Director of Dining Services

University of Wisconsin Stout • Green Bay, WI

11h • Onsite

About The Position

The University of Wisconsin Green Bay is a rapidly growing, student centered university committed to transforming lives. UW-Green Bay continues to enhance academic offerings, strengthen community partnerships, and invest in a vibrant student experience. Our culture is defined by innovation, engagement, and a deep focus on student success. The Director of Dining Services will help advance this mission by shaping dining experiences that support belonging, satisfaction, and the evolving needs of our students. The Director of Dining Services provides strategic leadership and operational oversight for all campus dining services at UW Green Bay. This role serves as the primary liaison to the University’s third party dining and vending partner, Chartwells, ensuring exceptional service delivery, continuous improvement, and a dining experience that exceeds the evolving expectations of students, faculty, staff, and guests. The Director of Dining Services will lead a bold, campus wide dining transformation in collaboration with Chartwells, introducing new concepts, elevating food quality, improving service efficiency, and redesigning the overall dining experience. This will require innovation, performance monitoring, and accountability across operations, quality, and customer satisfaction. We are seeking a leader who is deeply passionate about driving transformative change, elevating our dining program, and creating a top-tier student engagement experience. Indicators of success in this role include: Student satisfaction ratings increase from ~3.3 to 4.0 or higher Full implementation and compliance with SOPs across all locations Improved staffing stability and reduced service gaps Effective vendor performance management with timely resolution of issues Strong student engagement, transparent feedback loops and clear plans for continuous improvement

Requirements

• Associate or bachelor’s degree in hospitality management, business administration, food service management, or a related field
• Minimum of five years of progressive leadership experience in dining services, hospitality, or facilities management
• Demonstrated ability to lead improvement initiatives and manage complex operations
• Experience overseeing contracted vendors or third-party service providers
• Strong communication, collaboration, and conflict resolution skills
• ServSafe certification, or acquired within 90 days of employment

Nice To Haves

• Experience working in higher education dining or large-scale food service environments
• Knowledge of franchise operations, meal plan systems, and student engagement best practices
• Familiarity with sustainability programs and food waste reduction strategies
• Leverage data and AI to make informed decisions

Responsibilities

• Dining Transformation and Strategic Leadership Lead a bold, campus wide dining transformation in collaboration with Chartwells, introducing new concepts, elevating food quality, improving service efficiency, and redesigning the overall dining experience. Set and drive goals to significantly increase student satisfaction scores from approximately 3.3 to 4.0 and beyond within 1 to 2 years. Align all dining initiatives with the University’s priorities and student needs. Evaluate and expand franchise offerings, including assessment of franchise requirements, revenue thresholds, and long term feasibility.
• Oversight of Vendor Operations (Chartwells) Serve as the University’s primary point of contact for all Chartwells operations, including staffing, service standards, facilities, communication, and performance management. Monitor progress on staffing gaps, ensuring Chartwells has clear plans and timelines for positions such as managers, dieticians, dishwashers, catering staff, and support roles. Review and approve Standard Operating Procedures for all dining locations, and oversee Chartwells’ compliance. Ensure timely and consistent front of house cleaning, including table turnover, dining room sanitation, and overall facility cleanliness.
• Student Experience and Engagement Establish systems to collect, track, and respond to student feedback, including real time feedback devices at key stations, surveys, and direct outreach. Partner with Chartwells to analyze feedback trends and share monthly performance reports with campus leadership. Support and oversee a student engagement plan, including scheduled forums, pop up feedback sessions, and ongoing dialogue with campus groups. Develop campaigns, programs, and promotions that enhance the dining experience, amplify student voice, and build campus loyalty.
• Menu Planning, Quality and Nutrition Ensure collaborative menu development processes that incorporate student input, dietary needs, and culinary innovation. Drive improvements in food quality, variety, local sourcing, and sustainability. Oversee the monitoring and analysis of meal plan usage, and develop a robust transfer meal program.
• Sustainability and Food Waste Reduction in Support of “ECO U” Lead efforts to partner with local vendors and suppliers to expand regional offerings on campus. Guide and support Chartwells’ food waste reduction strategy, including campaign planning, messaging, and implementation timelines. Monitor waste metrics and support continuous improvement in sustainability practices.
• Financial Oversight and Transparency Track dining operations’ financial performance against budget targets, and provide regular financial and operational updates to University leadership. Collaborate with Chartwells to access, review, and refine financial dashboards to strengthen financial transparency. Involvement with the point-of-sale transactions (currently using Transact), including reviewing financial, price setting, inventory management, etc.

Benefits

• The Universities of Wisconsin provides an excellent benefits package to meet the diverse needs of its employees.
• For benefits eligible positions, this includes several health insurance options, with annual deductibles as low as $250/individual and $500/family.
• Our benefits package also includes dental, vision, several life insurance options, AD&D and Accident insurance and Flexible Spending and Health Savings Accounts.
• We participate in the Wisconsin Retirement System (WRS), where employer contributions begin immediately, and employees are fully vested after 5 years of service.
• The Universities of Wisconsin also provides supplemental retirement savings programs including a 403(b) and Deferred Compensation.
• In addition, eligible employees receive several types of paid leave benefits, which are prorated for employees working less than 100%.
• This includes 9 legal holidays, 36 hours of personal holiday and between 96-130 hours of sick leave annually and paid parental leave.
• Eligible employees earn 13-27 days of vacation each year, depending on years of service and employment type.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Director
• Education Level: Associate degree
• Number of Employees: 5,001-10,000 employees