Dining Manager - Rice Hospitality

Special Instructions to Applicants

All interested applicants should attach a resume and cover letter in the Supporting Documents section of the application, preferably in a PDF format to avoid any formatting issues.

The Dining Manager for Rice Hospitality provides front‑of‑house leadership and operational oversight across multiple retail and hospitality outlets, including coffee shops and campus dining concepts. This role is responsible for ensuring consistent service standards, operational efficiency, and exceptional guest experiences across all assigned locations.

Working collaboratively with culinary leadership and hospitality management, the Dining Manager plans, organizes, and supervises front‑of‑house teams while supporting financial objectives, staff development, and service excellence. This position serves as a key liaison between Rice Hospitality, campus partners, vendors, and guests, ensuring seamless day‑to‑day operations across diverse service models.

Boasting a 300‑acre tree‑lined campus in Houston, Texas, Rice University is ranked among the nation’s top 20 universities by U.S. News & World Report. Rice has a 6‑to‑1 undergraduate student‑to‑faculty ratio, and a residential college system, which supports students intellectually, emotionally and culturally through social events, intramural sports, student plays, lecture series, courses and student government. Developing close‑knit, diverse college communities is a strong campus tradition, which is why Rice is highly ranked for best quality of life and best value among private universities.

Rice is also a wonderful place to work. Rice faculty, staff and students share values that are essential to our success as a healthy community. Those values guide our decisions and behaviors and shape Rice’s culture. They come through in the way we treat each other and the welcome we extend to our visitors. These values can be recalled simply by our name — RICE — Responsibility, Integrity, Community and Excellence.

The ideal candidate is a hospitality‑driven leader with demonstrated experience managing multiple food and beverage outlets, preferably within café, coffee shop, or fast‑casual environments. They are organized, proactive, and calm under pressure, with the ability to manage competing priorities in a dynamic, guest‑facing setting. A strong service mindset, operational discipline, and passion for hospitality are essential, along with the ability to lead teams through consistency, communication, and accountability.

On‑campus position:
This position is exclusively on‑site, requiring all duties to be performed in person at either of the residential college serveries. Per Rice policy 440 , work arrangements may be subject to change.

Primarily an indoor work environment in a variety of university settings, which may include offices, food serveries, and residential facilities. May be exposed to temperature extremes in facilities that are not climate‑controlled.

• Requires working at a computer for extended periods (up to eight hours per day).

• Moderate to heavy physical activity, which includes the ability to lift and carry objects up to 50 lbs. occasionally, up to 20 lbs. frequently, and up to 10 lbs. constantly to move objects.
• Regular activities include standing, walking, bending, and lifting for up to eight hours per day.
• Other physical requirements of the job include manual dexterity and the ability to see, hear, reach, climb, and balance.

This position is considered essential during a campus emergency. The incumbent in this position is expected to report to campus, provide the essential services designated, and work under the overall direction of the Crisis Management Team for the duration of a campus emergency.

This role is classified as an essential position, requiring on‑site presence to effectively carry out its vital functions.

$52,900 minimum, with hiring salary commensurate with experience and qualifications.

• Exempt (salaried) positions under FLSA are not eligible for overtime.

• Bachelor’s Degree
• In…