Job Overview
Employment Type
Full-time
Work Schedule
Standard Hours
On-call
Weekend Shifts
Benefits
Medical insurance
Dental Insurance
Vision Insurance
Retirement plan with matching contribution
Paid holidays
paid life insurance
short-term disability
Job Description
Spalding University is a private, comprehensive educational institution located in the heart of downtown Louisville, Kentucky. Known for its rich history rooted in social justice and community service, Spalding serves approximately 1,600 students across bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral programs. The university offers a personalized learning environment with engaged faculty dedicated to providing real-world education in liberal and professional studies. Spalding promotes spiritual values, community engagement, and leadership development, making it a distinctive institution that bridges the needs of traditional students and working adults by offering an 8-week class delivery format for scheduling flexibility. The university is also committed to equal opportunity employment and fosters a diverse and inclusive community grounded in the Sisters of Charity of Nazareth legacy.
The Executive Chef and Director of Dining Services at Spalding University is a pivotal leadership role responsible for overseeing all culinary and dining operations on campus, including the dining hall, catering services, and special events. Reporting to the Chief Financial Officer, this full-time, exempt position is based at the Spalding University campus in downtown Louisville, Kentucky. The dual-scope role demands both hands-on culinary expertise and strategic direction to lead a vibrant dining program that aligns with the university’s mission and meets the needs of its diverse community.
This role leads the culinary vision and manages the financial aspects of the dining services department, including budgeting, vendor relations, contract management, and operational metrics. The Executive Chef and Director ensures that food quality, presentation, freshness, and consistency meet high standards while crafting seasonal menus that emphasize nutritional balance, allergen management, sustainability, and cultural variety. The position involves leadership in daily food preparation and service while driving innovation in menus and culinary programs that resonate with student preferences and the local Louisville food culture.
In addition to culinary leadership, the Director manages the dining services operations, including meal plan structuring, pricing strategies, revenue targets, and catering services. They also collaborate extensively with various university stakeholders such as Athletics, Student Experience, Residence Life, and Advancement to create seamless hospitality experiences that support student life and special institutional events.
People leadership is central to this role, involving recruiting, training, supervising, and evaluating a diverse team of culinary and service staff, including student employees. The Executive Chef fosters a culture of professionalism, teamwork, accountability, and continuous improvement while ensuring staff training in food safety, customer service, and culinary techniques. They also handle performance management and career development in alignment with human resources policies.
Compliance with health, safety, sanitation, and labor regulations is a critical component of the position. The Director ensures adherence to ServSafe standards, local public health requirements, OSHA regulations, and wage laws, while maintaining food safety protocols and allergen management practices.
Sustainability initiatives are also part of the role, focusing on waste reduction, responsible sourcing, and energy and water conservation in line with Spalding’s mission to meet contemporary needs. The Director acts as the principal contact for Dining Services throughout the university community, engaging with students, faculty, staff, and external partners to ensure exceptional customer satisfaction through data-driven improvements.
Overall, this is a dynamic and influential leadership position offering the opportunity to shape culinary and dining experiences at a mission-driven university committed to service, justice, and high-quality education.
The Executive Chef and Director of Dining Services at Spalding University is a pivotal leadership role responsible for overseeing all culinary and dining operations on campus, including the dining hall, catering services, and special events. Reporting to the Chief Financial Officer, this full-time, exempt position is based at the Spalding University campus in downtown Louisville, Kentucky. The dual-scope role demands both hands-on culinary expertise and strategic direction to lead a vibrant dining program that aligns with the university’s mission and meets the needs of its diverse community.
This role leads the culinary vision and manages the financial aspects of the dining services department, including budgeting, vendor relations, contract management, and operational metrics. The Executive Chef and Director ensures that food quality, presentation, freshness, and consistency meet high standards while crafting seasonal menus that emphasize nutritional balance, allergen management, sustainability, and cultural variety. The position involves leadership in daily food preparation and service while driving innovation in menus and culinary programs that resonate with student preferences and the local Louisville food culture.
In addition to culinary leadership, the Director manages the dining services operations, including meal plan structuring, pricing strategies, revenue targets, and catering services. They also collaborate extensively with various university stakeholders such as Athletics, Student Experience, Residence Life, and Advancement to create seamless hospitality experiences that support student life and special institutional events.
