General Manager

Chartwells Higher Education; United States; On-site; USD 90,000 - 130,000; Full time

Job summary

Chartwells Higher Education is seeking a General Manager to lead and develop management, culinary, and frontline teams across residential dining, retail locations, catering, and events on our campus operations. You will serve as the primary liaison with clients and campus stakeholders, drive operational excellence, manage budgets and KPIs, and ensure compliance with food safety and health standards.

The role demands strategic leadership, strong communication, and the ability to balance client

Qualifications

• Post-secondary education preferred.
• Food Safety Certification required or willingness to obtain.
• Minimum 5 years of progressive leadership in food service or related setting.
• Experience leading large, complex operations with multiple service areas.
• Experience in higher education, hospitality, healthcare, or contract food service is a plus.
• Strong budgeting, labour cost, and KPI management demonstrated.
• Strong leadership and stakeholder engagement skills.
• Excellent communication and problem-solving abilities.

Responsibilities

• Lead, coach, and develop management, culinary, and frontline teams.
• Oversee all dining services operations (residential, retail, catering, events).
• Serve as operational liaison with clients and campus stakeholders.
• Drive food quality, service, merchandising, sanitation, and hospitality.
• Monitor student dining experience and drive improvements.
• Manage financial performance: revenue, labour, food costs, budgeting.
• Review reports, identify trends, implement corrective actions.
• Lead annual budgeting and forecasting with district and finance.
• Ensure compliance with food safety and health standards.
• Partner with cross-functional teams to achieve objectives.
• Identify opportunities for innovation and growth.

Skills

Leadership

Coaching

Team development

Communication

Problem solving

Financial acumen

Stakeholder engagement

Client relationship management

Operations management

Education

Post-secondary education in Business Administration, Hospitality Management, Food Service Management, Culinary Management, or a related field preferred

Tools

Microsoft Office Suite

Operational reporting systems

Job description

Description

Now, if you were to come on board as our General Manager, we'd ask you to do the following for us:

• Lead, coach, mentor, and develop management, culinary, and frontline teams while fostering a culture of accountability, engagement, and service excellence.
• Oversee all aspects of the dining services operation, including residential dining, retail locations, catering, franchises, and special events.
• Serve as the primary operational liaison with clients and campus stakeholders, building strong relationships through effective communication and service delivery.
• Drive operational excellence by ensuring compliance with company standards for food quality, customer service, merchandising, sanitation, and hospitality.
• Monitor and enhance the student dining experience through engagement initiatives, feedback programs, and continuous improvement efforts.
• Manage account financial performance, including revenue, labour costs, food costs, forecasting, budgeting, and profitability targets.
• Review operational and financial reports, identify trends, and implement corrective action plans to address variances.
• Lead annual budgeting and forecasting processes in partnership with district and finance leadership.
• Ensure compliance with all food safety, health and safety, sanitation, quality assurance, and regulatory requirements.
• Champion a strong safety culture through training, audits, inspections, and proactive risk management.
• Investigate incidents, address root causes, and ensure timely implementation of corrective actions.
• Partner with culinary, marketing, sustainability, human resources, finance, and support teams to achieve business objectives.
• Identify opportunities for innovation, revenue growth, operational efficiency, and enhanced student engagement.
• Develop and execute annual business plans aligned with client objectives and district goals.
• Support contract retention, renewals, and business development initiatives while delivering exceptional client service.
• Represent the organization at campus meetings, events, and community engagement activities.

Think you have what it takes to be our General Manager? We're committed to hiring the best talent for the role. Here's how we'll know you'll be successful in the role:

• Post-secondary education in Business Administration, Hospitality Management, Food Service Management, Culinary Management, or a related field is preferred.
• Food Safety Certification required or willingness to obtain certification.
• Minimum 5 years of progressive leadership experience in food service, hospitality, retail, or a related service environment.
• Experience leading large, complex operations with multiple service areas and diverse teams.
• Previous experience in higher education, hospitality, healthcare, or contract food service environments is an asset.
• Proven success managing budgets, labour costs, financial performance, and operational key performance indicators.
• Strong leadership, coaching, and team development skills with the ability to inspire high-performing teams.
• Exceptional client relationship management and stakeholder engagement abilities.
• Strong financial acumen with the ability to interpret reports, identify trends, and drive results.
• Excellent communication, presentation, organizational, and problem-solving skills.
• Ability to balance strategic priorities with day-to-day operational demands in a fast-paced environment.
• Knowledge of food safety, labour relations, workplace health and safety, and regulatory compliance requirements.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office Suite and operational reporting systems.
• Demonstrated ability to drive continuous improvement, innovation, and business growth initiatives.
• Strong commitment to delivering exceptional customer, client, and student experiences.
• Flexible and adaptable, with the ability to work evenings, weekends, and special events as required.