General Manager

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Location: Raleigh, NC

Essential Job Duties:
Are you an innovative hospitality leader with a passion for guest experience and operational excellence? NC State Dining is seeking a dynamic General Manager to provide strategic leadership, financial stewardship, and operational oversight for multiple campus dining units (Cafes and/or Markets).

In this role, you will drive the department’s hospitality services forward, designing strategic marketing programs that target students, faculty, staff, and corporate partners. Leading through a team of direct-report supervisors, you will ensure the efficient delivery of high-quality service while fostering a collaborative, positive workplace culture.

Duties include but are not limited to:
The General Manager designs and executes strategic marketing programs for the units, targeting NC State University students, faculty, staff, and corporate partners on campus. The incumbent must demonstrate an ability to build professional relationships internally and externally, and be a productive team member and collaborative campus partner.

Unit Management

• Establish goals for each unit and plan daily, weekly, semester work to meet those goals and those of the unit(s). Meet goals by planning work operations, setting priorities and meeting deadlines. Set weekly goals and meet budget goals by monitoring labor and cost of goods.
• Provide leadership and manage all food service operations during all hours of operations.
• Collaborate with chefs, retail operators, dietitian, and bakery to ensure food quality and presentation meets or exceeds NC State Dining’s standards and policies.
• Provide administrative supervision of all dietary activities, including planning and establishment of menus.
• Run and analyze Micros and Netmenu reports to effectively project operational needs.
• Develop working relationships with business partners on and around campus and encourage strong communication within a group setting.
• Develop unit operating procedures, and ensure that all university, division and unit HR policies and procedures are followed and customer expectations are being met.

Leadership and Administration

• Assist in SHRA, EPS and temporary employees’ recruitment and selection. Hire, on-board, and train new staff assigned to the unit.
• Approve leave requests timely, and ensure employees are properly submitting absences in the leave system.
• Follow University procedures for creating work plans and completing appraisals for subordinate employees. Recommend resolution of performance/disciplinary issues. Confer directly with the division’s human resources director when appropriate on employee relations issues.
• Intervene, mediate, and resolve problems among employees. Actively participate in and execute all aspects of performance management, disciplinary and dismissal actions for the entire workforce.
• Establish clear expectations for every employee so they understand their responsibilities. Provide feedback to and coach employees on job duties and responsibilities, and provide corrective action as necessary.
• Coordinate and execute staff training regularly and support Campus Enterprises’ training programs.
• Motivate and constructively lead supervisors to have a successful food service operation.

Communication and Customer Service

• Use the proper chain of command to communicate. Communicate in a timely manner to management if there are issues, questions, or concerns that need to be addressed – ie, safety concerns.
• Maintain campus email on a daily basis and respond to emails in a timely manner.
• Implement and maintain excellent communication between line employees, upper management and customers in verbal and written form.
• Communicate directly with staff about food status/levels during the service to ensure no lag time between replacements of food for service. Clearly communicate University-wide and Division-wide messages to staff to ensure staff have information available to them.
• Work closely with supervisors to build team concepts among staff members.
• Lead by example in demonstrating excellent customer service habits and skills.
• Respond to needs and requests of the customers in a timely fashion, anticipate customer needs and resolve customer conflicts.
• Communicate with guests in a professional manner, and accept feedback professionally.

Financial Administration

• Effectively monitor and manage the financial performance of the units. Participate in the budget development process. Monitor and manage food service operations to meet agreed upon targets including food and labor cost.
• Responsible for keeping the food service equipment in good working order and submitting requests for necessary repairs. Evaluate equipment needs and submit requests for new equipment that is compliant with available budget and departmental and university guidelines.
• Responsible for purchasing and inventory control for all delegated locations. Maintain reasonable labor and food costs based on departmental and industry best practices to meet budgeted key performance indicators.
• Make requests for additional operating budget based on sound business decisions and forecast of future business.
• Run and analyze Micros and Netmenu reports to effectively project operational needs.
• Develop and implement programs applying principles and methods for showing, promoting and selling products or services. Maintain current knowledge of the sources of supply, market factors and product characteristics of supplies and commodities being purchased.

