H-1B Visa Director of Hospitality Jobs
Director of Hospitality jobs at H-1B visa-sponsoring employers typically qualify as specialty occupations when the role centers on strategic operations, revenue management, or multi-unit oversight requiring a bachelor's degree in hospitality management, business administration, or a related field. Employers file an I-129 petition with USCIS, granting up to three years of status with extensions to six.
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Get Access To All JobsExecutive Director of Retail Management and Campus Hospitality
Hendrix College is seeking a full-time, 12-month Executive Director of Retail Management and Campus Hospitality. Reporting to the Vice President for Finance and Operations/Chief Financial Officer, the Executive Director functions as the College's chief hospitality and retail executive, leading multiple business units through strategic planning, financial stewardship, operational excellence, customer service innovation, and staff development.
The Executive Director of Retail Management and Campus Hospitality provides strategic leadership and operational oversight for the College's auxiliary retail enterprises, including Dining Services, The Burrow, the Campus Market (Spirit Store and Convenience Store), Vending Services, Concessions, Conferences and Events, Catering, and Post Office. This position is responsible for developing a cohesive campus hospitality strategy that enhances the student experience, supports enrollment and retention initiatives, strengthens institutional branding, and generates sustainable auxiliary revenues.
Essential Duties and Responsibilities
Strategic Leadership
- Develop and implement a comprehensive strategic plan for all retail and hospitality operations.
- Create a long-term vision that aligns auxiliary operations with the College's strategic plan.
- Identify and develop new revenue-generating opportunities.
- Benchmark operations against peer and aspirational institutions.
- Prepare annual and multi-year business plans for each operating unit.
- Lead capital improvement planning for retail and dining facilities.
- Foster a culture of innovation, hospitality, entrepreneurship, and continuous improvement.
- Establish a staffing model which shares employees across the operating units.
- Other duties as assigned.
Financial Management
Direct responsibility for the financial performance of all retail enterprises. Responsibilities include:
- Develop annual operating and capital budgets.
- Monitor monthly financial performance.
- Analyze profit and loss statements.
- Develop revenue forecasts.
- Establish pricing strategies to yield a net profit for revenue producing areas.
- Monitor labor costs.
- Manage food costs without sacrificing quality.
- Manage inventory investment.
- Improve operating margins.
- Recommend capital investments.
Responsible for annual revenues and expenses associated with:
- Residential Dining
- The Burrow
- Campus Market
- Spirit Store
- Convenience Store
- Vending
- Concessions
- Conferences
- Catering
- Post Office
Dining Services Leadership
Provide executive oversight for all campus dining operations based on being “destination” locations. Responsibilities include:
- Residential dining
- Meal plans
- Menu strategy
- Food quality
- Nutrition initiatives
- Student satisfaction
- Dining hours
- Sustainability initiatives
- Vendor management
- Food safety compliance
The Burrow
Lead the transformation of The Burrow into the College's premier campus gathering place. Responsibilities include:
- Brand development
- Menu strategy
- Programming with Student Affairs
- Evening activities
- Specialty beverages
- Retail food offerings
- Student engagement
- Technology integration
- Customer experience
- Financial performance
Campus Market
Provide executive leadership for the integrated Campus Market consisting of the Spirit Store and Convenience Store. Responsibilities include:
Retail Merchandise
- Campus apparel
- Gifts
- Alumni merchandise
- Graduation merchandise
- Athletic merchandise
- Online store
Convenience Store
- Fresh grab-and-go meals
- Grocery items
- Snacks
- Beverages
- School supplies
- Personal care products
- Residence hall essentials
- Technology accessories
Develop strategies to maximize customer traffic through extended operating hours, seasonal promotions, and integrated merchandising.
Conferences and Events
Provide strategic oversight for all conference and event operations. Responsibilities include:
- Campus calendar (internal/external)
- Summer conferences
- Corporate events
- Weddings
- Camps
- Community rentals
- Internal events
- Space scheduling
- Event contracts
- Revenue development
- Customer service standards
Develop and execute strategies to maximize year-round utilization of campus facilities.
Catering
Provide executive leadership for the College's catering enterprise. Responsibilities include:
- Internal catering
- External catering
- Catering sales
- Menu development
- Event coordination
- Food production
- Quality assurance
- Revenue growth
- Customer satisfaction
Concessions
Lead all concession operations supporting:
- Athletics
- Performing arts
- Campus events
- Community events
- Special programs
Develop premium concession offerings that enhance customer experience while maximizing profitability.
