Director of Restaurants & Food - Buying & Merchandising

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Director of Restaurants & Food - Buying & Merchandising, London

Client: Selfridges

Location: London, United Kingdom

Job Category: Retail

EU work permit required: Yes

Job Reference: 491d67548818

Job Views: 4

Posted: 18.04.2025

Expiry Date: 02.06.2025

Job Description:

Job Introduction

The Director of Restaurants & Food is a member of the Selfridges Senior Leadership team and reports directly to the Executive Director – Buying & Brand. This role is pivotal in providing creative thought leadership, provoking debate, and bringing in industry-wide collaborators, enabling Selfridges' vision to Reinvent Retail and create a sustainable future for our customers.

The Director will manage a team that encompasses both strategic and operational roles across the divisions of Restaurants, Food, and Product Compliance/Food Safety.

The ideal candidate has proven expertise in managing complex multi-unit operations; negotiating concession partnerships; and fostering innovation, profitability, and exceptional guest experiences.

Scope of work:

• Lead 5-year ‘masterplan’ reinvention of the hospitality and restaurant offer across 4 store locations.
• Develop, communicate and implement a strategic vision and commercial strategy for all hospitality, restaurant and food offers.
• Partner closely with culinary leadership and concession operators to design innovative, cost-effective, and sustainable offers.
• Champion a "guest-first" approach to exceed guest expectations.
• Lead the negotiation of contracts with concession partners and vendors.
• Conduct detailed market research to identify emerging trends and customer preferences.
• Lead, motivate and engage the teams of Restaurants, Food & Product Compliance.
• Foster a culture of innovation and creativity.
• Establish clear and effective ways of working to facilitate cross-functional collaboration.
• Reinforce the brand by ensuring desired quality standards are achieved.
• Continually strive to improve supplier relationships and identify new sourcing opportunities.
• Partner with the Finance team to plan long-term business models.
• Partner with the Retail team to ensure excellence across all dining and hospitality offers.
• Partner with the Creative team to set the creative direction for the Restaurants & Food division.
• Partner with the Brand Partnerships team to evaluate and improve the effectiveness of the partnership model.
• Partner with Marketing, Customer, and Communications teams to promote restaurant offerings.

The role requires the following experience:

• Industry-recognised leader in the Food & Beverage industry.
• Record of success in a comparable directorate position.
• Experienced strategic leader in hospitality division.
• Record of leading significant organizational change initiatives.
• Progressive leadership experience in multi-unit food and beverage operations.
• Preferred education/work experience in Hospitality Management or related fields.
• Previous experience in Michelin-starred or high-profile hospitality operations.
• Extensive food product development experience.
• In-depth experience of working in markets globally.
• Demonstrated success in managing large purchasing and merchandising teams.
• Strong influencing and stakeholder management skills.

Selfridges has always been much more than a shop. We’re a social space where everyone is welcome and feels a sense of belonging. We’re here to help make the world brighter. And you can be an important part of this.

Rewards and benefits

• Family leave that suits your setup.
• Flexible working options.
• Generous annual leave.
• Defined pension contribution scheme.
• Generous bonus and/or commission scheme.
• Enviable team member discount.
• Exclusive local discounts.
• Subsidised gym memberships.
• Annual travel pass and cycle-to-work schemes.
• A sustainable car salary sacrifice scheme.
• Several internal communities to get involved in.
• Workplace Options, our confidential team member assistance programme.
• Access to a wide range of training programmes.