About Us - Values Overview

Department Summary

It’s About the Food!
Why work for UNT Dining? Our employees explain. – YouTube

As the largest self-supported food service department in North Texas, UNT Dining Services is setting the standard for campus dining. With five Dining Halls, more than 20 retail locations, an upscale restaurant, a hydroponic garden, a central scratch bakery, and full-service catering, the department is led by a team of professionally trained chefs and hospitality experts. UNT is recognized as a national leader in university dining, known for its innovative, trendsetting approach and award-winning culinary talent.

UNT Dining Services is home to Mean Greens Café, the nation’s first 100% vegan collegiate dining hall, and Kitchen West, Texas’ first and only university dining hall certified Free From™ the Big 8 food allergens and gluten. In 2021, UNT introduced Eagle Landing, the university’s first standalone dining hall, inspired by urban food halls and featuring seven distinct restaurant concepts—all available for a single Meal Plan swipe.

Recognized for excellence, UNT was ranked No. 2 nationwide for best college food by Delish.com. The department is also the proud recipient of the prestigious Loyal E. Horton Award and the Vegan Recipe Award from the National Association of College and University Food Services. As a founding member of the Menus of Change University Research Collaborative, UNT plays an active role in pioneering research on plant-forward diets, food waste reduction, and consumer food choices, all while advancing the principles of healthy, sustainable menus.

Position Overview

The Associate Director at Eagle Landing is a senior leadership role within UNT Dining, responsible for providing strategic direction and operational oversight for the university’s flagship, high-volume dining facility. Serving thousands of students daily in an all-you-care-to-eat environment, this position ensures excellence across culinary operations, guest experience, financial performance, and team leadership.

This role oversees all aspects of the operation, including menu innovation, food production, service delivery, and financial management. Working closely with the Assistant Director / General Chef Manager, this position ensures alignment between culinary strategy and day-to-day execution, driving consistency, quality, and innovation across all dining platforms.

The Associate Director drives continuous improvement, ensuring high standards in food quality, consistency, and customer satisfaction while aligning with UNT Dining’s priorities in sustainability, wellness, and student engagement. The position also leads compliance efforts, ensuring adherence to all health, safety, and dietary regulations, and promotes responsible sourcing and sustainable practices.

A key focus is building and developing high-performing teams through effective recruitment, training, and succession planning, while fostering a collaborative workplace culture. In addition, this leader manages budgets, forecasting, cost controls, and operational data to support strategic planning and long-term growth.

This role is essential to maintaining operational consistency, regulatory compliance, and the capacity to meet evolving student needs in a dynamic, high-demand dining environment. The ideal candidate is an experienced, strategic leader with a strong background in high-volume food service operations, financial management, and team development, along with a passion for innovation and student-centered dining excellence.

Minimum Qualifications

Bachelor's degree in related field and five years of professional related experience; or any equivalent combination of education, training, and experience.

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities

This position requires extensive knowledge of food safety regulations and advanced expertise in managing high-volume culinary operations. The ideal candidate demonstrates strong leadership in coordinating kitchen activities, maintaining standards, and meeting strict production timelines. They possess excellent problem-solving and communication skills, with the ability to train staff, standardize processes, and enforce procedures effectively. Success in this role also requires strong organizational and time management abilities, the capacity to perform under pressure in fast-paced environments, and a consistent focus on delivering high-quality, on-time results with minimal supervision.

Preferred Qualifications

The ideal candidate holds a degree in hospitality, culinary arts, or a related field and brings several years of progressive leadership experience in high-volume food service or dining operations. Preferred candidates will have a ServSafe Manager Certification (or the ability to obtain it), along with strong experience in financial management, staff development, and both front- and back-of-house operations. A background in menu development, sustainability initiatives, and the use of food service systems and data-driven tools is highly valued, with culinary certifications considered a plus.

Required License/Registration/Certifications

Job Duties

• Provide strategic oversight of dining operations, ensuring the consistent delivery of high-quality, safe, and efficient meal service across all platforms. Establish performance expectations and monitor operational outcomes to align with departmental and university standards. 
• Direct and approve menu strategy in collaboration with culinary leadership, emphasizing innovation, seasonality, and alignment with nutrition and sustainability goals. Oversee the effective use of systems such as FoodPro to ensure accuracy, consistency, and continuous menu improvement. 
• Set and enforce standards for food quality, presentation, and guest experience, utilizing data, feedback, and operational audits to drive continuous improvement and quickly resolve systemic issues impacting dining quality. 
• Lead organizational development by overseeing recruitment, training strategy, performance management, and succession planning for management and frontline staff. Ensure training programs and food safety practices are consistently implemented and aligned with best practices. 
• Foster a high-performance, customer-focused culture that prioritizes an exceptional dining experience, operational efficiency, and team engagement. Champion initiatives that enhance service quality, reduce wait times, and improve overall operational effectiveness. 
• Ensure full compliance with university policies, health regulations, and safety standards by establishing accountability systems, conducting regular audits, and reinforcing adherence to HACCP and standardized operating procedures across all areas of operation. 

Physical Requirements

Sedentary work that primarily involves sitting/standing.
Repeating motions that may include the wrists, hands and/or fingers.
Moving about to accomplish tasks or moving from one worksite to another.
Lifting and Moving objects up to 50 pounds.
Communicating with others to exchange information.

Environmental Hazards

No adverse environmental conditions expected.
Noisy environments.

Work Schedule

Hours Vary

Driving University Vehicle

Yes

Security Sensitive

This is a Security Sensitive Position.

Special Instructions

Applicants must submit a minimum of two professional references as part of their application. If needed, additional references can be added after the application has been submitted. 

Benefits

For information regarding our Benefits, click here.

EEO Statement

The University of North Texas System is firmly committed to equal opportunity and does not permit –and takes actions to prevent – discrimination, harassment (including sexual violence, domestic violence, dating violence and stalking), and retaliation on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, sex, age, disability, genetic information, or veteran status in its application, employment practices, and facilities; nor permits race, color, national origin, religion, age, disability, veteran status, or sex discrimination and harassment in its admissions processes, and educational programs and activities. UNT System Administration promptly investigates complaints of discrimination, harassment, and related retaliation and takes remedial action when appropriate. System Administration also takes actions to prevent retaliation against individuals who oppose any form of harassment or discriminatory practice, file a charge or report, or testify, assist, or participate in a related investigation or proceeding.