Executive Director, Dining Services

Spelman Johnson of Search Firm is assisting UC Santa Cruz in this search. Interested parties seeking more information before applying are encouraged to reach out to
J.Scott Derrick by emailing jsd@spelmanandjohnson.com. Even with the use of an external search firm, all applications must be submitted directly through the UC Santa Cruz Staff Employment Opportunities page. For full consideration, all applicants should include a resume and cover letter, and apply by the initial review date listed below.

HOW TO APPLY

For full consideration, applicants should attach their resume and cover letter when applying for a job opening. For guidance related to the application process or if you are experiencing difficulties when applying, please review the Applicant Resources on our website.

• How to Apply
• Troubleshooting
• Tips for Applicants
• FAQ's

INITIAL REVIEW DATE (IRD)

UC Santa Cruz jobs are posted until filled. All application materials submitted by 11:59 pm on the IRD will be routed to the hiring team for consideration. NOTE: Applicants who miss the IRD are still encouraged to apply; their materials will still be forwarded for consideration if requested by the hiring team. Application materials cannot be accepted outside of the jobs portal. Applications cannot be edited on an applicant's behalf. For more information about the IRD and the applicant review process, view this link.

The IRD for this job is: 08-11-2025

ABOUT UC SANTA CRUZ

UC Santa Cruz is a public university like no other in California, combining the experience of a small, liberal arts college with the depth and rigor of a major research university. It's known as an unconventional place where innovation and experimentation is part of the campus's DNA. That playful, bold spirit still thrives today, all on a campus renowned as among the most beautiful in the world.

DEPARTMENT OVERVIEW

The Colleges, Housing and Educational Services (CHES) is a multi-funded organization of the Division of Student Affairs and Success (DSAS) at UC Santa Cruz. CHES provides leadership in the areas of college student life and residential services, housing services and facilities, capital planning, business and financial analysis, dining services, conference services, and early education services. Through these units educational and developmental programs and services are offered to all members of the campus community including students, faculty, staff, children and external constituents. CHES provides on-campus housing and dining services to approximately 9,500 undergraduate and graduate students in ten residential colleges and six multi-college affiliated residential communities which support single students and students with families.

UC Santa Cruz Dining is instrumental in the success of our students as well as providing services to staff, faculty and guests of the campus. Our mission is to be committed to: creating a diverse, safe, fun and trusting environment for our guests and team; building an innovative dining program providing high quality service and food while embracing social, nutritional and financial responsibilities.

More information can be found at: https://dining.ucsc.edu/

JOB SUMMARY

Reporting directly to the Associate Vice Chancellor for Colleges, Housing, and Educational Services (CHES), the Executive Director for Dining and Hospitality Services provides visionary leadership, strategic direction, and operational oversight for a large, dynamic and multifaceted dining program. This role is responsible for the comprehensive management of UCSC Dining and Hospitality Services, which supports a thriving residential and campus community by serving approximately 25,000 meals per day across a diverse portfolio of dining operations.

The Executive Director oversees an expansive program of over 18 venues, which includes five Residential Dining Facilities, retail dining, cafes, markets, catering services, a full-service restaurant, a bakery and commissary operation, concessions, and vending services. With an annual budget of approximately $36 million, this role requires a strategic leader with a deep understanding of financial stewardship, operational efficiency, and customer-centric service models.

This is a high-impact leadership position that requires a dynamic and innovative professional who can cultivate a culture of collaboration, operational excellence, and continuous improvement while fostering a welcoming and inclusive dining environment for students, faculty, staff, and guests.

As the top leader of dining and hospitality at UC Santa Cruz, the Executive Director plays a pivotal role in shaping the campus dining experience to enhance student success, foster community engagement, and advance sustainability initiatives. The incumbent will be responsible for setting long-term goals, developing policies, implementing innovative dining programs, and ensuring that all services align with the university's mission, values, and commitment to excellence.

APPOINTMENT INFORMATION

Budgeted Salary: $175,000-$200,000/annually. Salary commensurate with skills, qualifications and experience.
Under California law, the University of California, Santa Cruz is required to post a reasonable estimate of the compensation for this role. The salary shown above is the budgeted amount the University reasonably expects to pay and the salary extended should not exceed this posted amount.

