Director of Hospitality

Rice University•Houston, TX

3d•Onsite

About The Position

The Director oversees a $20M residential dining operation and leads the implementation of revenue-generating initiatives across residential dining, retail, catering, athletics, and summer conference programs. This role is accountable for optimizing conference margins, improving per-capita yield, and maximizing year-round asset utilization while maintaining Rice’s standards for service excellence and access. Summer conference and seasonal programs are a core revenue pillar within the hospitality portfolio, generating approximately $2.5M in annualized revenue with direct accountability for pricing strategy, labor efficiency, and contribution margin performance. Business development and expansion of new hospitality portfolios are core responsibilities of this role, with accountability for identifying, launching, and scaling new revenue-generating programs across retail, catering, athletics, executive dining, and emerging service models. This includes building sustainable pipelines, evaluating market demand, and developing operating models that deliver margin-positive growth while aligning with institutional priorities and long-term financial sustainability. The Director of Hospitality leads a dynamic and growing portfolio of dining services that includes: Residential Dining across multiple serveries Retail and Community Dining including faculty/staff operations Business School and Athletics Performance Nutrition programs Campus-Wide Catering and Premium Events Innovation Ventures such as premium vending, digital ordering, and hybrid meal models This executive-level role blends strategy, innovation, operations, and engagement to elevate Rice Dining into a nationally recognized model for student-centered hospitality. As Rice expands its residential, academic, and athletic facilities, this position ensures dining services scale with agility, excellence, and care.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in hospitality, Business Administration, or a related field required
Five or more (5+) years of progressive leadership in food service operations, including executive dining, catering, or campus dining environments
Demonstrated success leading innovation, service transformation, or program expansion in a complex organization
Deep expertise in strategic dining operations, especially in higher education or large-scale institutional environments
Strong financial acumen with experience in P&L oversight, cost control, and revenue growth
Proven ability to lead high-performing, diverse teams through change
Demonstrated innovative thinking and ability to implement creative solutions that improve service, sustainability, or student engagement
Skilled in developing and maintaining strategic partnerships across departments, schools, and vendors
Strong understanding of performance nutrition, catering logistics, and concession service models
Commitment to equal access and excellence with customer-centric service

Nice To Haves

Master’s degree (MBA, MHA, or equivalent) preferred; candidates with a master’s degree will be strongly preferred for their advanced strategic, business, and leadership training

Responsibilities

Oversees a $20M residential dining operation.
Leads the implementation of revenue-generating initiatives across residential dining, retail, catering, athletics, and summer conference programs.
Optimizes conference margins, improves per-capita yield, and maximizes year-round asset utilization.
Manages pricing strategy, labor efficiency, and contribution margin performance for summer conference and seasonal programs.
Identifies, launches, and scales new revenue-generating programs across retail, catering, athletics, executive dining, and emerging service models.
Develops operating models that deliver margin-positive growth.
Leads the AVP’s vision and execution of a dining program that adapts to institutional growth, student needs, and evolving food trends.
Serves as the principal advisor to senior leadership on dining strategy tied to capital projects and enrollment.
Benchmarks Rice Dining against national leaders and oversees high-performing, scalable operations.
Establishes annual revenue and contribution margin targets for summer conference dining programs; monitors performance against forecast and implements corrective actions as needed to protect margins.
Partners with Conference Services to develop scalable dining packages, per-diem models, and premium service tiers that balance guest experience with financial performance.
Develops, manages, and optimizes budgets for residential, retail, catering, athletics, and emerging ventures.
Identifies opportunities for revenue generation and cost efficiency.
Leads business development for new and expanding hospitality portfolios, including identification, evaluation, and launch of revenue-generating programs across retail, catering, athletics, executive dining, and emerging service models.
Establishes financial targets, pricing strategies, and operating models for new hospitality initiatives, with accountability for margin performance and long-term financial sustainability.
Champions service model transformation, digital tools, and real-time feedback integration.
Launches strategic initiatives including new meal plans, premium vending, and expanded catering.
Collaborates with students and staff to co-create inclusive and engaging dining experiences.
Recruits, mentors, and retains a high-performing culinary and operations team.
Drives a culture of hospitality, professionalism, and continuous improvement.
Implements programs such as ACF Certification to support culinary development.
Aligns operations with Rice’s climate action plan and zero waste goals.
Ensures compliance with food safety, allergen management, and regulatory standards.