Vail Resorts

Senior Director, Food & Beverage Operations and Strategy

Vail Resorts$145K — $165K *
Vail, CO 81657In-Person
Hospitality & Recreation
5 - 7 years of experience
Job Overview by Ladders

Qualifications

  • Minimum five years of senior leadership experience in luxury hospitality or Food & Beverage environments.
  • Proven success in leading multi-venue operations and developing strong leadership teams.
  • Experience with fine dining and private club operations is highly preferred.
  • Resort experience in high-demand, seasonal contexts is advantageous.
  • Strong financial skills in budgeting and strategic planning are essential.
  • Required certifications: ServSafe and TIPS, or ability to acquire them upon hiring.
  • Proficient in Microsoft Office and experienced with financial and operational software systems.

Responsibilities

  • Develop and implement a long-term Food & Beverage strategy for luxury positioning.
  • Elevate culinary identity and operational models for all dining venues.
  • Lead financial planning and adjust strategies to meet revenue and margin goals.
  • Maximize growth through effective menu engineering and cost control.
  • Drive innovation in dining experiences and seasonal programming.
  • Ensure exceptional execution of fine-dining experiences and member events.
  • Build strong relationships with stakeholders to leverage feedback for improvements.

Benefits

  • Full-time year-round employment.
  • Participation in annual bonus and equity opportunities.
  • Dynamic work environment at a luxury resort.
  • Opportunities for professional growth and leadership development.
Full Job Description
Job Summary:Beaver Creek Resort is seeking a senior leader to elevate its culinary identity and make Food & Beverage a defining expression of the resort's luxury guest and member experienceThis role sets the vision and drives execution across a complex, highly seasonal portfolio that includes high-volume resort dining, distinctive on-mountain cabins, private-club experiences, banquets, events, and supporting operations. The Senior Director will raise the standard of cuisine, service, ambiance, and operational consistency while building signature experiences that guests and members cannot find elsewhere.

As a member of the resort senior leadership team, this leader will operate through a whole-resort lens, balancing culinary ambition with safety, employee experience, mountain logistics, membership expectations, community connection, and disciplined financial performance. The role will partner closely with central Food & Beverage, Signature Clubs, Sales, Marketing, Finance, Human Resources, Mountain Operations, and resort leaders to translate Beaver Creek's luxury positioning into memorable, rarified culinary moments and consistently excellent everyday execution.

Job Specifications:
  • Starting Wage: $145,000.00 - $165,000.00 + annual bonus + equity
  • Employment Type: Year Round
  • Shift Type: Full Time hours
  • Minimum Age: At least 18 years of age
  • Housing Availability: No


The Right Candidate Will Embody:

Culinary Vision and Experience Leadership - Positions Beaver Creek as a culinary destination by defining a clear point of view for each venue and creating a cohesive portfolio that ranges from approachable mountain dining to extraordinary private-club and cabin experiences.
  • Set elevated standards for food quality, menu identity, beverage programs, presentation, service, ambiance, and storytelling.
  • Build a pipeline of signature experiences, including chef collaborations, tasting events, intimate dinners, private experiences, and distinctive seasonal programming.
  • Protect the unique character of each cabin and club while ensuring every experience clearly reflects Beaver Creek's luxury brand and legendary attention to detail.

Private Club and Cabin Excellence - Understands the expectations of a relationship-driven membership and leads with visibility, responsiveness, discretion, and consistency.
  • Create dining experiences that strengthen member loyalty, belonging, and confidence in the Club experience.
  • Partner with club leadership and governance stakeholders to translate feedback into clear service, culinary, facility, and programming priorities.
  • Deliver exceptional execution across fine-dining cabins, club events, member gatherings, and private buyouts, with particular attention to personalization and operational reliability.

Relentless Executor and Results Driver - Turns strategy into action with urgency, operating discipline, and clear accountability.
  • Translate the culinary vision into practical plans, defined standards, operating rhythms, and measurable outcomes.
  • Use guest and member insights, financial data, and frontline observation to identify gaps and accelerate performance.
  • Create clarity, remove barriers, and hold leaders accountable for quality, service, safety, talent, and financial results.

Builder of High-Performing Culinary and Service Teams - Attracts, develops, and retains strong culinary, restaurant, and operations leaders who create a culture of pride, accountability, inclusion, and continuous improvement.
  • Build strong succession pipelines and develop leaders who are ready for broader resort and enterprise opportunities.
  • Create effective partnerships between culinary and front-of-house teams so the entire experience feels intentional and seamless.
  • Assess talent quickly, align people to the right roles, and establish clear expectations for leadership presence and performance.

