Senior Director of In-Store Digital

HMSHost; North Bethesda (MD); Remote; USD 180,000 - 240,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health, dental and vision insurance

401(k) retirement plan

Tuition reimbursement

Company paid life insurance

Paid time off

Job summary

HMSHost seeks a Senior Director of In-Store Digital to lead development and optimization of the company’s in-store digital portfolio across Retail and Food & Beverage. You will drive guest-facing solutions such as QR code ordering, self-order kiosks, and self-checkout, aligning technology with business needs and operations to boost guest experience and revenue.

The role requires extensive leadership experience in digital platforms within high-volume hospitality environments and a proven ability

Qualifications

• Education and experience exceed 10 years.
• 5 years leading a digital team.
• 10 years building in-store digital UX in high-volume setting.
• Bachelor’s degree counts for 3 of ten years; MBA adds 2 more.

Responsibilities

• Develop and execute in-store digital strategy across Retail and F&B.
• Own lifecycle of in-store digital products and platforms.
• Partner with Operations, IT, Finance, Marketing and vendors.
• Govern a portfolio of initiatives balancing priorities and ROI.
• Identify opportunities to improve revenue, labor productivity, and guest satisfaction.
• Lead change management, training, adoption, and accountability across locations.
• Monitor trends to identify innovation opportunities and maintain market leadership.
• Build relationships with executives and stakeholders; communicate strategy and ROI.
• Lead and mentor a high-performing team to foster innovation and accountability.

Skills

Digital leadership

Change management

Stakeholder management

Business acumen

Education

Bachelor’s degree relevant field

MBA or related master’s degree

Job description

Opportunity, growth, and meaningful rewards! We offer:

• Health, dental and vision insurance
• Generous paid time off (vacation, flex or sick)
• *401(k) retirement plan
• *Company paid life insurance
• *Tuition reimbursement
• Employee assistance program
• Training and exciting career growth opportunities
• Referral program – refer a friend and earn a bonus

*Benefits may vary by position so ask your recruiter for details.

Location: Corporate Systems

Purpose:

The Senior Director of In-Store Digital leads the development, execution, and continuous optimization of the company’s in-store digital technology portfolio across both Retail and Food & Beverage. By advancing scalable, guest-facing solutions – such as QR Code Order & Pay, Self-Order Kiosks, and Self-Checkout – and aligning technology strategy with business needs and operational execution, this role drives adoption, improves guest experience and labor efficiency, and supports measurable revenue growth across the company.

Essential Functions:

• Leads the development and execution of the company’s in-store digital strategy across both Retail and Food & Beverage, translating business objectives into actionable projects, priorities, and measurable outcomes
• Owns the lifecycle of in-store digital products and platforms, including identification, evaluation, pilot testing, deployment, adoption, and continuous optimization
• Partners with Operations, IT, Finance, Marketing, and external vendors to deliver scalable in-store solutions that enhance guest experience, improve operational efficiency, and revenue
• Establishes and governs a portfolio of in-store digital initiatives, balancing business priorities, resource allocation, risk management, and return on investment
• Identifies opportunities to improve revenue, labor productivity, transaction speed, guest satisfaction, and operational efficiency through technology
• Leads company-wide change management efforts, ensuring successful implementation, training, adoption, and sustained operational accountability for in-store digital programs across restaurants and retail
• Monitors industry trends, emerging technologies, consumer behaviors, and competitive advancements across restaurants, retail, travel, and self-service experiences to identify innovation opportunities and maintain market leadership
• Aligns in-store digital initiatives with business objectives by building and maintaining strong relationships with executive leadership, operational stakeholders, airport partners, and technology providers, and communicating strategy, performance, and investment recommendations
• Leads, develops, and mentors a high-performing team, fostering a culture of innovation, collaboration, accountability, and continuous improvement

Reporting Relationship:

The Senior Director of In-Store Digital reports to the Senior Vice President of Digital

Interdependencies:

Operations, Information Technology, Marketing, Finance, external technology vendors

Minimum Qualifications, Knowledge, Skills, and Work Environment:

• Education and Experience: The combination of education and professional experience must exceed 10 years:
• In a leadership role: Requires 5 years of experience supervising a team of digital professionals
• In a technical role: Requires 10 years of experience engaged in developing and implementing in-store digital user experience tools in a high-volume environment
• A bachelor’s degree in a program related to the functional area can count for 3 of the ten-year requirement
• An MBA or a master’s level degree in a program related to the functional area can count for an additional 2 years of the ten-year requirement
• In the industry: 3-5 years of Hospitality, Food & Beverage, or Retail experience

• Specialized Training:

• Training that leads to deep knowledge of guest-facing technologies, omnichannel experiences, self-service platforms, payment technologies, and retail innovation
• Training that leads to strong understanding of digital product strategy, user experience, and customer journey design

• Specialized Skillset/Competencies/Traits:

• Experience leading or supporting digital platforms across Retail and Food & Beverage environments, including QR code ordering, self-order kiosks, self-checkout, and other guest-facing self-service solutions
• Excellent interpersonal and relationship management skills, with confidence and clarity communicating complex concepts to both technical and non-technical audiences
• Proven experience leading large-scale change management initiatives, including training, adoption strategies, and driving sustained behavior change across a distributed field organization
• Demonstrated experience exhibiting acontinuous improvement mindsetwith the ability toapply new knowledge and skills to evolving business needs and optimize work processes
• Highly advancedbusiness acumenand has thestrategic mindsetrequired to understand the long-term implications of digital decisions and to advance the organization’s goals
• Demonstrated history ofanticipating and balancingthe needs of the business with the needs of complexstakeholders, the employee population, and individual circumstances
• Demonstrated history ofcreating and maintaining positive work environmentsthroughcoaching, developing, and leading teamsto achieve common goals

• Location/Travel:
  • This role may be remote
  • This role requires approximately 50% travel

Avolta, including Dufry, HMSHost Corporation, Hudson, and affiliates (“the Company”), is an equal opportunity employer. It is the Company’s policy to ensure equal employment opportunity in all aspects of employment and to comply with anti-discrimination laws and regulations. The Company prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type and provides equal opportunities to applicants and team members without regard to actual or perceived race, color, creed, age, religion, sex or gender (including pregnancy, childbirth, related medical conditions and lactation), gender identity or gender expression (including transgender status), sexual orientation, national origin, disability, military service and veteran status, ancestry, citizenship status, marital status, protected medical condition as defined by applicable state or local law, genetic information, or any other basis protected by applicable federal, state or local laws and ordinances (referred to as “protected characteristics”).

Source: HMSHost