Executive Director, Housing and Dining

About Drexel

Drexel is one of Philadelphia's top 10 private employers, a comprehensive global research university and a major engine for economic development in the region. With over 24,000 students, Drexel is one of America's 15 largest private universities. Drexel has committed to being the nation’s most civically engaged university, with community partnerships integrated into every aspect of service and academics.

Job Summary

The Executive Director, Housing and Dining, has primary and direct responsibility for Drexel-managed residential and conference housing occupancy and managing third-party contracts for foodservice (campus dining and catering) and on-campus affiliated residential housing. This position provides leadership and vision for the residential housing and conference occupancy program and dining services (focusing on program development, quality assurance, and customer feedback). The executive director is responsible for maintaining strategic relationships and daily management of third-party auxiliary contracts for foodservice (campus dining and catering), on-campus residential housing, and the University bookstores.

The executive director is responsible for ensuring a high level of student satisfaction for the services in their portfolio. The executive director leads the development and management of Drexel Business Service’s annual revenue budget and the long-term financial planning as it relates to their assigned area(s) and oversees outsourced services to ensure contract compliance.

In addition, the executive director will play a critical role in implementing the University’s strategic plan’s Housing & Auxiliary Initiative Team strategy.

The Executive Director, Housing and Dining position is a leadership position on the Drexel Business Services team. Drexel Business Services includes:

• Residential and conference housing
• Campus dining and catering
• Retail management (including bookstores, vending, and merchant programs)
• DragonCard services
• On-campus parking services.

Essential Functions

• Develop and lead the housing and dining program experience strategies to meet student needs. Leverage experience, industry best practice, and partner-informed strateg(ies) to deliver programs that enhance the on-campus living experience and add value to the University’s recruitment and retention initiatives. Develop relationships throughout the Drexel community and identify opportunities to align housing, dining and bookstore services to the University’s Strategic Plan.
• Manage the housing occupancy management, conference services, and dining customer service teams which are responsible for the room assignment and dining plan registration processes, procedures and policies. Serve as the second-level escalation contact for service issues (related to housing assignments, dining plans, exception requests, etc.). Resolve customer requests promptly, at times leveraging internal and external relationships, to achieve the best possible outcome for the student.
• Serve as the primary Drexel point of contact for the third-party foodservice (campus dining and catering) and bookstore contracted partners. As the primary Business Services’ contact, develop a mutually beneficial partnerships working collaboratively on program development, dining plan design, quality assurance, financial results, policies and procedures, event and programming, and customer service. Manage the development and execution of quality assurance checklists for dining and bookstore locations. Develop the customer feedback strategy (secret shop, vendor surveys, student focus groups, etc.), oversee the collection and review processes, and coordinate with contracted partners on action plans. Ensure contracted partners are developing and implementing marketing and communications strategies to promote revenue generation.
• Serve as the primary Drexel point of contact for the third-party residential housing partner(s). Develop a mutually beneficial partnership and work collaboratively with the vendor on occupancy, financial results, policies and procedures, and customer service. Review escalated customer feedback and coordinate with the vendor on action plans. Ensure contracted partner(s) are developing and implementing marketing and communications strategies to promote revenue generation.
• Lead the financial strategy for assigned area(s) and maximize bottom-line performance. Audit the processing of housing and dining billing to ensure the appropriate accounting in the University administrative systems (StarRez, CBORD, and Banner). Work with Drexel Business Services’ finance and administration team to reconcile monthly, quarterly and annual audit findings.
• Collect, analyze and distribute data related to housing and dining from benchmark institutions, industry standards, and best practices. Measure and audit the performance, availability, and cost of programs and services compared to internal and external metrics. Prepare executive summaries and recommendations.
• Represent the department on committees and initiatives, including but not limited to the preparation of, or presentation of, department information.
• Ability and willingness to work a flexible schedule, including nights and weekends as needed.
• Other duties as assigned.

Required Qualifications

• Master’s Degree
• At least 10 years of relevant experience

Location

University City – Philadelphia, PA

Additional Information

This position is classified as Exempt with a salary grade of O. For more information regarding Drexel’s Professional Staff salary structure, https://drexel.edu/hr/career/ducomp/salstructure/

Special Instructions to the Applicant

Please make sure you upload your CV/resume and cover letter when submitting your application.

Review of applicants will continue until a suitable candidate pool is identified.

Advertised:Nov 29 2021 Eastern Standard Time
Applications close:Dec 29 2021 Eastern Standard Time