Benefits Level Eligibility: Full benefits

Schedule Information:

• Full-time, Fixed
• Percentage of Time: 100%, 40 Hours per Week
• Days of the Week: Mon-Fri
• Shift Includes: Day

Employee Classification: Career appointment

Job End Date: None

Work Location: UC Santa Cruz Main Campus

Union Representation: Non-Represented

Job Code Classification: FOOD SVC MGR 3 (000395)

Travel: Never or Rarely

JOB DUTIES

30% - Leadership and Accountability

• Develop and provide a vision with clear direction to the Dining Services staff to meet departmental needs for growth, change, new development, and commitment to customer service. Provide leadership to the residential dining, retail and hospitality food service managers to ensure that campus departmental policies and procedures are administered uniformly and clearly and that work activity conforms with the overall mission of the University and CHES.
• Responsible for establishing operational plans, goals and objectives and ensuring they are implemented. Evaluate best practices of similar universities and incorporate into short and long term planning. Responsible for the effective delegation of managerial and authorities to the Associate Director for Residential Dining, Assistant Director for Retail Hospitality, Campus Executive Chef and Dining Services Unit Managers.
• Responsible for all facets of dining enterprise operations, including financial controls, practice and compliance, menu management, entry control, cash management, time reporting, marketing and merchandising, maintenance and renovation of facilities, and safety and sanitation.
• Responsible for managing the relationship with customers including the role of chairing the Dining Service Student Advisory Group (DSSAG). Collaborate with CHES and DSAS marketing staff to develop marketing and merchandising plans to ensure that dining service programs are effectively communicated to target specific clientele. Work cooperatively with all CHES and UCSC departments to provide excellent food services to diverse clientele, including understanding their needs and expectations.
• Responsible for fostering an environment that promotes and maintains productive and positive working relationships with open channels of communication, welcoming of diversity, and consistent with UCSC Principles of Community.

25% - Budget Development, Resource Management and Financial Analysis

• Responsible for both short and long term budget forecasting, development, analysis and management within UC and UCSC policies and practice.
• Establish and administer an annual budget that generates sufficient income to offset all dining expenses, results in appropriate conference and meal rates, and reflects the quality of service requested by students, staff, faculty, visitors and conference attendees.
• In consultation with DSAS Business and Financial Management, responsible for most Dining Services contracts and agreements. Responsible for managing purchasing activity and inventory control for Dining Services. Responsible for overseeing cash management and handling, financial records retention, and sound internal controls and oversight.

20% - Personnel Supervision and Organizational Management

• Lead an organization of approximately 60 Managers and supervisors, 225 represented staff and up to 1000 student employees following best practices in personnel management, UC policies and UCSC practices. Provide leadership and direction in the hiring, performance management, training, and career development of employees in Dining Services. Responsible for establishing standards of performance and ensuring that the standards are maintained for all personnel directly and indirectly supervised.
• Implement ongoing training programs for all department employees, including managers, supervisors and other staff. Support employee participation in skill development and job related professional development programs to improve levels of service and productivity.
• Provide core competency training for managers and supervisors, including leadership skills and cultural competency.

10% - Food Production Management: Innovation and Creativity

• Provide oversight of operations team managers and staff to ensure that all appropriate policies and practices are followed, including safety and sanitation, HAACP procedures, batch cooking, and high quality menu cycles.
• Responsible for innovative programming and operational planning to enhance operations and reduce costs, while maintaining or improving satisfaction.
• Responsible for leading initiatives aimed at diversifying the food offerings available on the campus. This may include solicitation of local, regional and national brand vendor operated dining locations, facilitating pop up food events with local small scale vendors and other, similar initiatives.

10% - Facilities Design and Maintenance

• Work closely with CHES and Dining Services management, residential college leadership, the CHES Facilities Director, and the Director of DSAS / CHES Capital Planning to facilitate design and planning efforts for new construction and remodeling of dining facilities and equipment. Ensure that existing facilities and equipment are maintained and remodeled to optimize the dining experience for students, staff, faculty, and visitors.
  

5% - Other Duties

• Work with residential college personnel to ensure that the dining operations support the colleges and their students by creating a residential dining experience and environment that provides the desired outcomes and services.
• Will drive campus owned vehicles and/or a personal vehicle to perform various duties including, but not limited to catered events, training, quality control within locations, cashier deposits, and other driving related duties as assigned

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS

• Strong demonstrated experience in strategic planning, administration, and management of dining services, including financial and personnel management, menu development, policy and procedure development, food production, handling and storage, health and safety, and quality control.
• Strong demonstrated ability to exercise good judgment in making high-level management decisions and commitments.
• Skill in time management to ensure achievement of departmental and divisional objectives and assignments.
• Ability to work independently with creativity, including initiating new programs, conceptualizing, organizing, and directing projects, cultivating department growth and development and embracing change.
• Skill and knowledge to design and implement innovative customer service programs that respond to the wants and needs of our diverse clientele.
• Ability to work with and communicate effectively with colleagues in discussing improvements, solving problems, and implementing solutions.
• Excellent interpersonal skills to maintain good working relations with a diverse group of people. Ability to resolve issues related to students, staff, faculty, and other customers and colleagues. Ability to exercise diplomacy and good judgment in stressful situations.
• Demonstrated supervisory, leadership, and personnel management skills to effectively administer and manage through others.
• Skill and temperament to provide an open climate and create opportunities for employee communication and positive departmental interaction.
• Ability to recruit, interview, hire, manage, lead, train, develop, motivate and supervise effectively a diverse workforce including setting and meeting performance goals, conducting performance appraisals and providing training for residential dining service staff.
• Knowledge and skill in negotiating purchasing contracts and interdepartmental agreements, and service contracts.

