Vice President of Operations

Join our esteemed leadership team in Evanston as the Vice President of Operations for a premier account at Northwestern University. This globally recognized university represents the best-in-class offerings by Compass Group.

Northwestern University attracts a student body from around the world, with an acceptance rate of approximately 9.1% of applicants. The Northwestern culture is very inclusive and has a key focus on inclusive dining. Northwestern strives to provide a dining experience beyond any offered by peer institutions. Situated on the beautiful Lake Michigan shoreline in Evanston, Northwestern offers easy access to enjoy experiences in Chicago & Milwaukee, and excellent schools, dining and shopping in Evanston.

As the VP of Operations, you will lead business operations and client relations. This role will lead by influence to ensure campus innovation and community relations are outstanding. Multiple Compass sectors are represented on campus including Chartwells, Flik, Levy, Canteen and contracts with Foodworks and partnership with Thompson Hospitality, and you will be the single point of client contact for all Compass services. The best candidate for this position has an eye for business, strong relationship building skills, emotional intelligence, political savvy and is adaptable to rapidly changing and evolving circumstances. The successful candidate will excel at relationship building and leading by influence.

Key Responsibilities:

• Sets the tone for culture of organization on campus and regularly meets with extended team to ensure full transparency, education, safety, accountability, and alignment.
• Develops a comprehensive plan for the campus dining program in partnership with our clients to achieve a positive environment for students and visitors.
• Ensures commitment to results for all areas of responsibilities, including but not limited to: Visitor Experience, Client Retention and Satisfaction, Financial Performance and Requirements, Regulatory Compliance, Purchasing Requirements, Culinary Programs and Standards, Human Resources Management, Sustainability, Wellness, Retail and Marketing Programs.
• Directs business to achieve high performance as measured by the company KPI's and leads strategic planning meetings to continue to design and develop the program.
• Ensures proper management of resources, sales, finance, human resources, and customer service with full P&L accountability.
• Champions development of our teams on campus; conducts performance evaluations, along with succession planning; has full understanding of all roles within the operation.
• Successfully builds relationships at all levels of the clients' organization while leading an effective and results achieving team within the Chicago and Evanston campuses.
• Identifies client's needs and makes recommendations accordingly.
• Identifies and predicts marketplace trends; participates in meetings to explore opportunities for improving guest happiness.
• Communicates account progress and new programs to client driving innovation.
• Focuses on building dynamic local vendor partnerships and relationships driving local purchasing and MWBE spend.

• Bachelor's degree is preferred, or equivalent professional experience
• Campus dining experience required, or equivalent professional experience
• Read and interpret business records and statistical reports
• Analyze and interpret policies and contracts
• Possess a passion for service in the local community and developing a diverse supply chain
• 10-15 years of hospitality experience, with higher education preferred, including 10 years at the management level with five to seven years of experience of direct multi-unit management oversight
• Experience in direct oversight of a total managed volume of $30M or higher
• Experience in personnel management including hiring, supervision, evaluation, and succession planning