Vending Services
Oversee campus vending operations. Responsibilities include:
- Product selection
- Healthy options
- Fresh food vending
- Technology upgrades
- Vendor contracts
- Inventory management
- Revenue optimization
- Equipment replacement planning
Ensure vending serves as the College's after-hours food and beverage solution while complementing dining operations.
Marketing and Brand Development
Develop a unified brand strategy for all retail operations. Responsibilities include:
- Marketing plans
- Promotions
- Loyalty programs
- Social media
- Student engagement
- Alumni promotions
- Community outreach
- Digital communications
- Retail merchandising
- Seasonal campaigns
Collaborate closely with the Office of Communications to maintain institutional brand consistency.
Customer Experience
Establish a campus-wide hospitality culture. Develop measurable service standards for:
- Dining
- Retail
- Conferences
- Catering
- Campus visitors
- Alumni
- Parents
- Guests
Measure customer satisfaction through surveys, mystery shopper programs, and operational metrics.
Personnel Leadership
Provide leadership for all professional, full-time, part-time, and student employees within the division. Responsibilities include:
- Hiring
- Performance management
- Staff development
- Succession planning
- Student employment
- Leadership development
- Training
- Employee engagement
- Safety
- Scheduling
Develop a student leadership program offering progressive roles such as Shift Lead, Supervisor, and Manager, creating meaningful experiential learning opportunities.
Technology and Innovation
Lead technology initiatives including:
- Point-of-sale systems
- Mobile ordering
- Self-service kiosks
- Digital menu boards
- Inventory management
- Online retail
- Business intelligence dashboards
- Event management software
- Customer analytics
- Mobile payment solutions
Leverage data analytics to improve operational performance and decision-making.
Compliance and Risk Management
Ensure compliance with all applicable federal, state, and local regulations, including:
- Health and food safety requirements
- Alcohol service regulations
- ADA accessibility
- Employment laws
- Cash handling standards
- Emergency preparedness
Minimum Qualifications
- Bachelor's degree in Business Administration, Hospitality Management, Retail Management, Food Service Management, Finance, Higher Education Administration, or a related field or any combination of education and experience that would provide the executive knowledge required at this level.
- Seven to ten years of progressively responsible leadership experience in hospitality, auxiliary services, retail management, dining services, conference services, or a comparable multi-unit operation.
- Demonstrated experience managing complex budgets and financial operations.
- Experience supervising multiple departments and professional staff.
- Proven record of revenue growth, operational improvement, and customer service excellence.
Preferred Qualifications
- Master's degree in Business Administration (MBA), Hospitality Management, Higher Education Administration, or a related discipline.
- Experience in higher education auxiliary services.
- Experience managing self-operated dining and retail enterprises.
- Knowledge of conference and event management, including catering.
- Experience with POS, inventory, and retail management systems.
- Experience leading organizational change and business transformation.
Core Competencies
- Strategic Planning
- Financial and Business Acumen
- Communication and Relationship Building
- Hospitality Leadership
- Retail Operations
- Revenue Generation
- Customer Experience Management
- Organizational Leadership
- Data Analytics and KPI Management
- Marketing and Merchandising
- Team Development
- Project Management
- Operational Excellence
- Change Management
Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)
The Executive Director will be evaluated annually on:
Financial
- Net operating margin by business unit
- Revenue growth
- Budget performance
- Food cost percentage
- Labor cost percentage
- Inventory turnover
- Gross margin return on investment (GMROI)
Student Experience
- Student dining satisfaction
- Meal plan participation
- Burrow utilization
- Campus Market transaction growth
- Net Promoter Score (NPS)
- Service response times
Operational Excellence
- Conference occupancy and utilization
- Catering revenue growth
- Spirit merchandise sales growth
- Convenience store sales per labor hour
- Concession profitability
- Vending up time and sales performance
Strategic Outcomes
- Growth in external conference revenue
- Increase in auxiliary net contribution to the College
- Student employee retention and leadership development
- Cross-unit collaboration and innovation
- Successful implementation of strategic initiatives
This position is intentionally designed as a business executive role, not a traditional food service director. The Executive Director is accountable for a diversified portfolio of auxiliary enterprises, operating with the expectation that each unit contributes to the College's financial sustainability while enhancing recruitment, retention, campus life, and institutional reputation. This strategic orientation aligns the position with senior leadership responsibilities appropriate for reporting directly to the Vice President for Finance and Operations/CFO.
