Director Campus Dining Retail

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Position Summary, Requirements, and Qualifications

Overview

The department of Campus Dining handles all things dining on campus. From residential meal plans to event catering, we provide nutritional food for students, faculty, staff and guests. We manage over a dozen eating establishments at NIU including residence hall dining, restaurants and coffee shops at the student center, and the café in Barsema Hall. We employ the students and professionals who work in our restaurants and cafes.

Position Summary

The Retail Dining Director position is critical to the successful operation, compliance, and continued growth of our retail dining program. This role provides leadership and oversight for over 25 full-time employees across seven locations, including branded locations, creating a level of operational complexity that requires dedicated management and accountability. The Retail Dining Director ensures consistent execution of food safety and regulatory requirements, university policies, operational procedures, and brand standards across all locations.

Dedicated oversight is essential to identifying and addressing risks proactively, maintaining consistency, developing and coaching employees, and ensuring quality guest experiences.

This position also serves as a key relationship manager for both internal and external partners, collaborating with the other branches of Campus Dining and other departments, vendors, and branded partners. This role provides communication and collaboration that are essential to resolving issues, meeting partner expectations, and maintaining the integrity of our branded operations. Given the scope of responsibility, number of employees, locations, compliance and brand requirements, this position provides necessary leadership and accountability to protect the NIU’s reputation, strengthen partnerships, and drive consistent operational performance across the retail dining program.

Plans and executes all Campus Dining retail operations at NIU . Ensures that the retail operations attain both revenue and profitability growth. Directs all Campus Dining retail initiatives at NIU and contributes to the overall effort to satisfy clients and customers. Continue to evaluate the mix of national and in-house brands currently operated at NIU and make recommendations to the Executive Director of Campus Dining for possible changes.

Maintains up-to-date knowledge of the university audit and survey processes and ensures that all dining units and retail locations at the university consistently use and support these processes.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

Operational Activities

• Ensure food and vending services meet customer satisfaction and quality standards and meet financial objectives.
• Provide expert advice and guidance relating to daily operations for food and vending services.
• Oversee compliance with client and/or program contracts for one or more operational functions.
• Oversee operating standards and procedures for Campus Dining retail program.
• Oversee all marketing of retail location on campus.
• Oversee Contract with campus wide beverage company.
• Play a leading role in the development of new business opportunities.

Human Resource Activities

• Communicates unit policies and procedures.
• Oversee the hiring of front of house and production staff.
• Supervise and evaluate capabilities of employees in determining work responsibilities.
• Develops and maintains a positive professional relationship with student staff, student leadership and customers.
• Develop and own the Campus Dining Services retail strategy and provide input to Executive Director of Campus Dining on its implementation.
• Maintain up-to-date knowledge of the university’s audit and survey processes.
• Oversee all human resource and financial standards and procedures per NIU guidelines.
• Analyze current staff, identify gaps and recommend hiring needs.
• Hire, evaluate, discipline, and terminate staff as needed.
• Direct management staff and provide professional development opportunities.
• Plan, oversee, and execute Campus Dining retail operations within the university, ensuring alignment and compliance with national brand management requirements.
• Determine the mix of national and in-house brands.
• Ensure retail operations provide revenue and profitability growth.
• Establish strategies or methods for accomplishing major new directives.
• Implement and execute strategies that result in the achievement of sales, market share, or market growth targets.
• Develop strategic action plans for accounts and monitor results.
• Oversee customer service, customer needs and expectations.
• Monitor and evaluate the Food Retail Managers progress on meeting customer service needs and expectations, as well as compliance with brand requirements.
• Oversee the development of account business plans to enhance customer service, facility layout and design, account…