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 catering logistics.
• Optimize kitchen and service area designs for workflow efficiency and enhanced customer experience, which includes product set-ups and capital improvements.
• Develop programs, including but not limited to nutritional programs, internships, teaching kitchen options, pop-up retail opportunities, etc., that encourage student interaction and social engagement with students, faculty, and staff.

Fiscal Stewardship

• Develop and implement financial plans for dining services, including annual budgets, long-range capital planning, establishment and management of pricing structures, and deployment of resources to ensure that dining services are managed as efficiently and effectively as possible.
• Oversee vendor and contract management, including vendor negotiations and service delivery improvement.

Leadership & Team Support

• Build and maintain positive relationships within the department, uphold high professional standards, and resolve conflicts effectively. Ensure that the dining work environment promotes accountability and productivity.
• Partner with Human Resources to recruit, develop, train, and retain a team of qualified and productive dining service employees.
• Provide guidance on departmental goal development and implementation, and timely feedback regarding performance on meeting goals.

Community Collaboration

• Establish and oversee effective communication channels to ensure transparency, foster collaboration, and build trust among all campus stakeholders and/or external stakeholders.
• Build relationships and broaden networks to include local organizations, peer institutions, and other associations that could be a resource to the dining operations.
• Guide and support sustainability initiatives within the Swarthmore Dining Department, ensuring alignment with broader campus sustainability goals. Implement practices that reduce environmental impact and promote responsible resource use.

Supervisory Responsibilities

Directly supervise the work of two Associate Directors, support the administrative manager, and oversee a team consisting of managers, supervisors/leads, all other dining staff, and student-managed programs and initiatives.

Effectively perform the following:

• Organize workflow and ensure staff understand their duties or delegated tasks.
• Ensure that staff have a professional development plan in place. Provide and develop training opportunities. Create and conduct staff performance evaluations.
• Communicate key issues and information to staff.
• Provide fair, constructive, and timely feedback.
• In partnership with Human Resources, follow disciplinary procedures as established in accordance with the employee handbook.
• Participate in supervisory training opportunities.
• Maintain a safe, diverse, and inclusive work environment.

Who you are:

The ideal candidate for Executive Director of Swarthmore Dining is a dynamic, inspiring, and forward-thinking leader with significant operational, financial, and strategic experience managing college or high-volume food service programs. This individual is skilled at overseeing diverse dining operations, including residential dining, retail, catering, and student-run programs, while expertly handling large budgets and developing innovative long-term strategies for growth and sustainability. Above all, the ideal candidate is collaborative, solutions-oriented, and passionate about fostering sustainability, wellness, and community engagement.

• You excel in staff recruitment, development, and retention, nurturing a positive, inclusive team culture and guiding teams through periods of change, which is especially vital as Swarthmore transitions following the retirement of a director who served for over 30 years.
• You are highly tech-savvy and data-driven, leverage modern food service technologies, analyze trends, and apply customer feedback to enhance both efficiency and the quality of campus dining experiences.
• You have an unwavering commitment to exceptional customer service, and you are responsive to the evolving needs of a diverse campus, setting high standards in nutrition, food safety, and hospitality.
• You are adaptable and resilient, you thrive in fast-paced, complex environments, proactively addressing operational challenges and emergencies with flexibility and composure.
• You possess the vision and interpersonal skills necessary to navigate established traditions, lead cultural and organizational change, build strong partnerships, and position Swarthmore Dining for future success, while upholding the College’s mission and values.

What you bring:

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree with at least seven years of progressively responsible experience in a leadership role.
• Certifications in ServSafe or other culinary food safety programs and/or allergen awareness.
• Proven expertise in production requirements, human resources, and fiscal management, especially in managing food and labor costs.
• Experience in hiring, selecting, retaining, training, supervising, and evaluating staff.
• Experience in budget development, financial systems, and operational budget management.
• Demonstrated leadership in developing vision and strategic planning.
• Strong problem-solving skills and a commitment to customer service within a diverse community.
• Must be intuitive, flexible, and readily available to address needs as they arise.
• Exceptional communication skills, including interpersonal, written, public speaking, teaching, and instruction.
• Proven track record of teamwork, collaboration, and partnerships with various operations, services, colleagues, and programs.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office, email, CBORD (or similar systems), recipe software, inventory and timekeeping systems, and catering software.
• Knowledge of residential and retail food service programs in a college or university setting.
• Valid driver's license.

Preferred Qualifications

• Master's degree in food service administration, institutional management, nutrition, dietetics, or a related field.
• At least ten years of progressively responsible supervisory and administrative experience in a high-volume food service operation with a diverse daily menu.
• Familiarity with restorative practices and approaches to student interactions.

Physical Demands

Physically capable of lifting and carrying up to 50 lbs, including transporting heavy items on stairs and through tight spaces. Able to perform prolonged physical tasks such as standing, bending, squatting, kneeling, shoveling, and using vibrating hand tools. Requires sustained hand, arm, and back strength, with the ability to maintain accurate work records throughout physically demanding tasks.

Working Conditions

This role requires a versatile skill set, adaptability, and the ability to work both independently and collaboratively with a diverse team. Responsibilities demand physical stamina, attention to safety, particularly when operating equipment or performing physically demanding tasks, and the ability to work outdoors in all weather conditions. As an essential employee, availability for emergency response, including storm-related duties, is required and may involve 24/7 support. The position includes scheduled weekend shifts and may require working outside of regular hours depending on operational needs.

What You Will Get:

You’ll work at one of the world's most renowned liberal arts Colleges, with incredible benefits, a stunning 420-acre campus, and a collaborative work environment. Join a team of passionate, creative people who work hard and have fun supporting the College students, faculty, and staff.

We want to hear from you if you are excited about this role! For full consideration, submit applications with an uploaded resume, including a cover letter, by December 1, 2025. Applications received after this date may be reviewed on a rolling basis until the job has been filled. A cover letter indicating how your qualifications and experience have prepared you for this position. If you have experience that meets any of the preferred qualifications, please include a detailed explanation of any such experience in your cover letter and how it meets the preferred qualification(s).

The market range for this position is $148,000 - $168,000 per year, which represents the College’s good faith and reasonable estimate of the range at the time of posting. The salary offered is determined based on factors including, but not limited to, experience and education of the final selected candidate, departmental budget availability, internal salary equity considerations, and available market information.

PA Criminal Clearance Required

Swarthmore College requires a PA Criminal background check for all staff positions prior to the start of employment.

MVR Clearance Required by Position

Due to operating a College owned motor vehicle while performing essential job responsibilities for this position, a motor vehicle report (MVR) clearance is required prior to the start of employment.

Education Verification Required by Position

An education verification is required for this position because a college degree is a required qualification for this position.

Preview our Benefits Flyer. We offer benefit plans starting at zero cost! Upon benefit eligibility, the College contributes 10% of an employee’s salary to their retirement account. Employees are 100% vested in their accounts on the date participation begins.

2025 Swarthmore Benefits Guidebook

Retirement Plans

Tuition Grant Program

Tuition Reimbursement Program

Paid Time Off (Staff)

Holiday Schedule

Swarthmore College is committed to creating a culture of respect and inclusion so that every member of our community feels a sense of belonging. We actively seek and welcome candidates with diverse perspectives and experiences, exceptional qualifications, and a demonstrable commitment to a more inclusive society and world. Swarthmore College is an Equal Opportunity Employer and does not discriminate based on any identity or characteristic protected by law or College Policy.