Lead Service Associate | South Dining Hall

University of Notre Dame; Notre Dame (IN); On-site; USD 25,000 - 30,000; Full time

Job summary

The University of Notre Dame Operations, Events, and Safety (UOES) division is hiring a full-time Lead Service Associate for South Dining Hall to lead a dedicated team and create a welcoming dining atmosphere for students, faculty, and guests.

In this role you will oversee daily culinary operations, maintain safety standards, and coordinate catering for campus events, ensuring an exceptional dining experience.

Qualifications

• Capable of managing time effectively with minimal supervision.
• Positive, respectful, and committed to the schedule you create.
• Excellent communication and listening skills.
• Ability to stand for extended periods (up to 6 hours).
• Ability to move around the café to attend to guests' needs.
• Ability to lift up to 25 pounds and handle equipment.
• Follow food safety procedures for handling, storing, and serving food.

Responsibilities

• Prepare the dining room for service and set up serving lines.
• Ensure hot foods stay hot and cold foods stay cold per HACCP.
• Set up and maintain dining bars, tables, and service areas.
• Lead and train service associates on required tasks.
• Check performance and ensure customer satisfaction with quality service.
• Maintain sanitation and safety requirements throughout operations.
• Assist with inventory, catering setups, and large events as needed.
• Clean dishes, dishroom, and related areas after meals.

Skills

Time management

Communication

Customer service

Team leadership

Job description

The University of Notre Dame is more than a workplace; it is a vibrant, mission-driven community where every employee is valued and supported. Rooted in a tradition of excellence and inspired by our Catholic character, Notre Dame is committed to fostering an environment of care that nurtures the whole person—mind, body, and spirit. Here, you will find a deep sense of belonging, a culture that prioritizes well-being, and the opportunity to grow your career while being a force for good in the world. Whether contributing to world-class research, shaping the student experience, or supporting the University’s mission in other ways, you will be part of a dedicated team working to make a meaningful impact on campus and beyond. At Notre Dame, your work matters, and so do you!

Job Description

The University of Notre Dame Operations, Events, and Safety (UOES) division is currently hiring for a full-time Lead Service Associate in South Dining Hall in our Campus Dining department. The UOES division oversees the University’s event management, hospitality, and customer service functions, while also supporting student life, academic initiatives, research activities, and annual milestone celebrations.

Lead Service Associate

In this pivotal role, you will lead a dedicated team of Service Associates to create a warm, welcoming, and vibrant dining atmosphere for our students, faculty, and guests. From overseeing daily culinary operations and maintaining pristine safety standards to executing high-profile campus catered events, you will ensure every diner enjoys an exceptional experience.

Key Responsibilities

• Prepare the dining room for service, turning on hot and cold food serving lines, putting up product labels, marking warmers, getting proper service utensils and garnishes foods.
• Take temperatures of items to insure that hot foods are hot and cold foods are cold, while following HACCP guidelines.
• Set up, maintain and clean breakfast bars, deli bars, dessert bars, salad bars, condiment bars, hot food bars, bread tables, ice machines, beverage dispensers (including changing product) and make beverages as necessary.
• Set up dining tables.
• Lead service associates assigning specific tasks to service associates and training service associates on the tasks necessary for their position.
• Check performance and ensure customer satisfaction through quality service.
• Ensure sanitation and safety requirements are met.
• Recommend service enhancements based on customer and employee requests.
• Set up and clean up small functions, and assist with supervision of large functions.
• When assigned, assist with inventory, control the linen room and sort laundry, gather catering supplies, set up special events, put away stock and clean offices.
• Assist with cleaning all dishes including those returning to the building from Catered events.
• Assist with set up and cleaning of the dishroom to include the dish machine, dishline and floors.
• Gather all supplies needed to operate the dish machine and materials needed on the dishline to include trays, empty glass and cup racks and dish dollies, sort knives, forks and spoons into separate containers and stock silverware containers on the serving lines.
• Make sure that all flatware bins and napkin dispensers are full and maintained throughout the meals and trays, china and glasses are provided as they are needed.
• Clean the tray return systems after each meal.
• Take out the trash and clean the floor.
• Responsible for cleaning public and employee restrooms, outside of the building, grease traps, hot boxes, smokers, dumpsters, snow removal and all food carts.
• Power spray basement floors, docks and landings as needed.
• Assist in loading and unloading trucks and breaking down carts.

Qualifications

• Capable of managing time effectively with minimal supervision
• Positive, respectful, and committed to the schedule you create
• Excellent communication and listening skills
• Ability to maintain a standing position for extended periods of time (up to 6 hours at a time).
• Ability to move around the café to attend to the needs of guests
• Ability to move, lift and handle equipment, supplies and other objects weighing up to 25 pounds.
• Ability to position self to move items weighing up to 25 pounds from floor to shelves and cabinets above and below counter height
• Follow food safety procedures for handling, storing, and serving food products

Additional Information

Pay Rate: $19.50/hr

The University of Notre Dame seeks to attract, develop, and retain the highest quality faculty, staff and administration. The University is an Equal Opportunity Employer, and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national or ethnic origin, sex, disability, veteran status, genetic information, or age in employment. Moreover, Notre Dame prohibits discrimination against veterans or disabled qualified individuals, and complies with 41 CFR 60-741.5(a) and 41 CFR 60-300.5(a). We strongly encourage applications from candidates attracted to a university with a Catholic identity.