Consideration of applicants will begin immediately and continue until the position is filled. Applications should include a letter of application and a resume with contact information for three professional references. Salary is commensurate with education and experience. Applications can be submitted at www.hendrix.edu/jobs. Questions about this position can be submitted to hr@hendrix.edu.
Hendrix College strives to maintain an environment free from discrimination and harassment, where members of the Hendrix Community treat each other with respect, dignity and courtesy. The College adheres to the principle of equal educational and employment opportunity without regard to age, race, color, religion, gender, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, genetic information, or national origin.
Executive Director of Retail Management and Campus Hospitality
Hendrix College is seeking a full-time, 12-month Executive Director of Retail Management and Campus Hospitality. Reporting to the Vice President for Finance and Operations/Chief Financial Officer, the Executive Director functions as the College's chief hospitality and retail executive, leading multiple business units through strategic planning, financial stewardship, operational excellence, customer service innovation, and staff development.
The Executive Director of Retail Management and Campus Hospitality provides strategic leadership and operational oversight for the College's auxiliary retail enterprises, including Dining Services, The Burrow, the Campus Market (Spirit Store and Convenience Store), Vending Services, Concessions, Conferences and Events, Catering, and Post Office. This position is responsible for developing a cohesive campus hospitality strategy that enhances the student experience, supports enrollment and retention initiatives, strengthens institutional branding, and generates sustainable auxiliary revenues.
Essential Duties and Responsibilities
Strategic Leadership
- Develop and implement a comprehensive strategic plan for all retail and hospitality operations.
- Create a long-term vision that aligns auxiliary operations with the College's strategic plan.
- Identify and develop new revenue-generating opportunities.
- Benchmark operations against peer and aspirational institutions.
- Prepare annual and multi-year business plans for each operating unit.
- Lead capital improvement planning for retail and dining facilities.
- Foster a culture of innovation, hospitality, entrepreneurship, and continuous improvement.
- Establish a staffing model which shares employees across the operating units.
- Other duties as assigned.
Financial Management
Direct responsibility for the financial performance of all retail enterprises. Responsibilities include:
- Develop annual operating and capital budgets.
- Monitor monthly financial performance.
- Analyze profit and loss statements.
- Develop revenue forecasts.
- Establish pricing strategies to yield a net profit for revenue producing areas.
- Monitor labor costs.
- Manage food costs without sacrificing quality.
- Manage inventory investment.
- Improve operating margins.
- Recommend capital investments.
Responsible for annual revenues and expenses associated with:
- Residential Dining
- The Burrow
- Campus Market
- Spirit Store
- Convenience Store
- Vending
- Concessions
- Conferences
- Catering
- Post Office
Dining Services Leadership
Provide executive oversight for all campus dining operations based on being “destination” locations. Responsibilities include:
- Residential dining
- Meal plans
- Menu strategy
- Food quality
- Nutrition initiatives
- Student satisfaction
- Dining hours
- Sustainability initiatives
- Vendor management
- Food safety compliance
The Burrow
Lead the transformation of The Burrow into the College's premier campus gathering place. Responsibilities include:
- Brand development
- Menu strategy
- Programming with Student Affairs
- Evening activities
- Specialty beverages
- Retail food offerings
- Student engagement
- Technology integration
- Customer experience
- Financial performance
Campus Market
Provide executive leadership for the integrated Campus Market consisting of the Spirit Store and Convenience Store. Responsibilities include:
Retail Merchandise
- Campus apparel
- Gifts
- Alumni merchandise
- Graduation merchandise
- Athletic merchandise
- Online store
Convenience Store
- Fresh grab-and-go meals
- Grocery items
- Snacks
- Beverages
- School supplies
- Personal care products
- Residence hall essentials
- Technology accessories
Develop strategies to maximize customer traffic through extended operating hours, seasonal promotions, and integrated merchandising.
Conferences and Events
Provide strategic oversight for all conference and event operations. Responsibilities include:
- Campus calendar (internal/external)
- Summer conferences
- Corporate events
- Weddings
- Camps
- Community rentals
- Internal events
- Space scheduling
- Event contracts
- Revenue development
- Customer service standards
Develop and execute strategies to maximize year-round utilization of campus facilities.