Training & Human Resources Management

• Oversight for interviewing, hiring, training and scheduling employees to follow all guidelines and procedures set by brand standards and NC State Dining, including proper food handling procedures and cash register training.
• Train, mentor, and encourage employee growth by cross training, conducting in service training and “one-on one” coaching.
• Ensure brand standards, departmental and university policies and procedures are followed.
• Work and collaborate with CE HR on hiring, disciplinary actions, work plans, appraisals and terminations.
• Collaborate with CE HR on career advancement for employees under supervision of this position.
• Determine immediate and long term staffing needs for units.
• Develop new processes, procedures, and training programs as necessary to ensure that each location is run in the most efficient way possible and customer expectations are being met.
• Intervene, mediate, and resolve problems among employees. Actively participate in and execute all aspects of performance management, disciplinary and dismissal actions for the entire workforce.
• Train employees and monitor adherence to procedures, ensuring that menus and recipes are followed in the units, and that food safety protocols are followed at all times.
• Provide opportunities to improve competencies and advance career paths for supervisors
• Motivate and constructively lead supervisors to have a successful food service operation.
• Encourage and support team building projects to ensure completion dates are met.
• Exercise good judgement and leadership when communicating with work groups and encourage open communication to solve problems.

Compliance and Safety

• Demonstrate an understanding of and practice a high sanitation standard that ensures a healthy and safe working environment.
• Take immediate action to correct deficiencies.
• Keep all kitchen and service areas and equipment clean, sanitary, and everything in proper working order.
• Demonstrate and foster an environment that is safe for employees and co-workers. Follow guidelines set forth by Wake County Health Department and standard food code rules. Communicate to management if a safety or health compliance issue or concern is brought to the employee’s attention.
• Adhere to all food allergen training and best practices.
• Maintain a Grade A sanitation rating of 95% or better.
• Ensure all sanitation logs, inspections and cleaning schedules are completed on time.

Other Work/Responsibilities:

• Model the Division’s mission and values, introduce the Division’s mission and values to the employees, and foster a positive, cohesive workplace and congeniality among co-workers.
• Understand the goals and culture of the organization, and how employees’ work activities, teamwork, and customer service impact clients. Work with supervisor and colleagues to understand these goals and the workplace culture.
• Due to operational needs of the NC State Dining department, an employee may be assigned to work in any NC State Dining department including, but not limited to, catering and special events.
• Perform other duties as assigned to ensure NC State Dining business needs are met.
• Travel to areas of responsibility and to off site facilities as necessary.

Minimum Experience/Education:

• Bachelor’s Degree in Dietetics, Home Economics, Hospitality Management or related discipline and one year of food management experience OR
• Associate’s degree in a related discipline and three years of food management experience OR
• An equivalent combination of training and experience

Required Qualifications:

• Experience supervising and that includes hiring, training, employee relations, coaching and team building.
• Food service management knowledge; including knowledge of equipment, cooking methods, food safety and sanitation, and safety and health codes.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills to effectively communicate with customers, peers and supervisors; and professionally communicate with multiple levels of employees within the University.
• Ability to actively listen to the needs of the customer, provide accurate responses, and adjust communication style to ensure understanding.
• Provide outstanding customer service, including the ability to remain professional and respectful under pressure when dealing with difficult situations.
• Requires bending, twisting, pulling and pushing. Because of the nature of food service operations and working in a kitchen, you must be able to work in extremely hot and cold conditions.
• Must be able to lift 30 pounds above head and up to 60 pounds on rare occasions, with or without reasonable accommodation.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Food service management experience, such as planning, forecasting, ordering, budgeting in a cafe or market.
• Proficient technology utilization of Microsoft Office or Google Suite, email, food service point of sale (POS) systems and inventory systems, with the ability to learn additional software.
• Barista experience.
• Demonstrated experience in solving complex and routine problems.

Required License or Certification:

• ServSafe certification or the ability to obtain within 90 days of employment. Certification must be maintained as a condition of employment.
• Must obtain Brand specific certification, if applicable, as required by location within 30 days of employment.
• Valid NC Drivers License or the ability to obtain within 60 days of start. Must be maintained as a condition of employment.

AA/EEO Statement:
NC State University is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive equal opportunities for employment without regard to age, color, disability, gender identity, genetic information, national origin, race, religion, sex (including pregnancy), sexual orientation, and veteran status. The University encourages all qualified applicants, including protected veterans and individuals with disabilities, to apply. Individuals with disabilities requiring disability-related accommodations in the application and interview process are welcome to contact 919-513-0574 to speak with a representative of the Office of Equal Opportunity.

If you have general questions about the application process, you may contact Human Resources at (919) 515-2135 or workatncstate@ncsu.edu.

Final candidates are subject to criminal & sex offender background checks. Some vacancies also require credit or motor vehicle checks. Degree(s) must be obtained prior to start date in order to meet qualifications and receive credit.

NC State University participates in E-Verify. Federal law requires all employers to verify the identity and employment eligibility of all persons hired to work in the United States.

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