Student Dining Senior General Manager
Stanford University · Stanford, California, United States
ABOUT STANFORD UNIVERSITY AND RESIDENTIAL & DINING ENTERPRISES:
Stanford University is one of the world's leading teaching and research universities. Founded in 1891, Stanford’s mission is to create and share knowledge and to prepare students to be curious, to think critically, and to contribute to the world. With world-class scholars and seven schools located together on a single campus, Stanford offers academic excellence across the broadest array of disciplines including business, education, engineering, humanities and sciences, law, medicine, and sustainability. It also is an engine of innovation, blending theory and practice to move ideas and discoveries from labs and classrooms out into the world. Stanford strives to foster a culture of expansive inquiry, fresh thinking, searching discussion, and freedom of thought – preparing students for leadership and engaged citizenship in the world. The university is located between San Francisco and San Jose in the heart of California's Silicon Valley, on a scenic 8,180-acre campus.
Residential & Dining Enterprises (R&DE), the largest auxiliary organization at Stanford University, supports the academic mission of the university by providing high-quality services to students and other members of the university community. R&DE has an annual operating budget of $400M, operates 24/7/365, and oversees a $3B asset portfolio comprising over 7 million square feet—one-third of the campus footprint. R&DE provides housing for 16,000 students and dependents, serves 8 million meals annually at 48 student dining venues and 32 culinary enterprises. In addition, R&DE provides executive services, conference operations, and guest lodging. R&DE is a talented and diverse team of 1,200+ who comprise the following divisions: Student Housing Operations & Stanford Conferences; Stanford Dining and Hospitality & Auxiliaries; Maintenance Operations and Capital Projects; and a team of R&DE strategic business partners—Finance & Administration, Information Technology, Human Resources, and Strategic Communications and Marketing.
“Students (Customers) First” is R&DE’s mantra and its strategic goals reflect its commitment to delivering service excellence to the campus community. R&DE’s belief is “students are never an interruption in our day; they are the reason we are here. ”R&DE’s dedication to promoting fair treatment, access to opportunities, and a positive work environment is reflected in its essential priorities and efforts for cultivating a culture of operational excellence as a foundational cornerstone. R&DE is committed to creating and sustaining inclusive excellence where all staff feel a sense of belonging and are empowered to thrive.
R&DE’s dedication to promoting fair treatment, access to opportunities, and a positive work environment is reflected in its essential priorities and efforts for cultivating a culture of operational excellence as a foundational cornerstone. R&DE is committed to creating and sustaining inclusive excellence where all staff feel a sense of belonging and are empowered to thrive.
The expected pay range for this position is $89,179 to $110,501 per annum.
Stanford University provides pay ranges representing its good faith estimate of what the university reasonably expects to pay for a position. The pay offered to a selected candidate will be determined based on factors such as (but not limited to) the scope and responsibilities of the position, the qualifications of the selected candidate, departmental budget availability, internal equity, geographic location and external market pay for comparable jobs.
The Student Dining Senior General Manager is the senior operational leader for multiple residential dining halls or a large, complex dining operation. Reporting to the Senior Director of Student Dining, the position provides strategic and hands-on leadership for the residential student meal program and applicable late-night retail offerings, ensuring consistent execution across assigned operations. The role is accountable for hospitality, culinary and service quality, student satisfaction, food safety, financial performance, workforce effectiveness, and operational reliability.
Working in close partnership with culinary, service, nutrition, procurement, finance, human resources, and other cross-functional teams, the Senior General Manager translates Student Dining priorities into scalable operating practices. Depending on the organizational structure, the Senior or Executive Chef may report to this position. The Senior General Manager aligns culinary and service leadership, staffing, budgets, facilities, technology, and service readiness with student needs, participation trends, dietary accommodations, wellness priorities, and institutional goals.
This role is designated as essential and requires incumbents to report to work onsite. Telecommuting is not available for this role. Weekend and dinner service hours will be required.
Core Duties:
Multi-Unit or Large Complex Operational Leadership
o Direct daily operations across all assigned dining hall and provide operational response to changing student demand.
o Establish and maintain common operating standards for execution at volume. Conduct regular operational reviews of policies and performance; take needed corrective action promptly.
o Coordinate staffing and resources to support reliable daily service, and business continuity.
Program Quality and Innovation
o Partner with culinary and service leaders to align operation plans and to achieve operational capacity. Approve program enhancements that support overall experience while maintaining financial viability and operational feasibility.
o Evaluate the end-to-end dining experience, sponsor improvements across assigned operations.
o Use participation data and analytics, to implement overall dining experience improvements Advance innovation, sustainability initiatives, waste reduction, and evolving residential dining models.
Food Safety and Compliance
o Ensure full compliance with federal, state, local, university, and departmental requirements for food safety, sanitation, workplace safety, accessibility, labor practices, and public health.
o Maintain inspection and audit readiness and achieve required operational compliance outcomes across assigned operations.
o Establish clear accountability for safety and compliance and lead corrective action when needed. Ensure effective controls are in place for all operational requirements
Financial and Operational Management
o Develop, implement, and manage operating budgets and business plans for assigned dining operations in alignment with R&DE and Student Dining goals.
o Forecast and control all operating expenses; analyze performance against budget and adjust plans as needed. Ensure effective and efficient purchasing policies are followed.
o Analyze financial and operational information to identify risks, change opportunities, service needs, labor requirements, and needed corrective actions at both portfolio and unit levels.
Student Experience and Hospitality
o Build and maintain a culture of genuine hospitality. Maintain a professional, visible presence and engage constructively with students, residential education partners, campus stakeholders, and the broader university community.
o Review student satisfaction results, participation trends, complaints, and other feedback; establish priorities and hold unit leaders accountable for measurable improvement. Respond to service issues promptly and ensure seamless resolution.
o Provide leaders and teams with the resources needed to deliver consistent, welcoming, best-in-class service.
Team Leadership and Development
o Lead, coach, and develop all assigned managers, operational leaders and frontline teams. Set clear performance, operational and budget goals. Communicate expectations and provide ongoing feedback.
o Conduct regular leadership a