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS

• Strong demonstrated knowledge and experience in financial management and accounting practices to develop, implement, analyze, and manage annual multi-million dollar operating budgets. Ability to prepare short and long-range financial forecasts.
• Experience managing staff in a union environment.
• Skill and knowledge in the implementation of effective training programs for a large operation with over 200 employees.
• Ability to interpret and apply complex policies, procedures, and collective bargaining agreements and accurately communicate those interpretations/applications at all levels of the department.
• Demonstrated knowledge and skill in marketing and merchandising concepts to develop dining and catering programs and conduct research on needs.
• Ability to participate in facility design for new dining construction and remodeling projects.
• Demonstrated computer skills and general knowledge of campus computer on-line processes to administer and manage food service computer systems including but not limited to production, purchasing, forecasting, menus, labor scheduling and management, financial reports and meal plan control.
• Previous or present membership and participation in the National Association of Colleges & University Food Services (NACUFS) or other food service/hospitality related professional affiliation.
• Spanish/English bilingual.

SPECIAL CONDITIONS OF EMPLOYMENT

• Selected candidate will be required to pass a pre-employment criminal history background check.
• Selected candidate must pass the employment misconduct disclosure process.
• Must possess a valid license to drive in the state of California and participate in the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) pull notice program.
• Selected candidate will be required to complete training within established time frames as directed including UC compliance training.
• Ability to travel to multiple work locations on and off campus.
• Exercise the utmost discretion in managing sensitive information learned in the course of performing their duties. Sensitive information includes but is not limited to employee and student records, health and patient records, financial data, strategic plans, proprietary information and any other sensitive or non-public information learned during the course and scope of employment. Understands that sensitive information should be shared on a limited basis and actively takes steps to limit access to sensitive information to individuals who have legitimate business need to know. Ensure that sensitive information is properly safeguarded. Follow all organizational policies and laws on data protection and privacy. This includes secure handling of physical and digital records and proper usage of IT systems to prevent data leaks. The unauthorized or improper disclosure of confidential work-related information obtained from any source on any work-related matter is a violation of these expectations.
• The University of California has implemented a Vaccination Policy covering all employees. Employees, including new hires, are required to comply with any applicable policies relating to the University of California vaccine program.
• Per the Child Abuse and Neglect Reporting Act (CANRA), this position has been identified as a Mandated Reporter. The selected candidate will be required to report known or suspected child abuse or neglect as defined by CANRA and will be required to sign a Statement Acknowledging Requirement to Report Child Abuse prior to commencing employment. CANRA Penal Codes, and related definitions, requirements, and responsibilities may be obtained here.

MISCONDUCT DISCLOSURE REQUIREMENT

As a condition of employment, the final candidate who accepts a conditional offer of employment will be required to disclose if they have been subject to any final administrative or judicial decisions within the last seven years determining that they committed any misconduct; received notice of any allegations or are currently the subject of any administrative or disciplinary proceedings involving misconduct; have left a position after receiving notice of allegations or while under investigation in an administrative or disciplinary proceeding involving misconduct; or have filed an appeal of a finding of misconduct with a previous employer.
a. "Misconduct" means any violation of the policies or laws governing conduct at the applicant's previous place of employment, including, but not limited to, violations of policies or laws prohibiting sexual harassment, sexual assault, or other forms of harassment, discrimination, dishonesty, or unethical conduct, as defined by the employer. For reference, below are UC's policies addressing some forms of misconduct:

• UC Sexual Violence and Sexual Harassment Policy
• UC Anti-Discrimination Policy
• Abusive Conduct in the Workplace
  

SAFETY STATEMENT

All UCSC employees must understand and follow job safety procedures, attend required health and safety training, proactively promote safety at work, and promptly report actual and potential accidents and injuries.

NOTICE OF AVAILABILITY

EEO/AA

The University of California is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, age, protected veteran status or other protected categories covered by the UC Anti-Discrimination Policy.

It is the policy of the University of California to undertake affirmative action and anti-discrimination efforts, consistent with its obligations as a Federal and State contractor.