People leadership is central to this role, involving recruiting, training, supervising, and evaluating a diverse team of culinary and service staff, including student employees. The Executive Chef fosters a culture of professionalism, teamwork, accountability, and continuous improvement while ensuring staff training in food safety, customer service, and culinary techniques. They also handle performance management and career development in alignment with human resources policies.
Compliance with health, safety, sanitation, and labor regulations is a critical component of the position. The Director ensures adherence to ServSafe standards, local public health requirements, OSHA regulations, and wage laws, while maintaining food safety protocols and allergen management practices.
Sustainability initiatives are also part of the role, focusing on waste reduction, responsible sourcing, and energy and water conservation in line with Spalding’s mission to meet contemporary needs. The Director acts as the principal contact for Dining Services throughout the university community, engaging with students, faculty, staff, and external partners to ensure exceptional customer satisfaction through data-driven improvements.
Overall, this is a dynamic and influential leadership position offering the opportunity to shape culinary and dining experiences at a mission-driven university committed to service, justice, and high-quality education.
Job Requirements
- Associate’s degree in culinary arts, hospitality management, food service management, or related field or equivalent experience
- Minimum seven years of culinary and food service management experience
- At least three years in a leadership role overseeing multi-faceted dining operations
- Experience managing budgets, P&L, vendor contracts, and operational metrics
- Proven leadership and team development skills
- ServSafe Manager Certification or ability to obtain within 90 days
- Proficiency with food service management software and point-of-sale systems
- Excellent communication skills
- Commitment to educational mission
- Ability to work standing for long periods, frequent walking, bending, reaching, lifting up to 50 pounds
- Availability for occasional evenings, weekends, and on-call duties
- Willingness to comply with criminal background check
Job Qualifications
- Associate’s degree in culinary arts, hospitality management, food service management, or related field or equivalent professional experience
- Minimum seven years of progressively responsible culinary and food service management experience with at least three years in leadership role overseeing multifaceted dining operations
- Experience managing budgets, P&L, vendor contracts, and operational metrics
- Proven success in leading, developing, and retaining culinary and service teams
- Strong knowledge of menu development, recipe costing, food and labor cost controls, inventory management, and dining service models
- ServSafe Manager Certification or ability to obtain within 90 days
- Proficiency with food service management software, point-of-sale systems, and office productivity tools
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills
- Commitment to mission-driven educational environment
- Preferred: Bachelor’s degree in culinary arts, hospitality management, business administration or related field
- Certified Executive Chef (CEC) or comparable certification
- Experience in higher education, healthcare, or other institutional dining settings
- Experience managing concurrent dining and catering operations
- Experience with high-profile catering for executive, board, or donor audiences
- Knowledge of nutrition science, dietary accommodations, and wellness-focused menu design
- Familiarity with Louisville local food scene, regional producers, and community partners
Job Duties
- Lead all culinary operations across dining hall, catering, and special events ensuring high standards of food quality, presentation, freshness, and consistency
- Develop seasonal menus balancing nutritional value, dietary diversity, cultural variety, allergen management, sustainability, and budget
- Establish and maintain recipe standards, production guides, plate presentations, and quality control protocols
- Lead culinary staff in daily food preparation, service, and clean-up while maintaining visible engagement during peak service and events
- Direct day-to-day operations of Dining Services including dining hall, catering, vending, and concessions
- Develop and manage annual Dining Services budget, monitor financial performance, and produce regular financial reports
- Negotiate and manage vendor and supplier relationships pursuing cost efficiencies and local sourcing
- Recruit, hire, train, schedule, supervise, evaluate and develop culinary and service team members including student employees
- Foster a culture of professionalism, hospitality, accountability, teamwork, and continuous learning
- Ensure full compliance with federal, state, and local health, safety, sanitation, and labor regulations including ServSafe and OSHA
- Lead sustainability initiatives related to waste reduction, responsible sourcing, and resource stewardship
- Serve as primary point of contact for Dining Services across university community and external partners
- Collaborate with Athletics, Student Experience, Residence Life, Advancement, President’s Office, and Communications on event planning and hospitality
- Solicit, analyze, and act on customer feedback to drive continuous improvement
Job Criteria
Experience
Expert Level (7+ years)
Job Location
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