Director of Operations

Compass Group•New York, NY

31d•$145,000 - $165,000•Onsite

About The Position

Rapport is a specialized division of FLIK Hospitality Group focused on all aspects of guest and employee services, meeting and event planning and conference center management. This role will lead the North America Rapport portfolio of 100+ associates, overseeing Welcome & Reception, Meeting & Events, Workplace Ambassadors, and Front-of-House Workplace Services across the client portfolio. This role will serve as a strategic operational partner and single point of contact for client leadership, translating the client’s hospitality vision and business objectives into exceptional workplace experiences. The Director will leverage industry trends, hospitality best practices, data, and Rapport expertise to continuously evolve and elevate the employee and guest experience. The Director will ensure the workplace experience is warm, welcoming, seamless, and consistent, while maintaining operational excellence, financial discipline, strong client relationships, and alignment with the broader business strategy. This is a primarily on-site role, requiring approximately 90% in-office presence, to ensure strong visibility, leadership, and connection to the workplace experience. Travel to other office locations will be required based on business and operational needs.

Requirements

12+ years of experience in hospitality, workplace experience, hotel operations, front-of-house, meetings & events, or related service environments.
Proven experience leading 100+ associates across a multi-site or regional portfolio.
Demonstrated experience leading managers and developing high-performing, geographically distributed teams.
Strong executive presence with the ability to influence and partner effectively with senior client stakeholders.
Experience supporting new office openings, transitions, workplace launches, or large-scale operational change.
Strong understanding of hospitality and workplace experience trends, with the ability to translate industry practices into meaningful client solutions.
Demonstrated financial, operational, and contractual acumen.
Strong knowledge of U.S. and Canadian HR practices.
Exceptional communication, relationship-building, problem-solving, and escalation-management skills.
Strong business acumen and ability to use data and insights to make informed decisions.
High emotional intelligence, professional presence, and a bias toward action and solutions.
Genuine passion for hospitality and creating memorable, effortless, and human-centered experiences.

Responsibilities

Serve as a trusted strategic partner and single point of contact for client Senior Leadership, ensuring workplace experience programs align with business priorities, culture, and workplace strategy.
Translate the client’s hospitality vision into innovative, industry-informed workplace experiences that elevate the employee, guest, and executive journey.
Bring forward relevant hospitality trends, benchmarks, and best practices to continuously improve the client experience.
Serve as the senior escalation point for the client, ensuring issues are quickly assessed, solutions are developed, and remedies are effectively communicated and executed.
Build strong relationships with key client stakeholders and provide proactive communication regarding performance, risks, disruptions, impacts, and solutions.
Provide operational oversight of Welcome Hosts, Meeting & Events, Workplace Ambassadors, and Front-of-House services across North America.
Ensure a consistent and elevated experience across the full workplace journey, including arrival, reception, meetings, events, on-floor engagement, and departure.
Ensure service delivery reflects both the client’s expectations and Rapport’s commitment to genuine, high-touch hospitality.
Partner with Facilities, Real Estate, Food Services, IT, Communications, and other workplace partners to deliver a cohesive and seamless experience.
Continuously identify opportunities to remove friction, improve service delivery, and create meaningful experiences for employees, guests, and clients.
Lead operational performance across the North American portfolio, ensuring service standards, contractual commitments, and business expectations are consistently met.
Establish and maintain business reporting and performance rhythms, providing leadership with clear visibility into operational performance, customer insights, trends, financials, and opportunities.
Use customer feedback, Impressions program, operational data, and workplace trends to identify opportunities and drive informed business decisions.
Establish and monitor relevant KPIs related to service delivery, customer satisfaction, operational performance, and continuous improvement.
Lead change and transformation initiatives that improve service models, operational efficiency, and the overall workplace experience.
Support and lead new office openings, transitions, and workplace launches, ensuring operational readiness from planning through stabilization.
Ensure staffing, service models, workplace programs, technology, operational standards, and launch plans are aligned with the overall business strategy and client expectations.
Establish clear launch milestones, reporting, governance, and performance measures for new locations.
Identify opportunities to scale successful programs, standards, and innovations across the North American portfolio.
Lead, coach, and develop site leaders and a distributed team of 100+ associates, creating a culture of hospitality, accountability, engagement, and continuous improvement.
Develop leaders to operate with a hospitality-first, customer-centric mindset, while maintaining strong operational and business discipline.
Establish clear performance expectations and accountability across the portfolio.
Identify and develop future leaders through coaching, succession planning, recognition, and professional development.
Foster a culture where teams are visible, proactive, approachable, and empowered to resolve issues and create exceptional experiences.
Provide oversight of portfolio financial performance, including budgeting, forecasting, staffing, resource allocation, and contingency planning.
Balance service excellence with financial responsibility, productivity, and contractual requirements.
Identify opportunities to improve efficiency and optimize resources without compromising the employee or guest experience.
Maintain strong knowledge of contractual scope, service-level expectations, and financial obligations.