Executive Director, Swarthmore Dining

Swarthmore College is a highly selective liberal arts college located in the suburbs of Philadelphia, whose mission combines academic rigor with social responsibility. Swarthmore has a strong institutional commitment to inclusive excellence and nondiscrimination in its educational program and employment practices and encourages candidates who will further advance the goal of fostering a diverse and inclusive community. As one of the nation’s finest institutions of higher learning, Swarthmore College is global in outlook and draws students from around the nation and world. The 425‐acre campus is a designated arboretum, complete with gardens, rolling lawns, a creek, wooded hills, and hiking trails in the Crum Woods.

Who We Are:

Swarthmore Dining is dedicated to serving our community with nutritious and satisfying food in a welcoming environment every day. Our mission is to offer a diverse menu that features high-quality ingredients, emphasizing locally grown and sustainably produced products whenever possible. We are committed to inclusive dining by ensuring vegetarian, vegan, and accommodations for dietary restrictions are always available. As a self-operated dining program encompassing Residential Dining, we pride ourselves on providing a work-life balance that is often difficult to find in the restaurant industry. Join us at Swarthmore Dining to be a part of a vibrant community committed to quality, sustainability, and exceptional service in a state-of-the-art kitchen setting.

The opportunity:

Under the general direction of the Associate Vice President of Campus Services, the Executive Director of Swarthmore Dining oversees and manages all Swarthmore Dining operations. These include Residential Dining, Retail, Catering, Student-run, and any other programs and initiatives led by Swarthmore Dining. The role involves contributing to the vision, direction, and leadership while implementing creative solutions to meet the needs of our diverse and growing customer base.

The Executive Director is responsible for long-term strategic planning in financial, operational, marketing, and facilities areas, while also managing these functions daily. Key duties include researching and launching new opportunities and strategies, developing operational plans, business and marketing plans, and leveraging technology and modern culinary techniques to enhance services and offerings for the campus community.

Additionally, the Executive Director manages a budget exceeding $6 million and oversees over $15 million in annual sales. Responsibilities include policy development and enforcement, resource management, maintaining health, sanitation, and safety standards, preparing annual budgets, ensuring financial accountability and cost controls, maintaining food quality and customer service, and managing computer systems. In partnership with facilities, they ensure the upkeep and maintenance of all equipment and systems necessary for continuous dining, catering, and retail operations. The role also involves supervising associate directors, the business office, marketing staff, managers, supervisors, and other dining staff, as well as handling staff recruitment, training, development, and evaluation. The Executive Director must be adaptable and responsive to the evolving needs of the campus.

Essential Responsibilities

Operational Oversight

• Oversee Swarthmore Dining, including residential dining, catering, retail outlets, bakeries, and student programs, with responsibilities including staffing, customer service, inventory, marketing, allergen management, and facility upkeep.
• Ensure strict adherence to nutritional, health, and sanitation regulations while maintaining high operational standards in safety, food quality, and service.
• Knowledge of dining software systems to support operations, staff, and customers.
• Promote sustainable practices, respond to special requests, and continuously improve offerings based on trends and feedback to enhance the overall dining experience.

Strategic Planning and Projects

• Improve operational efficiency, customer service, food quality, and offerings by leveraging data insights and developing actionable strategies.
• Stay informed about new concepts, food technologies, trends, and issues within the food service industry and higher education.
• Develop and implement policies in areas such as meal plans, pricing, food safety, waste reduction, cash handling, selecting menus, establishing service hours and locations, and quality assurance to maintain operational standards.
• Drive sales growth by developing and implementing impactful marketing strategies to enhance the experience for the campus community and its visitors.
• Oversee major dining events and cate