Associate Director, Hospitality & Engagement

About the Opportunity JOB SUMMARY The Associate Director of Hospitality & Engagement is a senior leadership role responsible for overseeing guest experience, service analytics, catering operations, and financial planning within Campus Dining. This position requires a candidate who can operate at the intersection of hospitality management and data-driven strategy. Scope of Role : Budget Oversight: Manages a combined annual operating budget of approximately $56.9M, inclusive of $54M in Campus Dining Operations and $2.9M in Catering. Organizational Impact: While this role currently has no direct reports, it carries significant cross-functional influence across multiple dining units, catering teams, and campus partner departments. Future organizational growth may include direct supervisory responsibilities. MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS Bachelor's degree required in Hospitality Management, Business Administration, Food Service Management, or Data Analysis. Other relevant experience may be considered. Minimum 5 years of progressive leadership experience in large-scale hospitality, food service, or dining operations. Demonstrated financial acumen with experience managing multi-departmental operating budgets of $5M or greater, including forecasting, variance analysis, and cost controls. Ability to lead data analytics or guest feedback initiatives and translate findings into operational improvements. Strong interpersonal and communication skills with experience working across diverse stakeholder groups. Experience with catering operations, event management, and elevated dining programs preferred. KEY RESPONSIBILITIES & ACCOUNTABILITIES Sentiment Feedback & Guest Experience Program Manage and advance the Sentiment Feedback Program to continuously improve guest satisfaction across all campus service venues. This function operates at the intersection of data analytics, customer engagement, and operational strategy, and is currently supported by a dedicated Sentiment Feedback Program Specialist, co-op student, reporting to this role. A. Sentiment Analysis & Data Oversight Direct the monitoring and analysis of guest feedback across all channels, including online reviews, surveys, comment platforms, and customer support interactions. Oversee the use of sentiment analysis tools, AI, and large language models (LLMs) to assess overall guest sentiment, identify emerging trends, and surface key themes across service units. Ensure consistent application of data analysis best practices, including dashboard creation, automated reporting, and visualization tools such as Tableau, Google Analytics, and Excel. Establish quarterly benchmarks for guest satisfaction scores and present findings with actionable, data-informed recommendations. B. Feedback Management Oversee the collection, organization, and categorization of feedback data to ensure it is accessible, accurate, and actionable across the department. Collaborate with cross-functional teams — including unit managers, culinary leads, and campus partners — to ensure timely and thoughtful responses to guest feedback and service inquiries. Maintain data integrity and accuracy standards across all feedback systems and reporting outputs. C. Insights Generation & Reporting Extract actionable insights from guest feedback to drive improvements in dining products, service delivery, and overall campus experiences. Prepare and present regular reports summarizing sentiment analysis findings, trend analysis, and strategic recommendations for key stakeholders. Translate data-driven insights into concrete operational and programming adjustments across campus service venues. D. Guest & Community Engagement Lead proactive guest engagement efforts, including the design and deployment of surveys, focus groups, and other feedback mechanisms to gather meaningful input from students, faculty, and the broader campus community. Oversee in-person tabling and engagement initiatives that connect directly with the student community to gather real-time feedback and foster positive relationships. Ensure that guest interactions reflect a high standard of empathy, professionalism, and responsiveness in alignment with campus service hospitality values. E. Continuous Improvement Partner with the marketing and communications team to refine promotions, campaigns, and messaging based on sentiment trends and guest behavior insights. Continuously evaluate and optimize the Sentiment Feedback Program itself, incorporating new tools, methodologies, and best practices as they emerge. Goal: Achieve and sustain a guest satisfaction rating of 75% or above across all dining units, with measurable year-over-year improvement driven by data-informed action. Catering Operations Oversight Oversee all aspects of Campus Dining's catering operations, ensuring quality, profitability, and strong client relationships. Responsibilities include: Provide strategic and operational leadership for the catering department, managing an annual budget of $2.9M. Ensure consistent execution of events ranging from departmental meetings to large-scale university events and ceremonies. Serve as the primary escalation point for client relations, resolving issues and identifying opportunities to grow catering revenue. Cross-Divisional Engagement & Campus Partnerships Lead cross-divisional engagement efforts to strengthen Campus Dining's role as a collaborative campus partner. Responsibilities include: Build and maintain relationships with key university stakeholders including Student Affairs, Facilities, Athletics, Academic Departments, and Residence Life. Represent Campus Dining in university-wide planning initiatives, committees, and sustainability efforts. Identify opportunities to integrate dining services into broader campus programming, events, and student success initiatives. Serve as a Campus Dining ambassador at university events, orientations, and community en