Catering
Provide executive leadership for the College's catering enterprise. Responsibilities include:
- Internal catering
- External catering
- Catering sales
- Menu development
- Event coordination
- Food production
- Quality assurance
- Revenue growth
- Customer satisfaction
Concessions
Lead all concession operations supporting:
- Athletics
- Performing arts
- Campus events
- Community events
- Special programs
Develop premium concession offerings that enhance customer experience while maximizing profitability.
Vending Services
Oversee campus vending operations. Responsibilities include:
- Product selection
- Healthy options
- Fresh food vending
- Technology upgrades
- Vendor contracts
- Inventory management
- Revenue optimization
- Equipment replacement planning
Ensure vending serves as the College's after-hours food and beverage solution while complementing dining operations.
Marketing and Brand Development
Develop a unified brand strategy for all retail operations. Responsibilities include:
- Marketing plans
- Promotions
- Loyalty programs
- Social media
- Student engagement
- Alumni promotions
- Community outreach
- Digital communications
- Retail merchandising
- Seasonal campaigns
Collaborate closely with the Office of Communications to maintain institutional brand consistency.
Customer Experience
Establish a campus-wide hospitality culture. Develop measurable service standards for:
- Dining
- Retail
- Conferences
- Catering
- Campus visitors
- Alumni
- Parents
- Guests
Measure customer satisfaction through surveys, mystery shopper programs, and operational metrics.
Personnel Leadership
Provide leadership for all professional, full-time, part-time, and student employees within the division. Responsibilities include:
- Hiring
- Performance management
- Staff development
- Succession planning
- Student employment
- Leadership development
- Training
- Employee engagement
- Safety
- Scheduling
Develop a student leadership program offering progressive roles such as Shift Lead, Supervisor, and Manager, creating meaningful experiential learning opportunities.
Technology and Innovation
Lead technology initiatives including:
- Point-of-sale systems
- Mobile ordering
- Self-service kiosks
- Digital menu boards
- Inventory management
- Online retail
- Business intelligence dashboards
- Event management software
- Customer analytics
- Mobile payment solutions
Leverage data analytics to improve operational performance and decision-making.
Compliance and Risk Management
Ensure compliance with all applicable federal, state, and local regulations, including:
- Health and food safety requirements
- Alcohol service regulations
- ADA accessibility
- Employment laws
- Cash handling standards
- Emergency preparedness
Minimum Qualifications
- Bachelor's degree in Business Administration, Hospitality Management, Retail Management, Food Service Management, Finance, Higher Education Administration, or a related field or any combination of education and experience that would provide the executive knowledge required at this level.
- Seven to ten years of progressively responsible leadership experience in hospitality, auxiliary services, retail management, dining services, conference services, or a comparable multi-unit operation.
- Demonstrated experience managing complex budgets and financial operations.
- Experience supervising multiple departments and professional staff.
- Proven record of revenue growth, operational improvement, and customer service excellence.
Preferred Qualifications
- Master's degree in Business Administration (MBA), Hospitality Management, Higher Education Administration, or a related discipline.
- Experience in higher education auxiliary services.
- Experience managing self-operated dining and retail enterprises.
- Knowledge of conference and event management, including catering.
- Experience with POS, inventory, and retail management systems.
- Experience leading organizational change and business transformation.
Core Competencies
- Strategic Planning
- Financial and Business Acumen
- Communication and Relationship Building
- Hospitality Leadership
- Retail Operations
- Revenue Generation
- Customer Experience Management
- Organizational Leadership
- Data Analytics and KPI Management
- Marketing and Merchandising
- Team Development
- Project Management
- Operational Excellence
- Change Management
Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)
The Executive Director will be evaluated annually on:
Financial
- Net operating margin by business unit
- Revenue growth
- Budget performance
- Food cost percentage
- Labor cost percentage
- Inventory turnover
- Gross margin return on investment (GMROI)
Student Experience
- Student dining satisfaction
- Meal plan participation
- Burrow utilization
- Campus Market transaction growth
- Net Promoter Score (NPS)
- Service response times
Operational Excellence
- Conference occupancy and utilization
- Catering revenue growth
- Spirit merchandise sales growth
- Convenience store sales per labor hour
- Concession profitability
- Vending up time and sales performance
Strategic Outcomes
- Growth in external conference revenue
- Increase in auxiliary net contribution to the College
- Student employee retention and leadership development
- Cross-unit collaboration and innovation
- Successful implementation of strategic initiatives
This position is intentionally designed as a business executive role, not a traditional food service director. The Executive Director is accountable for a diversified portfolio of auxiliary enterprises, operating with the expectation that each unit contributes to the College's financial sustainability while enhancing recruitment, retention, campus life, and institutional reputation. This strategic orientation aligns the position with senior leadership responsibilities appropriate for reporting directly to the Vice President for Finance and Operations/CFO.
