Penn State Job Catalog

The Director, Food Services Management provides senior leadership and active operational oversight for Residential Dining, Retail Dining, the Bakery, Warehouse, and Culinary Support Services at the University Park campus; is responsible for the strategic direction, operational excellence, fiscal stewardship, facilities oversight, and personnel management; ensures operational standardization, continuity, safety compliance, and long-term capital planning.

• Provide comprehensive leadership, planning, and direction for multiple food services operations; ensure quality, efficiency, food safety compliance, and customer satisfaction
• Ensure alignment and coordination between production, procurement, distribution, and dining operations
• Implement operational best practices and continuous improvement initiatives across all functional areas
• Exercise full supervisory authority over management and staff within assigned units, including recruitment, hiring, training, mentoring, performance management, and workforce planning
• Ensure compliance with applicable Collective Bargaining Agreements; partner with Human Resources and Labor and Employee Relations to ensure proper administration of labor policies; represent the University in labor relations proceedings
• Develop, manage, and monitor annual operating and capital budgets; collaborate with the Strategic Finance Partner on budget development, forecasting, financial modeling, and long-range planning
• Conduct regular financial reviews to assess performance, analyze trends, control expenditures, optimize margins, and ensure fiscal sustainability
• Oversee maintenance planning, capital improvements, renovations, and large-scale cleaning initiatives
• Direct small- and large-scale construction and capital projects; in conjunction with the Office of Physical Plant (OPP)
• Maintain and implement emergency preparedness plans; coordinate evacuation drills
• Ensure compliance with safety, sanitation, and regulatory standards
• Identify opportunities for process improvement across dining operations, production facilities, warehousing, and administrative functions
• Implement industry best practices to enhance productivity, supply chain efficiency, food quality, and service delivery
• Utilize benchmarking, performance metrics, and data analytics to drive operational enhancements
• Build and maintain partnerships with vendors, suppliers, community members, and visitors
• Collect, analyze, and respond to customer feedback to guide service improvements and program innovation
• Ensure a responsive, customer-focused culture across all service areas
• Represent Food Services on University-wide committees and initiatives

Level:

– Principal Manager

Base Description:

– Manages direct reports where primary duty is the management of a working unit.

Level Summary:

– Demonstrates awareness of broad issues and management trends. Applies exemplary management principles. Evaluates impact of policy and adjusts accordingly. Ensures appropriate skills are developed and maintained within team/unit. Realigns staff responsibilities to meet desired changes. Provides administrative and policy direction. Develops and articulates broad goals. Fosters collaboration between units. Engages in written and verbal communications that reach a university-wide and/or broad external audience. Develops and implements solutions to highly complex and often controversial problems.

Supervisory Responsibilities:

– Oversees teams of other supervisors/managers
– Leads a business unit

Fiscal Responsibilities:

– Plans, forecasts, develops, and/or approves budgets
– Typically has final signature authority for business unit

Problem Solving:

– Encounters highly varied and complex problems that may have a significant impact on multiple units and/or the University
– Regularly develops creative and/or novel approaches to resolve the most difficult problems
– Creates an environment that encourages imaginative solutions to problems

Independence of Action:

– Work results are not clearly defined and may be frequently changing
– Sets own goals and determines how to accomplish results with few or no guidelines to follow
– Oversees completed work of others and is accountable for unit results
– Delegates advanced tasks to others and provides guidance to team members

Communication and Collaboration:

– Communicates with both internal and external audiences
– May represent the University externally
– Collaborates closely with team members and other leaders across the University
– Communicates a compelling vision that inspires and motivates others

• Comp Grade – 16
• Minimum – $130,596.00
• MidPoint – $166,536.00
• Maximum – $202,464.00