POSITION SUMMARY
The Hospitality Director plays a pivotal strategic and operational role in the delivery of world-class hospitality services across the organisation. The postholder is responsible for ensuring excellence in catering, event support, accommodation services, and customer-facing food outlets, while fostering a unified, service-oriented culture that meets the needs of participants, students, staff, faculty, and guests. This role requires a high level of cross-functional coordination, financial oversight, and people leadership, directly impacting institutional reputation and operational sustainability.
KEY RESPONSIBILITIES include but are not limited to the following:
Strategic and Operational Leadership
- Formulate and execute the strategic plan for the hospitality department in alignment with institutional objectives.
- Oversee the end-to-end operations of catering, events, accommodation, and retail outlets.
- Establish quality benchmarks and service standards for all hospitality units.
Catering and Culinary Operations
- Lead menu development and service protocols across institutional and event catering.
- Supervise food procurement, preparation, storage, and service to ensure high standards of taste, hygiene, and safety.
- Coordinate nutritional planning for students and programme participants, including dietary and religious accommodations.
Retail & Gazebo Operations
- Manage the daily operations of the gazebo outlet as a standalone profit-generating business unit.
- Develop seasonal and themed promotional events to enhance traffic and customer engagement.
- Monitor inventory turnover, waste management, and revenue targets.
Guest Accommodation Management
- Ensure the smooth functioning of guest services including room readiness, housekeeping, and concierge operations.
- Develop SOPs for check-in/out, room service, and maintenance to ensure comfort and satisfaction.
- Implement feedback mechanisms and rapid response systems to resolve guest issues.
Event and Venue Management
- Liaise with internal departments and external vendors to deliver seamless event services.
- Lead logistical planning for academic ceremonies and other engagements and programmes.
- Maintain booking systems, venue readiness checklists, and post-event reviews.
Financial Management
- Prepare and monitor departmental budgets covering payroll, procurement, equipment, and operations.
- Track revenue from catering, event hosting, accommodation, and retail operations.
- Implement cost-saving initiatives while maintaining or improving service quality.
Leadership and Human Resource Development
- Lead a multidisciplinary team comprising chefs, service staff, and operations personnel.
- Define job roles, recruit staff, conduct performance evaluations, and plan succession.
- Ensure full compliance with labour laws, institutional policies, and training requirements.
Quality Assurance and Health & Safety Compliance
- Ensure all facilities comply with statutory and institutional hygiene and safety standards.
- Coordinate regular audits, risk assessments, and compliance inspections.
- Implement proactive safety procedures and emergency response protocols.
Stakeholder Experience and Customer Service
- Drive a culture of hospitality that reflects institutional values and delivers consistent experience to all stakeholders.
- Monitor guest satisfaction through formal and informal channels; analyse feedback and drive improvement plans.
- Resolve escalated complaints swiftly and diplomatically.
Cross-functional Collaboration
- Act as liaison between hospitality and departments such as Facilities, Finance, ICT, and Academic and Executive Programmes.
- Represent hospitality in cross-departmental meetings, audits, and planning forums.
COMPETENCES
Knowledge
- Advanced understanding of institutional hospitality, F&B, and hotel management.
- Strong familiarity with health and safety, environmental, and food regulation compliance.
- Sound grasp of hospitality budgeting, reporting, and vendor contracting.
Skills
- Excellent verbal and written communication.
- Strong leadership, team building, and delegation.
- Competence in negotiation, scheduling, and supply chain coordination.
- Advanced proficiency in Microsoft Office, POS, and hospitality management software.
Personal Attributes
- High integrity and professional ethics.
- Results-driven and customer-focused.
- Calm under pressure with a hands-on, can-do attitude.
- Flexible, diplomatic, and empathetic in approach.
Qualifications and Experience
- Bachelor’s degree in hospitality management or related discipline.
- Minimum 15 years of progressive hospitality experience with at least 8 years in a senior leadership role.
- Demonstrated expertise in multi-unit hospitality management.
- Strong commercial acumen and experience managing large-scale budgets and diverse teams.
Salary Grade
Executive Level (Contract)
Deadline for applications : 28 August 2025