Assistant Director of Catering and Sales, Culinary Services

Business Title
Assistant Director of Catering and Sales, Culinary Services

Applications Accepted From
University Wide, Public: Open to the Public, Planning Unit Wide

Special Instructions to Applicants

Please complete the online application and be prepared to attach required documents. For references, please include names and current contact information of three professional references. References will be used with discretion late in the process.

Position will remain open until filled; for full consideration apply by the posting closing date.

This position is eligible for the following benefits
medical, vision, dental, basic and supplemental life, winter break closure, paid holidays, educational benefits for you and eligible dependents, sick leave, vacation, and retirement.

Posting Number: 2016362T

Department Summary

The Assistant Director of Retail Operations supports the Director in planning, vision, forecasting, and budgeting while providing direct oversight of Ohio University Catering operations. This role ensures financial goals, customer satisfaction, and employee development are met or exceeded. The position aligns with Ohio University's mission and collaborates with campus partners to support recruitment, retention, and enrollment initiatives. It also enforces safety and sanitation standards in accordance with university policies and leads efforts to maintain a flagship catering operation recognized for quality and service excellence.

• Assist the Director in developing and implementing long-term strategies for catering operations, including vision, forecasting, and budgeting. Performs monthly profit and loss review. Establish and revise goals for revenue, menus, pricing, merchandising, and resource allocation to ensure financial success and operational efficiency.
• Conduct research on catering, benchmarking studies, and market research to identify trends, maintain competitiveness, and implement improvement strategies.
• Develop and execute business strategies that generate additional revenue streams and exceed customer expectations.
• Direct and manage all aspects of Ohio University Catering, ensuring day-to-day operations run smoothly and efficiently.
• Provide hands-on leadership in service delivery, coaching, training, staffing, inventory control, and fiscal management.
• Applies expert knowledge of the industry and demonstrates knowledge of the department as well as key challenges and advantages.
• Coordinates with other departments to ensure seamless event execution and operational collaboration.
• Maintain compliance with all applicable laws, regulations, and collective bargaining agreements.
• Oversee the successful execution of catering events in alignment with Ohio University Catering service standards.
• Ensure exceptional guest experiences by focusing on service quality, operational efficiency, and attention to detail.
• Monitor customer satisfaction through accurate order entry, event presence, surveys, and feedback, responding promptly to inquiries and concerns.
• Develop and implement marketing plans for Catering, ensuring website and system information is accurate and up to date. Drive innovation by researching industry trends and introducing new products, services, and event planning strategies. Evaluate and implement marketing initiatives to enhance brand visibility and customer engagement.
• Set and enforce safety and sanitation standards in collaboration with university safety initiatives. Ensure a safe and sanitary work environment for employees and guests, enforcing all established safety procedures.
• Maintain accurate vehicle logs and ensure proper maintenance of catering vehicles.
• Oversee campus-wide liquor management, including sales, inventory, compliance, and bartender training.
• Lead and oversee Culinary Services Development Committee, Safety Committee, and other applicable committees.
• Collaborate with department directors on menu development, food production, and trend analysis. Works closely with Production Manager and Executive Chefs to ensure proper planning and ordering.
• Creates and sets the agenda for monthly food cost meetings. Provide support to other venues as needed and complete special projects assigned by the Director. -
• Conducts weekly meetings with Catering management to spread knowledge of departmental initiatives. Conducts weekly meetings to review all orders with Catering staff and reviews all banquet event orders. - Planning major events: Plans Cats Cupboard Food Drive Collection. Plans move in engagement stations for new students arriving on campus. Sets and plans meetings for large events like homecoming. Coordinates with external departments and within Culinary Services to execute large events. * ServSafe certification must be obtained within 1 year of employment.
  * Must have a valid driver's license

Position Profile

Provides catering services to internal and external customers.

Level Summary

Responsible for the management of a unit that performs diverse but related tasks. Handles work and budget planning, ensuring efficient allocation of resources to achieve team objectives. Contributes to divisional or departmental operational plans by aligning unit goals with broader institutional strategies. Accountable for meeting short-term objectives and driving continuous improvement.

Supervisory Responsibilities

Manages a large team or multiple teams. Directly oversees at least 2.0 FTE employees or one or more supervisors. Has authority to hire, transfer, suspend, promote, manage performance, discharge, assign duties, reward, and discipline employees.

Fiscal Responsibilities

Oversees large budgets, including departmental and program-level budgets.

Problem Solving

Solves strategic, organizational problems and ensures continuous improvement.

Independence of Action

High degree of autonomy in decision-making, accountable for large areas.

Communication and Collaboration

Collaborates with executive leadership and external partners to drive organizational goals.

Physical Requirements

Occasionally, the job may require travel to attend meetings and programs.
This role is primarily desk-based and involves extensive use of desktop computers.
As well as setting up for special events as needed.

Minimum Qualifications

Requires a Master's degree in a related field, 8 or more years of related professional experience, and 5 or more years of supervisory experience, or equivalent education and experience.

Preferred Qualifications

Large volume catering experience highly preferred.

Department
Culinary Services

Pay Rate: Salary is commensurate with education and experience. Employees enjoy a generous benefits package such as paid holidays, sick time, personal time, a tuition waiver up to 100% for self and dependents, a comprehensive insurance package (including but not limited to prescription, vision, dental, and life insurance), an excellent retirement plan with up to a 14% company contribution, a paid parental leave program, adoption reimbursement, transgender care, flextime and flexplace policies, counseling and mental health care, access to professional development programs and more. Additional information is available at .

Total Compensation Estimator (For Full-Time Benefits Eligible Employees)

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Estimates are informational only; exact coverage is determined by eligibility policies and official plan documents.

Pay Grade
18

Pay Range
$58,972.00-$98,125.00

FLSA Status
Exempt

Job Category: Administrative at-will appointment

Job Family
Auxiliaries

Job Sub Family
Catering

Job Level
M3

Job Open Date
05/19/2026

Posting End Date: 06/02/2026

Planning Unit: Vice President for Student Affairs

Work Schedule

TBD pending operational needs. Nights and weekends are expected.

Months
12 month

Campus: Athens

Expected hours worked per week
40 + hours per week

Expected duration of assignment
Permanent

Applicants may contact this person if they have questions about this position.
Krystle Lupardus; 740-593-2970; [email protected]

Non-Discrimination Statement

Ohio university is proud of its rich history and as part of our ongoing efforts to provide and support a transformative learning experience, we affirm our commitment to fostering a welcoming and respectful workforce and community. All qualified applicants are encouraged to apply and will receive consideration free from discrimination on the basis of age, ancestry, color, disability, ethnicity, gender, gender identity or expression, genetic information, military service or veteran status, national origin, pregnancy, race, religion, sex, sexual orientation, status as a parent or foster parent, or any other bases under the law. Ohio university is an equal access/equal opportunity employer.

Clery Act Statistics

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