Director, Food and Beverage Operations and Experiences

Private Destinations•Fort Lauderdale, FL

15d•Hybrid

About The Position

The Director, Food & Beverage Operations and Experiences translates enterprise food and beverage strategy into fleet-wide operating standards, commercial initiatives, guest experiences, and measurable execution across shoreside and shipboard operations. The role provides end-to-end governance for assigned F&B programs, including operations, revenue growth, financial performance, product innovation, public health and compliance, technology-enabled transformation, talent capability, and newbuild and dry dock deployment. The Director works across a broad network of functions, sets priorities, allocates resources within delegated authority, resolves complex cross-functional issues, and delivers executive-ready recommendations and outcomes. This role has global, fleet-wide accountability for assigned food and beverage programs. It leads resolution of ambiguous enterprise-scale issues, directly influences revenue, profitability, guest satisfaction, operating standards, compliance, capital deployment, and organizational capability, and provides senior leadership to direct reports and a wider matrix of shoreside and shipboard teams. The position is classified as in-office. Employees work from a designated Princess office Monday through Thursday and may work from home on Fridays. Travel is 25–50%, with shipboard travel likely. Work beyond normal business hours or on weekends may occasionally be required. The role requires regular movement throughout company facilities; shipboard reviews require stairs and extended standing or walking.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree in Hospitality Management, Hotel/Restaurant Management, Business Administration, or a related field, or an equivalent combination of education and progressive relevant experience.
Obtain and maintain relevant food safety, sanitation, responsible alcohol service, and public health certifications where required.
Extensive progressive leadership experience in complex, high-volume food and beverage operations within cruise, hospitality, resort, hotel, or multi-unit environments.
Demonstrated experience setting enterprise or fleet-wide standards and strategy; leading senior operational teams and leaders; owning significant operating and capital planning; delivering revenue growth and cost productivity; governing public health and compliance; and leading complex cross-functional transformation, technology, newbuild, dry dock, refurbishment, or large-scale deployment programs.
Proven ability to influence executive stakeholders and globally distributed teams.
Comprehensive knowledge of high-volume food and beverage operations, culinary, restaurant and beverage service, specialty dining, stewarding, revenue generation, cost control, public health, responsible alcohol service, quality systems, and global hospitality operations.
Understanding of workplace policies and procedures and familiarity with team collaboration tools and techniques.
Skills in enterprise strategy execution, commercial and financial acumen, portfolio governance, executive communication, stakeholder influence, talent leadership, change management, business-case development, data interpretation, and technology sponsorship.
Strong time management and organizational skills.
Ability to set direction through ambiguity, make sound decisions with material business implications, influence globally distributed teams, and balance short- and long-term priorities.
Ability to collaborate effectively, meet deadlines, maintain reliable and consistent attendance, and demonstrate professionalism.

Nice To Haves

Master's degree.
Cruise and international operating experience.

Responsibilities

Translate enterprise strategy into fleet-wide standards and operating plans across food, beverage, specialty dining, restaurant operations, stewarding, and service delivery.
Own the integrated operating cadence, performance reviews, corrective actions, and consistent execution across ships while allowing appropriate itinerary, market, and ship-class adaptation.
Develop strategies and business cases to increase pre-cruise and onboard F&B revenue, yield, participation, and profitability.
Direct annual planning, forecasts, operating expense and capital priorities, benefits tracking, resource trade-offs, and cost productivity actions in partnership with relevant teams.
Set the portfolio roadmap for differentiated dining, beverage, and premium experiences.
Sponsor concept development, technology-enabled process change, newbuilds, dry docks, refurbishments, and fleet-wide rollouts, including readiness, training, supply chain, communications, stabilization, and post-implementation review.
Establish governance embedding food safety, sanitation, responsible alcohol service, audit readiness, and applicable public health requirements into operating standards.
Direct cross-functional risk assessment, corrective-action closure, escalation, and sustainable control improvements.
Lead and develop shoreside and shipboard F&B leadership capability through organization design input, succession planning, talent calibration, coaching, and performance routines.
Represent the Vice President in designated forums and drive decisions, accountabilities, milestones, and escalations across a global stakeholder network.
Set priorities, clarify decision rights, allocate resources within approved authority, coach leaders, build succession capability, and represent F&B in executive and enterprise forums.
Maintain reliable and consistent attendance, meet deadlines, collaborate effectively, and demonstrate professionalism in interactions and tasks.