Senior General Manager

Submit your application to our website: https://careersearch.stanford.edu/jobs/senior-general-manager-30769

The Senior General Manager reports to the Senior Director of Student Dining within Stanford Residential & Dining Enterprises (R&DE) and serves as the on-site operational leader, responsible for the daily execution of the residential student dining meal program and late-night retail operations of multiple assigned dining halls (as applicable).

This role is accountable for delivering high-quality meals and exceptional hospitality that support student success, well-being, and the overall campus experience. The Senior General Manager ensures that all aspects of the dining operation are executed consistently at a high level, including food quality, service standards, cleanliness, and operational reliability.

They lead and develop frontline teams, ensuring staffing, training, and day-to-day operations are aligned to meet student demand throughout all meal periods, and can include late-night service. This role is responsible for creating a welcoming, student-centered environment that fosters connection, care, and community. Working closely with students, peers, and campus partners, the Senior General Manager Hall Manager addresses operational challenges in real time, incorporates student feedback into service improvements, and ensures compliance with all food safety, ADA, and university standards. The role is ultimately responsible for delivering a seamless, high-quality dining experience at multi-unit locations that reflects Stanford’s commitment to excellence and hospitality.

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.

Job Purpose

Plan, organize, coordinate, and profitably manage multiple or single food service operations, or manage staffing transactions and operations for a significantly sized single operation. Will typically be the leader for large or multiple units with more than $750,000 in revenue targets and a combined size of 15 or more FTE. Often manage other leaders in addition to the front-line staff.

Core Duties

• Execute a high-quality daily dining experience by consistently meeting standards for food quality, presentation, and hospitality, while achieving unit-level student satisfaction targets.

• Maintain excellence in service execution across all meal periods, including late-night retail, ensuring proper staffing, throughput, and service consistency.

• Achieve financial and operational targets by managing labor, food cost, and waste within established benchmarks, including cost per meal and labor efficiency.

• Lead and develop frontline teams by improving employee engagement, ensuring proper training, and maintaining appropriate staffing levels to support operations.

• Implement programs that support student well-being by executing menus and offerings that align with nutritional standards and wellness initiatives.

• Drive continuous improvement at the unit level by identifying operational gaps, implementing solutions, and improving service speed, quality, and consistency.

• Strengthen coordination with campus and internal partners by effectively communicating and supporting cross-functional initiatives within the dining hall.

• Support implementation of strategic initiatives by executing new programs, technologies, and service models within the unit and ensuring successful adoption.

• Perform all duties of lower-level food service manager jobs.

• Lead business optimization efforts by compiling and analyzing data and reports to make appropriate business correction recommendations, utilizing food management software systems to control revenue and expenses, preparing operational reports, reviewing progress and adverse trends and making appropriate corrective recommendations, and leading overall labor law, bargaining agreement, and university policy compliance within assigned units.

• Optimize employee relations by participating in the processes of interviewing, hiring, training, counseling, mentoring, and evaluating all levels of staff.

• Lead local menu and marketing development by overseeing and introducing contemporary marketing and merchandizing trends, strategies, and features to enhance business and customer satisfaction.

• Lead health and safety standard compliance by conducting regular on-site food quality, merchandising, sanitation, equipment maintenance, real-time safety and food handling practices, and staff and facility appearance inspections at assigned unit(s).

Minimum Requirements

Education & Experience

Bachelor's degree in hospitality management or hotel and restaurant management, certification by a recognized culinary institution, or an equivalent combination of education and operational food service experience. Seven years of management experience, with five years of institutional, hotel, or restaurant food service facility management experience, including large quantity production culinary skills, or other relevant management in large and multi-unit dynamic restaurant environments.

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities

• Proven track record of successfully controlling costs and managing annual budgets exceeding one million dollars.

• Ability to work independently and show creativity and initiative on projects with minimal supervision.

• Ability to effectively supervise and train a diverse work staff.

• Demonstrated experience in staff training/ development in a multi-unit restaurant environment with different levels of staff and competencies.

• Demonstrated proficiency in the research, development, and implementation of new food products, incorporating an understanding of food trends and marketing concepts.

• Strong technical skills in food production and food safety.

• Proficiency and experience with computerized culinary and menu management software.

• Ability to interpret, analyze, and recommend operational changes based on data, budgets, and goals.

• Demonstrated experience with a high volume, dynamic, and complex menu cycle that meets a variety of customer tastes.

• Demonstrated experience with daily planning and daily organization with attention to detail.

• For retail locations, additional qualifications also apply:

• Two years of cash handling experience in a retail environment.

• Demonstrated ability to create and drive localized marketing plans.

• Demonstrated ability to make decisions related to department complaints, real-time scheduling, marketing, and customer service.

Certifications and Licenses

None

Physical Requirements

• Ability to exert up to 50 pounds of lifting force occasionally and/or a negligible amount of force constantly to move objects.

• Ability to bend, stoop, and perform extensive walking.

• Ability to see and taste food for quality.

• Ability to exert well-paced mobility to move quickly to the different areas of the facility as service and production demands require.

Working Conditions

• Work flexible and demanding hours. Frequently work long hours completing widely diverse duties. Subjected to wet floors, temperature extremes, and excessive noise.

Work Standards

Interpersonal Skills: Demonstrates the ability to work well with Stanford colleagues and clients and with external organizations.

Promote Culture of Safety: Demonstrates commitment to personal responsibility and value for safety; communicates safety concerns; uses and promotes safe behaviors based on training and lessons learned.

Subject to and expected to comply with all applicable University policies and procedures, including but not limited to the personnel policies and other policies found in the University's Administrative Guide, http://adminguide.stanford.edu.

The expected pay range for this position is $125,000 - $140,000 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.

Why Stanford is for You

Imagine a world without search engines or social platforms. Consider lives saved through first-ever organ transplants and research to cure illnesses. Stanford University has revolutionized the way we live and enriches the world. Supporting this mission is our diverse and dedicated 17,000 staff. We seek talent driven to impact the future of our legacy. Our culture and unique perks empower you with:

• Freedom to grow. We offer career development programs, tuition reimbursement, or course auditing. Join a TedTalk, film screening, or listen to a renowned author or global leader speak.

• A caring culture. We provide superb retirement plans, generous time-off, and family care resources.

• A healthier you. Climb our rock wall or choose from hundreds of health or fitness classes at our world-class exercise facilities. We also provide excellent health care benefits.

• Discovery and fun. Stroll through historic sculptures, trails, and museums.

• Enviable resources. Enjoy free commuter programs, ridesharing incentives, discounts and more.

The job duties listed are typical examples of work performed by positions in this job classification and are not designed to contain or be interpreted as a comprehensive inventory of all duties, tasks, and responsibilities. Specific duties and responsibilities may vary depending on department or program needs without changing the general nature and scope of the job or level of responsibility. Employees may also perform other duties as assigned.

Consistent with its obligations under the law, the University will provide reasonable accommodation to any employee with a disability who requires accommodation to perform the essential functions of his or her job.

Stanford is an equal employment opportunity and affirmative action employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law.

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.