Regional Director of Operations (Healthcare Dining)

Compass Group USA Inc•Tupelo, MS

43d•$140,000

About The Position

As a Regional Director of Operations (RDO) in Contract Managed Healthcare Dining with Morrison Healthcare, you will lead, manage, and inspire a team of Dining Directors and other Dining Services leaders across your region. You will be part of the regional leadership team, providing strategic planning, direction, and guidance to accounts within your territory while building and maintaining strong relationships with hospital administrators and clinical staff. Your mission is to deliver exceptional dining experiences that support patient satisfaction and well-being, as well as operational and culinary excellence in a dynamic healthcare environment.

Requirements

Bachelor's or master's degree from an accredited college or university, OR eight (8) years of progressive experience in multi-unit foodservice, healthcare dining or other high-volume institutional food service management, in lieu of degree.
Senior leadership experience in healthcare dining, with exposure to contract/budget management, patient/resident satisfaction, and foodservice operations.
Proven track record of growing healthcare dining operations and leading large teams, with strong financial acumen.
Strategic and analytical thinking with the ability to make accurate, timely decisions in complex healthcare environments.
Expert client relationship skills including influencing, listening, and communication (written and verbal).
Commitment to inclusion with a proactive, positive, professional, and resilient mindset.
Strong organizational skills including initiative, ownership, multi-tasking, and prioritization.
Technical proficiency in Microsoft Suite and healthcare-related reporting systems.
Extensive travel required.

Responsibilities

Lead and inspire healthcare dining teams: Manage System-Level Dining Directors and Directors of Dining Services to deliver compassionate, high-quality foodservice that enhances patient care.
Drive client partnerships: Build strong relationships with hospital executives, nursing leadership, and administrators to achieve KPIs such as patient satisfaction, safety, regulatory compliance, and financial performance.
Collaborate on regional leadership: Share best practices, mitigate risks, champion diversity, and foster community across healthcare accounts.
Own territory operations: Oversee all accounts, balancing short- and long-term decisions with risk/reward considerations, ensuring alignment with healthcare standards.
Support cultural tone: Partner with the SVP and RVP to set a culture of transparency, accountability, safety, and service excellence across the region.
Ensure smooth sales and retention: Collaborate on presentations, negotiations, and retention strategies tailored to healthcare clients.
Champion compliance: Ensure adherence to QA standards, healthcare regulations, food safety policies, and CMS/state requirements, with timely reporting.
Develop future leaders: Conduct performance evaluations, succession planning, and leadership development with a focus on multi-unit healthcare dining management.
Own financial performance: Manage P&L for assigned territory, ensuring accurate reporting, forecasting, and budgeting.
Administer policies fairly: Ensure consistent application of organizational policies and procedures across healthcare accounts.
Anticipate industry trends: Monitor healthcare dining innovations, patient satisfaction drivers, and regulatory changes; contribute to regional strategic planning.