Portfolio Director of Hospitality (60% Travel Required)

Job Summary

The Portfolio Director of Hospitality Operations is a senior front-of-house leader and field operator responsible for elevating hospitality standards, guest experience, and operational consistency across a complex, multi-site corporate dining and hospitality program. This role reports directly to the Vice President of Hospitality at LinkedIn and serves as bench strength that can be deployed across any location in the portfolio — stepping into FOH leadership, micro-kitchen operations, and full-service hospitality environments as needed.

The Director of Hospitality Operations is a trusted field leader who can walk into any operation, quickly assess what is needed, and immediately improve execution. When site GMs or Directors of Operations are on leave, transitioning, or when a location requires senior-level operational intervention, this leader is deployed to stabilize, elevate, and lead. The role also drives special projects, new location openings, and program-wide operational initiatives in partnership with the National Director of Operations, who holds overall accountability for the program.

The ideal candidate is a credentialed hospitality operator — someone who has opened restaurants or hotel food & beverage programs, built service culture from the ground up, and knows how to lead both with presence on the floor and with strategic thinking in a boardroom.

Key Responsibilities

Field Deployment & Operational Support

• Deploy to locations across the national portfolio to provide senior leadership coverage when GMs or Operations Directors are transitioning, on leave, or when operational support is required

• Stabilize and elevate operations during leadership gaps, high-demand periods, or program challenges — maintaining full service continuity

• Serve as a trusted operator who can be embedded in a location and immediately command credibility with site teams and clients

• Cover FOH, micro-kitchen, and full-service hospitality environments across the portfolio as directed

Hospitality & Service Excellence

• Champion a culture of warm, proactive, and consistent hospitality across all locations

• Evaluate and elevate service standards, dining room operations, service flow, and the overall guest experience

• Drive queue management protocols, guest feedback resolution, and prevention of recurring service issues

• Partner with site leaders to implement best practices in hospitality culture and service execution

Micro-Kitchen & Multi-Format Operations

• Oversee and support micro-kitchen operations including FIFO stocking accuracy, product quality and rotation, equipment uptime, and daily cleanliness standards

• Ensure operational consistency across diverse hospitality formats — from full-service dining to micro-kitchens, café programs, and catered events

• Audit locations against program standards and develop action plans for areas requiring improvement

Catering & Events Support

• Support the execution of catering and event programs, ensuring on-time setup, high-quality service delivery, and seamless client communication

• Partner with culinary and operations leaders to ensure integrated execution between FOH and BOH during events

New Openings & Special Projects

• Bring opening expertise to new location launches — developing service culture, training teams, and ensuring operational readiness prior to go-live

• Lead and support program-wide initiatives as assigned by the VP of Hospitality and National Program Director of Operations

• Contribute to the development of operational standards, SOPs, and training materials

Leadership Development & Team Building

• Coach and develop site-level leaders to strengthen operational capabilities and service culture

• Support staffing coverage strategies, succession planning, and leadership bench strength at key locations

• Ensure training completion across HACCP, food safety, service standards, and guest engagement protocols

Financial & Compliance Oversight

• Support financial accountability at deployed locations, including budget adherence, weekly/monthly financial reporting, and procurement discipline

• Ensure full compliance with food safety, sanitation, allergen protocols, and health inspection standards at all supported sites

• Uphold client KPIs and program standards, reporting progress transparently to the VP of Hospitality and National Program Director

Requirements

10+ years of progressive hospitality operations experience, with a strong emphasis on multi-site or complex food & beverage environments

• Proven background in restaurant or hotel new openings — experience as a pre-opening Director of Operations, Food & Beverage Director, or similar senior opening role strongly preferred

• Deep expertise in front-of-house service culture, guest experience design, and hospitality standards

• Demonstrated ability to walk into an operation, quickly diagnose issues, and implement practical solutions — calm, decisive, and credible under pressure

• Experience overseeing micro-kitchen or multi-format hospitality programs including café operations, catered events, and grab-and-go environments

• Strong financial acumen with experience managing budgets, reviewing P&Ls, and driving cost discipline

• Ability to influence without authority and earn trust quickly with clients, operators, and frontline teams

• Executive presence combined with genuine frontline credibility — equally comfortable presenting to a client and running a dining room during peak service

• Background in corporate dining, tech campus hospitality, or contract food service is a strong plus

• Must be based in the San Francisco Bay Area within reasonable distance of a major airport

• Ability to travel approximately 60% of the time to program locations including NYC, Chicago, Detroit, Carpinteria, Omaha, Bellevue, DC, Atlanta, Toronto, San Francisco, and other micro-locations

• Ability to commute to headquarters in Sunnyvale or San Francisco as needed