Assistant Director - Dining Operations

The Assistant Director - Dining Operations provides strategic and operational leadership for Georgia Military College's primary dining hall operations, including Bulldog Café (Prep School) and Top Dawg Diner (Junior College & Prep School). This position is responsible for ensuring exceptional daily dining operations through leadership of front-of-house services, staffing, scheduling, inventory execution, customer service, labor management, operational compliance, and employee development.

The Assistant Director develops operational systems, implements Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs), monitors operational Key Performance Indicators (KPIs), and drives continuous improvement initiatives that ensure a safe, efficient, and customer-focused dining experience. As a member of the Dining Services leadership team, this position collaborates closely with the Director of Dining Services and the Assistant Director - Culinary Operations & Executive Chef to ensure seamless coordination between culinary production and dining operations.

• Dining Hall Operations Leadership - Provides leadership and oversight for the daily operations of Bulldog Café and Top Dawg Diner, ensuring consistent execution of dining services, front-of-house operations, customer service standards, opening and closing procedures, operational readiness, and overall dining hall performance. Maintains a welcoming environment while ensuring operational efficiency and an exceptional customer experience.
• Staffing, Scheduling & Workforce Management - Directs staffing plans, employee scheduling, labor utilization, attendance management, cross-training, coaching, performance management, and workforce deployment for both dining hall operations. Ensures appropriate staffing levels while promoting employee engagement, accountability, and operational efficiency.
• Operational Compliance, Inventory Execution & SOP Management - Oversees inventory execution including receiving, storage, stock rotation, inventory counts, and operational readiness. Develops, implements, and maintains operational SOPs for dining hall operations while ensuring compliance with departmental procedures, cash handling practices, safety standards, and operational expectations.
• Performance Management & Continuous Improvement - Monitors operational KPIs related to customer satisfaction, labor productivity, service efficiency, dining hall utilization, employee performance, inventory accuracy, and operational consistency. Uses data to identify trends, improve workflows, and implement continuous improvement initiatives that enhance the dining experience.
• Leadership Development & Departmental Support - Recruits, mentors, coaches, and develops supervisors and frontline employees through onboarding, performance evaluations, succession planning, leadership development, and ongoing training. Supports departmental planning, special events, emergency operations, and strategic initiatives while serving as Acting Director when assigned.
• Criminal background check and drug screen must be cleared before any candidate may begin working.

Georgia Military College is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer.

Minimum Qualifications:

• Bachelor's degree in Hospitality Management, Business Administration, Food Service Management, Hotel & Restaurant Management, or a closely related field; or an equivalent combination of education, training, certifications, and progressively responsible professional experience.
• Five (5) years of progressively responsible leadership experience in dining services, hospitality, retail, food service, institutional operations, or related customer service environments.
• Experience supervising employees in a high-volume operation.
• Experience with workforce scheduling, labor management, customer service, and operational leadership.
• Experience implementing operational procedures and supervising daily service operations.
• Operational leadership
• Customer service management
• Workforce scheduling
• Labor management
• Leadership and employee coaching
• Inventory execution and accountability
• Cash handling oversight
• Operational compliance
• SOP development and implementation
• KPI monitoring and analysis
• Conflict resolution
• Strong organizational and communication skills
• Microsoft Office Suite

Preferred Qualifications:

• Management, Business Administration, Higher Education Administration, Public Administration, or related field.

• ServSafe Manager Certification preferred.

• Seven (7) or more years of leadership experience in higher education, military, hospitality, healthcare, or institutional dining.

• Experience managing multiple dining locations.

• Experience implementing KPIs, SOPs, workforce planning, and continuous improvement initiatives.

• Experience with inventory management, scheduling systems, and operational reporting.

• Scheduling software

• Inventory management systems

• POS reporting

• ERP systems

• Continuous improvement methodologies

• Operational analytics