Enterprise Thinker and Adaptive Analytical Leader - Operates as a senior resort leader first, using sound judgment and data to balance immediate operating needs with long-term brand, experience, and business priorities.
  • Make decisions through a whole-resort lens and adjust quickly as weather, visitation, staffing, and operating conditions change.
  • Build strong partnerships across resort and enterprise teams and create followership at every level.
  • Balance creativity and innovation with scalable operating models, responsible stewardship, and sustainable financial performance.


Job Responsibilities:
  • Develop and execute a multi-year Food & Beverage and culinary strategy that strengthens Beaver Creek's position as a luxury family resort and culinary destination.
  • Define and continuously elevate the culinary identity, guest promise, and operating model for each restaurant, cabin, club venue, banquet, event, and private experience.
  • Lead annual budgets, forecasts, business plans, and performance reviews; adjust pricing, menus, hours, staffing, and programming to achieve revenue, margin, contribution, and experience goals.
  • Maximize profitable growth through menu engineering, beverage strategy, promotions, capture, private events, premium experiences, disciplined cost control, inventory management, and waste reduction.
  • Create a repeatable innovation pipeline for chef collaborations, cabin culinary series, intimate dinners, tastings, holiday experiences, club programming, and other differentiated concepts.
  • Ensure the fine-dining cabins and private-club venues consistently deliver exceptional cuisine, personalized service, compelling ambiance, and flawless end-to-end execution.
  • Build strong relationships with club leadership, members, and governance stakeholders; listen actively, communicate clearly, and convert feedback into prioritized action.
  • Partner with culinary leaders and the central Food & Beverage support team to implement SOPs, best practices, menu development, quality assurance, and growth initiatives.
  • Establish and audit clear standards for service, food and beverage quality, speed, presentation, cleanliness, readiness, facility condition, and brand expression across all venues.
  • Build, develop, and hold accountable a high-performing management team aligned with resort goals, service behaviors, operational standards, employee experience, and business results.
  • Partner with Human Resources on year-round and seasonal workforce planning, recruiting, onboarding, training, engagement, recognition, and leadership development.
  • Lead a culture of safety and ensure compliance with health, sanitation, liquor-license, labor, environmental, recycling, waste-diversion, and company policy requirements.
  • Plan staffing, hours, purchasing, transportation, outlet readiness, and logistics around the mountain calendar, including opening, holiday peaks, weather events, private functions, and seasonal transitions.
  • Identify capital and maintenance priorities that improve the culinary, member, and guest experience; develop business cases and oversee approved projects through completion.
  • Serve as an active member of the resort senior leadership team and partner across Sales, Marketing, Signature Clubs, Finance, Mountain Operations, and other functions to deliver an exceptional Beaver Creek experience.


Job Qualifications:
  • Minimum of five years of senior leadership experience in a complex, high-volume luxury hospitality, resort, private-club, restaurant, or Food & Beverage environment.
  • Demonstrated success leading multi-venue culinary and service operations, developing strong leaders, and delivering measurable guest, member, employee, and financial results.
  • Experience with fine dining, private clubs, premium events, or highly personalized hospitality experiences strongly preferred.
  • Resort or seasonal destination experience preferred, including operations influenced by weather, transportation, access, and variable demand.
  • Strong financial acumen, including budgeting, forecasting, menu and labor strategy, capital planning, and business-case development.
  • ServSafe and TIPS certifications, or ability to obtain required certifications prior to start.
  • Proficiency with Microsoft Word, Excel, and Outlook; experience with Workday, InfoGenesis, or similar workforce, financial, and point-of-sale systems.


The expected pay range is $145,000.00 - $165,000.00 + annual bonus + equity. This is the pay range we reasonably expect to pay for this position. Individual compensation decisions are based on a variety of factors.

About Vail Resorts

Vail Resorts is a mountain resort company that operates ski resorts and hotels in North America. The company was founded in 1997 and is headquartered in Broomfield, Colorado. Vail Resorts' ski resorts include Vail, Beaver Creek, Breckenridge, Keystone, Park City, Heavenly, Northstar, Kirkwood, Stowe, Okemo, Mount Sunapee, and Whistler Blackcomb. The company also operates hotels and other lodging properties in these locations. Vail Resorts has a market capitalization of over $10 billion and generated over $2 billion in revenue in 2020.
Learn more about Vail Resorts
Size
6,100 employees
Market Cap
$9.6 billion
Industry
Net Income
-$7 million
Founded
1992
5 Year Trend
+5.8%
Revenue
$1.5 billion
NASDAQ

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