Trent University is actively committed to creating a diverse and inclusive campus community and encourages applications from all qualified candidates. Trent University offers accommodation for applicants with disabilities in its recruitment processes. If you require accommodation during the recruitment process or require an accessible version of a document/publication, please contact humanresources@trentu.ca.
Job Purpose:
Reporting to the Associate Vice-President, Housing & Hospitality, the Director provides strategic leadership, operational oversight, and integrated management of contracted and self-operated dining, retail, catering, beverage and licensed services across the University’s campuses and properties.
The Director establishes multi-year priorities, service models, and financial strategies that advance student experience, food quality, affordability, inclusivity, sustainability, and financial performance. Operating within institutional priorities and enterprise risk frameworks, the Director ensures that major service contracts, franchises, and campus partnerships achieve established service and financial objectives and respond to the diverse needs of students, staff, faculty, and visitors.
The Director is accountable for contract and financial management, procurement, food safety and regulatory compliance, service models, risk management, stakeholder engagement, and continuous improvement, and leads significant service transformations, including the transition to an all-you-care-to-eat residential dining model. As a member of the Housing & Hospitality Services leadership team, the Director works closely divisional leaders to align service delivery, infrastructure planning, financial stewardship and the student and guest experience across the division.
Key Activities:
- Develop, implement and evaluate multi-year strategies, annual priorities, service models and operating plans for Hospitality Services in alignment with University and Housing & Hospitality Services priorities.
- Provide strategic and operational oversight of contracted and self-operated dining, retail, catering, beverage and licensed services across the University’s campuses and properties.
- Establish service standards and operating models that balance student experience, food quality, affordability, accessibility, inclusivity, sustainability, regulatory compliance and financial performance.
- Direct the University’s relationships with food service operators, franchisees, vendors and campus partners; establish contractual and service expectations, monitor performance and financial results, and address significant operational, compliance and service concerns.
- Develop and oversee operating budgets, financial forecasts, revenue and expenditure performance, contribution targets, and Hospitality Services requirements and funding recommendations for capital investment.
- Lead complex procurements, contract negotiations and renewals in collaboration with Procurement, Finance and Legal Counsel, including the development and evaluation of requests for proposals, commercial operating models and service agreements.
- Ensure compliance with food safety, public health, liquor licensing, occupational health and safety, accessibility, contractual and other legislative and regulatory requirements, and lead risk-management, emergency-response and business-continuity planning for Hospitality Services.
- Lead significant service transformations, including the transition to an all-you-care-to-eat residential dining model, with responsibility for service design, operator requirements, technology, operational planning, communications and operational readiness.
- Identify the operational, equipment and space requirements of Hospitality Services and collaborate with divisional leaders and institutional partners to establish priorities for maintenance, lifecycle renewal, renovations and capital investment.
- Collaborate with divisional leaders to align service delivery, infrastructure priorities, financial and administrative services, technology, communications, and the student and guest experience.
- Provide financial and human resources leadership for Hospitality Services, including supervising and developing direct and indirect reports, overseeing contracted operators and service providers.
- Engage stakeholders through the Food Services Advisory Committee and other mechanisms, and using operational, financial, and sector evidence to advance sustainability, continuous improvement, and informed investment.
Education Required:
- Master’s degree in business administration, hospitality management, food service management or a related discipline. A combination of relevant education and significant experience may be considered.
Certifications Required:
- Professional certification related to food services, hospitality, business or auxiliary services is considered an asset.
- Must hold, or be able to obtain and maintain, Smart Serve certification.
Experience/Qualifications Required:
- Eight (8) years of progressively responsible leadership experience in food services, hospitality, auxiliary services or a comparable complex service environment.
- Significant experience overseeing large-scale, hospitality operations delivered through a combination of contracted and self-operated models and managing complex operating and capital budgets, financial forecasting, revenue performance and contribution targets.
- Experience negotiating, implementing and managing major service contracts, commercial partnerships, franchises and competitive procurement processes.
- Experience leading operational change, service redesign, capital projects or the implementation of new hospitality and dining models is preferred.
- Comprehensive knowledge of food service best practices, food safety, public health, liquor licensing, occupational health and safety, accessibility, risk management and other regulatory requirements applicable to hospitality operations.
- Proven ability to establish strategic priorities, analyze complex financial and operational information, exercise sound judgment and make decisions within established institutional authorities and risk frameworks.
- Demonstrated leadership and people-management experience, including the ability to develop employees, lead through change and provide effective performance oversight to contracted service providers.
- Exceptional communication, consultation, negotiation, relationship-management and conflict-resolution skills, with the ability to balance diverse and potentially competing stakeholder interests.
- Experience working in a unionized and postsecondary environment is preferred.
- Demonstrated commitment to equity, diversity, inclusion and accessibility and the ability to apply these principles to service design, employment practices and stakeholder relationships.
- Knowledge of relevant legislation and university operations.
- An Ontario G Class driver's license with access to a vehicle.
- A satisfactory Criminal Record Check (“Police Record Check”), dated within the past six (6) months is required as a condition of employment.
Supervision:
- Directly supervises the Manager, Starbucks and the Event Coordinator, Liquor License & Pub Services whose position includes a 0.25 FTE functional assignment to Conference & Event Services.
- Provides indirect leadership to the Assistant Manager, Starbucks, and student employees working within self-operated retail and licensed services.
- Oversees contracted food services providers employing approximately 175 management, supervisory, and frontline employees across the Peterborough and Durham GTA campuses.