Consideration of applicants will begin immediately and continue until the position is filled. Applications should include a letter of application and a resume with contact information for three professional references. Salary is commensurate with education and experience. Applications can be submitted at www.hendrix.edu/jobs. Questions about this position can be submitted to hr@hendrix.edu.
Hendrix College strives to maintain an environment free from discrimination and harassment, where members of the Hendrix Community treat each other with respect, dignity and courtesy. The College adheres to the principle of equal educational and employment opportunity without regard to age, race, color, religion, gender, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, genetic information, or national origin.
See all H-1B Visa Director of Hospitality Jobs
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Get Access To All JobsTips for Finding H-1B Visa Sponsorship in Director of Hospitality
Align your degree to the role's specialty occupation framing
Hospitality directors whose degrees are in business, finance, or an unrelated field face more scrutiny during USCIS adjudication. Pull your transcripts and map your coursework directly to the strategic and operational duties in the job description before applying.
Search LCA filing history by occupation code
Use Migrate Mate to identify employers with verified H-1B LCA filings for hospitality management roles. This shows you which hotel groups, resort operators, and food and beverage companies have already built the sponsorship infrastructure you need.
Verify prevailing wage tier before negotiating an offer
Your employer must certify your salary meets the DOL prevailing wage for your specific metro area and job duties. Run your title and worksite ZIP code through the OFLC Wage Search before salary discussions so you know the Level II or Level III floor your offer must clear.
Confirm each worksite gets its own certified LCA
If your Director of Hospitality role spans multiple properties, your employer must file a separate LCA for each worksite location with DOL. Roles managing multiple hotel or restaurant sites without individual LCA coverage create compliance gaps that can jeopardize your status.
Document specialty occupation duties before USCIS filing
Ask your employer to draft an H-1B support letter that ties each of your core responsibilities, such as revenue forecasting, brand standards compliance, and P&L oversight, to the specific hospitality or business degree requirements that make the role a specialty occupation under USCIS criteria.
Account for the full six-year cap in your career timeline
H-1B status runs up to three years and extends to a six-year maximum. If your employer hasn't started a green card process before you near that ceiling, you'll need to plan for PERM labor certification timelines well in advance of your fifth year in status.
H-1B Visa Director of Hospitality: Frequently Asked Questions
Does a Director of Hospitality role qualify as an H-1B specialty occupation?
It depends on how the position is structured, not the title alone. When the role centers on strategic duties like revenue management, multi-unit P&L oversight, or brand compliance and requires a bachelor's degree in hospitality management, business administration, or a directly related field, USCIS will generally accept it as a specialty occupation. Operational or supervisory roles that don't require a specific degree typically don't qualify, so the employer's job description and educational requirement language are critical.
Which employers sponsor H-1B visas for hospitality directors?
Large hotel groups, resort operators, casino hospitality divisions, contract food service companies, and corporate hospitality departments at Fortune 500 firms are the most active sponsors for director-level roles. These organizations have established immigration counsel and recurring LCA filing programs. Browse Migrate Mate to see employers with verified H-1B LCA filing history specifically for hospitality management occupations, filtered by city and role type.
How does the prevailing wage requirement affect a hospitality director's offer?
DOL requires your employer to pay at least the prevailing wage for your occupation code and geographic area before certifying the LCA. For director-level hospitality roles, this typically corresponds to a Level III or Level IV wage tier depending on supervisory scope. Use the OFLC Wage Search to look up the wage floor for your specific metro area before you get to the offer stage, so there are no surprises during LCA certification.
Can my H-1B cover multiple hotel or restaurant locations under one filing?
No. Each distinct worksite requires its own DOL-certified LCA posted at that location. If your Director of Hospitality role involves oversight of properties across different addresses, your employer must file a separate LCA for each site. A single LCA filed for the company's headquarters doesn't cover additional worksites, even if they fall under the same ownership group.
How long does H-1B status last for a hospitality director, and what comes next?
USCIS initially grants H-1B status for up to three years, with one extension available for a total of six years. After six years, continued H-1B eligibility generally requires an approved I-140 immigrant petition or a pending PERM labor certification that has been on file for at least 365 days. Hospitality directors who want to stay beyond the six-year cap should ask their employer to initiate the green card process well before year five.