Director Food & Beverage, Development & Europe

Job-:
Food and Beverage

Location:

Watford, Hertfordshire, United Kingdom Workplace:
Hybrid

Schedule:

Full time Posted:
Shape the Future of Food & Beverage Across Europe Hilton is seeking an experienced and commercially minded F&B Director to drive the development and opening of world-class Food & Beverage concepts across Europe, including the UK & Ireland.

This is a unique opportunity to influence how Hilton's newest hotels come to life, leading the end-to-end F&B development journey from concept creation and design through to opening, operational handover and post-opening review. Working with hotel owners, developers, architects, operators and brand teams, you will ensure every F&B venue delivers exceptional guest experiences, strong commercial performance and operational excellence. What You'll DoLead F&B Concept Development You will build and develop innovative F&B concepts that deliver:

Operational excellence

Commercial success

Outstanding guest experiences

You'll partner with owners, development teams and brand stakeholders to create concepts that are achievable, commercially viable and aligned with Hilton's standards and long-term vision. Drive Design Excellence You'll own the design sign-off process across both Front and Back of House environments, ensuring:

Efficient operational workflows

Compliance with Hilton Development Design Standards Effective kitchen, bar and buffet installations

Appropriate equipment specifications

Space-efficient planning solutions

You will also lead owner and project meetings while managing external consultants throughout the development cycle. Deliver Commercially Successful Openings Working closely with Operations & Technology, Regional F&B Directors and General Managers, you will:

Lead F&B pre-opening planning

Drive value engineering decisions

Manage snagging and operational handover processes

Ensure asset quality and operational readiness

Conduct post-opening reviews and continuous improvement initiatives

Your focus will be on ensuring every new venue opens successfully and performs from day one. Act as a Trusted F&B Expert As a recognised subject matter expert, you will:

Support masterplan, conversion and third-party projects

Drive CAPEX review processes for F&D initiatives

Develop tools, resources and best practices for hotel teams

Champion sustainability throughout the project lifecycle

Introduce innovative operational solutions and emerging industry trends

Deliver presentations to senior leadership and regional stakeholders

Coach, mentor and develop wider team members, including interns

You will play a key role in elevating Hilton's F&B capabilities across Europe while helping shape the future of the function. Key Partnerships Success in this role requires collaboration with a broad range of stakeholders, including:

VP Architecture & Construction and European team Operations Leadership (CE & UK)
Development teams across EMEAF&B Development & Operations Directors AD&C teams

Pre-opening teamsF&B Brand Services General Managers Owners, Asset Managers and Consultants Finance and HR teams Qualifications

Required Qualifications University degree or Associates Diploma in Hospitality Management, or extensive relevant experience in lieu thereof.

Preferred Qualifications A second language would be desirable.

Responsibilities Specific Job Knowledge, Skill and Ability The individual must possess the following knowledge, skills and abilities and be able to perform the essential functions of the job:

Demonstrates extensive operational experience in hotels/restaurants – both front & back of house – 10 years.

Excellent knowledge of F&B – including product, culinary, beverage, catering, equipment, design, build & operational workflows.

Demonstrates Strong Project Management capability.

Shows…