budgets based on realistic goals tailored appropriately to changing financial conditionals both within and beyond the University.

• Accountable for financial management of the Department including developing and managing the annual operational budget which includes but is not limited to 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 is completed per university standards and all record-keeping is maintained in accordance with University policy.
• Encourages creative approaches to improved financial viability including cost reduction initiatives and other related efforts.

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, but not limited to:

• Fleet management
• Food safety
• Workplace safety
• Infrastructure issues such as equipment repairs

Working Conditions:

• 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

Physical Requirements:

Light to medium work. Exerting up to 25 pounds of lifting force occasionally and/or a negligible amount of force constantly to move objects. Subject to wet floors, temperature extremes, and excessive noise. Position frequently involves long hours and widely diverse duties. Must be able to bend, stoop and perform regular walking and standing.  

Basic Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent work experience required
• Minimum of 10 years’ relevant work experience
• Supervisory experience

Additional Qualifications and Skills:

• 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, but not limited to strategic planning, financial and human resource management, budget development and management, etc.
• 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.

Standard Hours/Schedule: 40 hours per week

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

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

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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.

Salary Grade and Ranges

This position is salary grade level 060. Please visit  Harvard's Salary Ranges  to view the corresponding salary range and related information. 

Benefits

Harvard offers a comprehensive benefits package that is designed to support a healthy work-life balance and your physical, mental and financial wellbeing. Because here, you are what matters. Our benefits include, but are not limited to: 

• Generous paid time off including parental leave 
• Medical, dental, and vision health insurance coverage starting on day one 
• Retirement plans with university contributions 
• Wellbeing and mental health resources 
• Support for families and caregivers 
• Professional development opportunities including tuition assistance and reimbursement 
• Commuter benefits, discounts and campus perks 

Learn more about these and additional benefits on our Benefits & Wellbeing Page. 

EEO/Non-Discrimination Commitment Statement

Harvard University is committed to equal opportunity and non-discrimination. We seek talent from all parts of society and the world, and we strive to ensure everyone at Harvard thrives. Our differences help our community advance Harvard's academic purposes.

Harvard has an equal employment opportunity policy that outlines our commitment to prohibiting discrimination on the basis of race, ethnicity, color, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, veteran status, religion, disability, or any other characteristic protected by law or identified in the university's non-discrimination policy. Harvard's equal employment opportunity policy and non-discrimination policy help all community members participate fully in work and campus life free from harassment and discrimination.