Job Description
JOB SUMMARY
The Director of Training, Performance Development & Quality provides strategic leadership for property learning, leadership development, service culture, quality assurance, and continuous improvement. The role translates brand standards, guest insights, audit findings, and business priorities into practical training and operational action plans that strengthen associate capability, elevate the guest experience, improve compliance, and deliver measurable business results. Working with considerable independence, the Director partners closely with the General Manager, Human Resources, and Operations leaders to embed a culture of learning, accountability, and sustained excellence throughout the property.
CANDIDATE PROFILE
Education and Experience
• Two-year degree from an accredited university in Human Resources, Hotel and Restaurant Management, Hospitality, Business Administration, Organizational Development, Quality Management, or a related major, with four years of relevant experience in hotel operations, learning and development, human resources, quality, or a related professional area; OR
• Four-year bachelor's degree in a related discipline with two years of relevant professional experience.
Preferred
• Luxury hospitality and hotel operations leadership experience.
• Certified trainer or demonstrated expertise in adult learning and facilitation.
• Experience with quality assurance, guest satisfaction analytics, process improvement, audit readiness, and action planning.
• Working knowledge of Marriott learning platforms, guestVoice, GXP, MI Health Check/BSA, LQA, Forbes Travel Guide standards, and continuous-improvement tools.
• Lean Six Sigma, quality management, or comparable process-improvement certification.
CORE WORK ACTIVITIES
Strategic Learning and Quality Leadership
• Develops and executes an integrated annual learning and quality strategy aligned with property priorities, brand expectations, balanced scorecard goals, and financial objectives.
• Advises the General Manager and Executive Committee on capability gaps, quality risks, guest-experience trends, and improvement priorities.
• Establishes governance, communication, and accountability routines that connect training, quality assurance, and operational execution.
• Models The Ritz-Carlton Gold Standards and reinforces a culture in which every leader owns service excellence, associate development, and quality outcomes.
• Leads the property Quality Committee and builds a strong network of departmental Quality Champions and learning partners.
Learning Delivery and Compliance
• Conducts needs assessments and maintains a property Learning Delivery Plan that addresses business priorities, service opportunities, and required curricula.
• Facilitates or oversees orientation, core required training, brand and service programs, leadership development, and role-specific learning for hourly associates, supervisors, managers, and leaders.
• Applies adult-learning principles, inclusive facilitation practices, and appropriate technology to create engaging in-person and virtual learning experiences.
• Ensures training content, delivery, attendance, and records comply with company standards and are accurately maintained in approved learning systems.
• Monitors completion of required learning, identifies gaps, and partners with Human Resources and Operations leaders to drive timely compliance.
• Participates in applicable field trainer and continent learning networks to ensure new programs, resources, and process changes are effectively deployed on property.
Leadership and Associate Development
• Serves as the property subject matter expert for leadership development tools, performance development planning, coaching resources, and career-growth programs.
• Coaches leaders to strengthen their own performance and improve the capability, engagement, and accountability of their teams.
• Partners with Human Resources on management development, succession readiness, onboarding, and development planning for new and emerging leaders.
• Observes service and leadership behaviors in the operation, provides actionable feedback, and supports leaders in converting feedback into sustained behavior change.
• Builds internal facilitator, Learning Coach, Quality Champion, and Green Belt capability to expand ownership across the property.
Quality Assurance and Guest Experience
• Leads the property's quality-assurance calendar, including self-assessments, MI Health Check/BSA preparation, LQA and Forbes readiness, standards communication, and post-assessment action planning.
• Reviews guestVoice, Intent to Recommend, service-recovery trends, audit results, operational defects, and other key indicators to identify root causes and prioritize improvement opportunities.
• Conducts or coordinates operational observations, inspections, and validation checks to verify consistent execution of brand, cleanliness, maintenance, safety, and service standards.
• Ensures audit and assessment findings are translated into specific, time-bound action plans with clear ownership, follow-up, and closure validation.
• Partners with department leaders to strengthen daily line-ups, service energizers, standards reinforcement, and recognition practices that sustain a luxury service culture.
Continuous Improvement and Business Impact
• Leads cross-functional quality-improvement projects using structured problem-solving, root-cause analysis, Kaizen, Lean Six Sigma, or other approved methodologies.
• Coordinates implementation of continent and brand quality initiatives, advisory-board solutions, best practices, and property readiness programs.
• Develops dashboards and reporting that show progress, risks, adoption, and measurable outcomes across guest satisfaction, associate capability, compliance, productivity, revenue, and cost efficiency.
• Measures learning transfer and program effectiveness through observations, assessments, operational performance, and stakeholder feedback; adjusts strategies based on results.
• Identifies opportunities to improve profitability and operational efficiency without compromising luxury service, brand standards, or the associate experience.
• Documents and standardizes successful improvements so they can be sustained and replicated across departments.
Stakeholder Partnership, Communication, and Resources
• Builds strong partnerships with the General Manager, Human Resources, Operations leaders, regional/continent teams, and external quality partners to align priorities and accelerate execution.
• Communicates performance insights, learning priorities, audit readiness, and improvement status clearly to property leadership and relevant stakeholders.
• Facilitates disciplined quality meetings with focused agendas, documented decisions, assigned actions, and consistent follow-up.
• Participates in development of the training and quality budget and manages controllable expenses in alignment with property financial goals.
• Oversees assigned coordinators, facilitators, Quality Champions, and project teams, providing direction, coaching, and recognition.
• Maintains current knowledge of brand standards, learning technology, quality systems, luxury-service benchmarks, and industry best practices.
KEY SUCCESS MEASURES
• Guest experience and Intent to Recommend performance.
• MI Health Check/BSA, LQA, Forbes, and other applicable quality results.
• Completion and effectiveness of required learning and leadership-development programs.
• Timely closure and sustained effectiveness of audit and quality action plans.
• Progress and verified benefits from continuous-improvement projects.
• Associate engagement, leadership readiness, and adoption of service and quality practices.
• Achievement of approved budget, productivity, and business-impact goals.
