Director, Food and Beverage Operations and Experiences
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. Working with a broad range of shoreside and shipboard functions, the Director sets priorities, allocates resources within delegated authority, resolves complex cross-functional issues, and delivers executive-ready recommendations and outcomes. The position has global, fleet-wide accountability for assigned food and beverage programs and directly influences revenue, profitability, guest satisfaction, operating standards, compliance, capital deployment, and organizational capability. This is an in-office role requiring work from a designated Princess office Monday through Thursday each week; employees 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. Shipboard reviews involve 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.
- 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 and leading senior operational teams and leaders.
- Experience owning significant operating and capital planning, delivering revenue growth and cost productivity, and governing public health and compliance.
- Experience 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.
- Relevant food safety, sanitation, responsible alcohol service, and public health certifications must be obtained and maintained where required.
- 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.
- 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, balance short- and long-term priorities, meet deadlines, collaborate effectively, maintain reliable and consistent attendance, and demonstrate professionalism.
- Work beyond normal business hours or on weekends may occasionally be required.
- Regular movement throughout company facilities; shipboard reviews require using stairs and extended standing or walking.
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, allowing appropriate adaptation for itinerary, market, and ship class.
- Develop and own 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 that embeds 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, and represent F&B in executive and enterprise forums.
Benefits
- Cruise and travel privileges for the employee and family.
- Health benefits.
- 401(k).
- Employee stock purchase plan.
- Training and professional development.
- Tuition and professional certification reimbursement.
- Rewards and incentives.
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What This Job Offers
Job Type
Full-time
Career Level
Director
