Corporate Director, F&B Development

Proper Hospitality Careers•Santa Monica, CA

5d•Hybrid

About The Position

Proper Hospitality is seeking a Corporate Director, F&B Development to lead the concepting, design development, technical planning, and commercial structuring of food and beverage experiences across our growing portfolio of hotels, resorts, residences, and clubs. Reporting to the Chief Operating Officer, this role will translate ambitious F&B concepts into thoughtfully designed, financially sound, and operationally executable businesses. The Corporate Director, F&B Development will concept and reconcept F&B across the portfolio, carry those concepts through design and technical development to approved plans and specified equipment, and shape partner deals so that what gets signed can actually be operated. The seat carries no operating P&L on purpose, which is what allows it to underwrite partner economics independently of the team that will run the outlet.

Requirements

Eight or more years across F&B concept development and hotel or restaurant operations, with real operating time.
Has opened multiple F&B outlets from concept through opening, including at least two ground up or full renovation projects.
Has managed kitchen consultants and OS&E consultants directly, and can hold them accountable to a program.
Reads and redlines architectural, kitchen, and MEP drawings competently.
Working knowledge of commercial kitchen and bar equipment, utility requirements, and health department and code requirements across multiple jurisdictions.
Has run an F&B equipment and OS&E budget through specification, buyout, and installation.
Has negotiated or structured operator, licensing, or management agreements, and can defend a pro forma line by line.
Comfortable being the only person in the room arguing against a deal that is popular.

Nice To Haves

Pure agency or pure design backgrounds do not fit this seat.

Responsibilities

Concept and reconcept F&B across the portfolio.
Carry concepts through design and technical development to approved plans and specified equipment.
Shape partner deals so that what gets signed can actually be operated.
Develop F&B concepts for new properties and new outlets.
Reconcept underperforming existing outlets, including positioning, format, service model, and daypart strategy.
Build the concept narrative and positioning that carries through design, brand, and PR.
Work closely with the VP of Design on layout, kitchen and bar design, back of house adjacency, and buildout.
Serve as the F&B point of contact for the kitchen consultant, OS&E consultant, and specialty consultants.
Translate concept and service model into the operating requirements consultants design against.
Review and comment on kitchen and bar drawings at each milestone, and hold consultants to the operating program.
Own the F&B design intent through plan approval.
Drive F&B equipment specification with the kitchen consultant.
Review and approve F&B OS&E specifications and quantities against the concept and cover assumptions.
Validate specification against the F&B equipment and OS&E budget, and flag variance early.
Coordinate with the purchasing agent and procurement on F&B packages.
Verify installed equipment against specification at turnover, and log punch items.
Lead F&B plan review at each design milestone.
Build the operating assumptions behind each concept.
Deliver F&B pre opening design and technical workstreams through plan approval and equipment turnover, then hand to Openings and Transitions.
Shape partner operator and licensing structures.
Build and stress test pro formas, including a Proper operated counterfactual on every partner deal.
Present recommendations with the operating case and the risk case stated separately.