Director, Culinary and F+B Operations

Marriott International is the world’s largest hotel company, renowned for its extensive portfolio of brands, vast hotel network, and numerous opportunities for career growth and success. Headquartered in Bethesda, Maryland, Marriott International stands as a global leader in the hospitality industry, committed to delivering exceptional guest experiences across luxury, full-service, select-service, and extended-stay properties worldwide. The company fosters an inclusive work environment that values diverse backgrounds, talents, and experiences, creating a culture where employees can begin their purpose, belong to an amazing global team, and become the best version of themselves.

This exciting opportunity is for the role of Director, Culinary and Food & Beverage Operations, a key leadership position within Marriott International’s Emerging Businesses division. This role operates remotely but is based out of Marriott International's headquarters in Bethesda, Maryland. The position is full-time, management-level, and bonus eligible, offering a competitive salary range between $126,900 and $173,000 annually for Bethesda-based employees and slightly adjusted pay range for remote employees. Additionally, the role includes a stock package as part of the compensation.

The Director, Culinary and Food & Beverage Operations leads operational support for both onboard and onshore disciplines across Marriott's new and existing emerging luxury businesses. This includes overseeing culinary and food and beverage strategies designed to elevate guest experiences through innovative product development, system enhancements, and collaboration with business owners, brand leadership, discipline leaders, and continent leadership. The position demands expertise in market research and trend analysis to inform long- and short-term planning aligned with strategic growth initiatives. The Director’s role is critical in ensuring the delivery of high-quality culinary experiences consistent with Marriott’s premium luxury standards.

The successful candidate will have proven, hands-on operational leadership experience within luxury Food & Beverage operations that cover both front of house, including service, bar, and dining operations, and back of house culinary functions such as kitchen operations, menu execution, training, and sanitation/quality. Experience leading multi-site or multi-unit teams is essential, with measurable outcomes demonstrated in guest satisfaction, quality scores, margin management, and consistency. This role places a high value on leadership obtained through roles in complex mobile hospitality environments such as cruise lines or rail dining programs, though not every candidate is expected to meet every criterion.

Key responsibilities encompass facilitating collaboration between luxury design, development, and implementation phases for culinary, restaurant, and bar concepts; managing multiple projects with competing priorities across different brands, continents, and ownership; mentoring culinary and food and beverage development teams; and acting as a subject matter expert on culinary standards and operational best practices, including an understanding of Forbes Food & Beverage and Michelin guidelines. The Director also champions sustainability initiatives and global culinary training programs while representing Marriott at industry events and facilitating strategic partnerships.

The role requires excellent project management and change leadership skills, strong business acumen for budgeting and cost management, and the ability to foster cross-functional collaboration. Candidates are expected to bring strong communication and interpersonal skills, the capability to read blueprints and floor plans, and a passion for design trends and operational challenges. Marriott International emphasizes equal opportunity employment, providing a supportive and inclusive environment for all employees, along with comprehensive benefits such as a 401(k) plan, stock purchase plan, medical, dental, vision coverage, paid parental leave, educational assistance, and commuter benefits.

Joining Marriott International as a Director, Culinary and Food & Beverage Operations means becoming part of a global leader that encourages creativity, continuous learning, and innovation, while providing the resources and environment to succeed in a dynamic, luxury hospitality space.