Director of Food & Beverage Operations - The Institute for Advanced Learning and Research

Institute for Advanced Learning & Research•Danville, VA

2d•Onsite

About The Position

Up To Par Management and Taylor Hospitality operate the food and beverage program at the Institute for Advanced Learning and Research in Danville. We are looking for a Food and Beverage Director to lead it. It is a two-part operation. The Conference Center is the engine — 25,000 square feet of flexible event space, including an 8,400-square-foot Great Hall, a 3,800-square-foot atrium and a 135-seat executive auditorium, hosting everything from a ten-person board meeting to a multi-day conference for hundreds. In 2025 the Conference Center hosted 580 events. Alongside it, Megabytes serves breakfast and lunch with rotating weekly menus, hot buffets, a salad bar and options for just about every dietary need, for the people who work in and visit the building every day. You will own both: the guest experience, the team, the menus and the numbers. If you like an operation where no two weeks look the same and where doing it well is immediately visible, this is a good one.

Requirements

Two to four years of related food and beverage leadership experience, or the equivalent.
Catering, banquet or conference center experience is a real advantage.
A track record of supervising, motivating and developing a team — and enough working knowledge of your team’s jobs to teach them.
Comfort with the business side: budgets, cost controls, revenue management and reading a P&L.
Strong organizational, problem-solving and analytical skills, and the judgment to make sound decisions quickly.
Excellent written and verbal communication, and the ability to connect with people at every level and from every background.
Genuine hospitality — excellent guest service instincts and a professional appearance and demeanor.
Flexibility and enthusiasm when priorities shift, which in an event business they will.
Proficiency in Microsoft Word and Excel and Google Applications.
Bilingual skills are a plus.

Responsibilities

Own the operation’s financial performance — build and manage the annual budget, watch food and beverage cost, labor and par levels, review the P&L monthly and act on what it tells you.
Drive revenue. Build and execute an annual marketing plan that grows catering and event business in the existing market and opens up new ones, and work with the Conference Center team on proposals, menus and pricing.
Run the events business day to day: menu planning, BEOs, staffing, room sets, timing, execution and follow-up, from a ten-person board lunch to a multi-day conference for hundreds.
Oversee the café — menu rotation, service speed, food quality, presentation and grab-and-go offerings, including the gluten-free and vegetarian options guests count on.
Partner with the executive chef on menus, pricing, seasonal and local sourcing, daily specials and production planning.
Hire, train, schedule and develop the team. Set clear standards, coach to them, recognize good work, and address performance directly and fairly.
Be visible. Be on the floor with guests, staff and vendors, and handle guest feedback and complaints personally when it counts.
Set and hold service and cleanliness standards across the kitchen, outlets, event spaces and back of house.
Keep the operation compliant — health department, ABC and food safety regulations, sanitation logs, safety programs and required certifications.
Manage purchasing and vendor relationships. Approve orders, control inventory and keep accurate sales mix, cost and production records.
Prepare accurate, on-time reports for property and company leadership.
Stay current on where the industry is going and bring the good ideas back to the operation.
Jump in wherever service needs you, and handle other duties as assigned.