Director: Dining Services

Director: Dining Services

Milledgeville - Milledgeville, GA 31061

Overview

Position Type Full Time Education Level 4 Year Degree

Description

The Director of Dining Services provides strategic leadership and executive oversight for all Georgia Military College dining operations, including residential dining, retail dining, catering, and auxiliary food service programs. This position is responsible for establishing organizational strategy, ensuring financial sustainability through active P&L management, developing operational systems and Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs), implementing Key Performance Indicators (KPIs), developing future leaders through succession planning, and fostering a culture of accountability, innovation, operational excellence, and exceptional customer service in support of the College's mission.

Primary Responsibilities:

• Strategic Leadership & Department Management Provides strategic direction for Dining Services by establishing departmental vision, goals, KPIs, operational standards, SOPs, and long-range initiatives. Leads organizational planning, drives continuous improvement, and ensures alignment with Auxiliary Services and institutional priorities.
• Financial Management & Business Performance Directs the financial performance of Dining Services through budget development, P&L management, labor optimization, food cost analysis, forecasting, revenue generation, inventory oversight, KPI reporting, and operational analytics to ensure fiscal sustainability.
• Leadership Development & Talent Management Builds a high-performing organization through recruitment, onboarding, coaching, performance management, succession planning, leadership development, employee engagement, and cross-training while fostering a culture of accountability and continuous learning.
• Operational Excellence & Compliance Develops, implements, and maintains departmental SOPs, operational workflows, food safety programs, quality assurance measures, purchasing procedures, inventory controls, vendor contracts, and regulatory compliance standards to ensure consistency and operational efficiency across all dining operations.
• Customer Experience, Innovation & Campus Partnerships Collaborates with campus departments to continuously improve the dining experience through assessment, customer feedback, retail growth, catering expansion, marketing initiatives, innovation, and data-driven decision making that enhances student satisfaction and auxiliary revenue.

*Criminal background check and drug screen must be cleared before any candidate may begin working.

Georgia Military College is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer.

Qualifications

Minimum Qualifications:

• Bachelor's degree in Hospitality Management, Business Administration, Food Service Management, Culinary Management, Hotel & Restaurant Management, or a closely related field.
• Five (5) years of progressively responsible leadership experience in dining services, hospitality, auxiliary services, institutional food service, or related operations.
• Experience supervising multiple levels of employees.
• Experience managing departmental budgets and financial performance.
• Experience implementing operational improvements and managing organizational change.
• Budget development and financial management
• Profit & Loss (P&L) statement analysis
• Key Performance Indicator (KPI) development and reporting
• Operational planning and execution
• Employee coaching and leadership development
• Succession planning
• Process improvement and workflow optimization
• SOP development and implementation
• Customer service leadership
• Excellent written and verbal communication
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills
• Microsoft Office Suite (Excel, Word, Outlook, PowerPoint)

Preferred Qualifications:

• Master's degree in Business Administration, Hospitality Management, Higher Education Administration, Public Administration, or related discipline
• Seven (7) or more years of senior leadership experience within higher education, military, healthcare, hospitality, or institutional dining.
• Experience managing retail dining, catering, and multiple dining locations.
• Experience with strategic planning, KPI development, SOP creation, succession planning, and continuous improvement initiatives.
• Food service management software
• Point-of-sale (POS) systems
• Inventory management software
• Scheduling and workforce management systems
• Data visualization and reporting platforms