Director of Hospitality and Resident Experience for NJ-PA-MD Market

Job description

Director of Hospitality and Resident Experience

Independent & Assisted Living Communities

About the Role

We are seeking a hospitality-driven leader to elevate the resident and family experience across our independent and assisted living communities. This role bridges the gap between traditional hospitality service standards and senior living operations - training, coaching, and guiding front-line staff, department managers, and community leaders to deliver consistently exceptional, warm, and dignified service.

The ideal candidate brings a strong front-of-house management background (hotels, resorts, fine dining, or private clubs) and is passionate about translating those service standards into a senior living setting where residents call their community "home."

Key Responsibilities:

Training & Development

Design and deliver hospitality-based service training programs for dining, concierge, front desk, activities, and care-adjacent staff

Create onboarding curricula that instill a "resident-first" service culture from day one

Lead ongoing coaching sessions, service audits, and role-play scenarios to reinforce standards

Develop training materials, service scripts, and standard operating procedures (SOPs)

Culinary & Dining Service Excellence

Train dining and culinary staff on proper food presentation, plating techniques, and portioning consistent with fine-dining standards, adapted for resident dietary needs

Partner with Executive Chefs and dining services managers to align front-of-house service with kitchen execution, ensuring food arrives to the table at the right temperature, timing, and presentation

Coach servers on menu knowledge, ingredient familiarity, and the ability to speak confidently about dishes, preparation methods, and dietary accommodations

Establish plating and presentation standards that elevate the dining experience while respecting texture-modified and special dietary requirements common in senior living

Lead pre-shift dining meetings to review daily menus, plating expectations, and service flow

Conduct regular dining room and kitchen-pass audits to ensure consistency between plate presentation and service delivery

Leadership & Coaching

Partner with community Executive Directors, Department Heads, and Managers to identify service gaps and build improvement plans

Serve as a mentor and resource for front-line staff, modeling best-in-class hospitality behaviors

Coach managers on team accountability, service recovery, and leading by example

Standards & Quality Assurance

Establish and monitor service quality benchmarks across communities (dining, housekeeping, transportation, front desk, activities)

Conduct regular walkthroughs, secret-shopper style evaluations, and resident/family satisfaction reviews

Track and report on service metrics; recommend corrective action plans where needed

Culture Building

Champion a culture of warmth, dignity, and personalized service appropriate for older adults and their families

Collaborate with HR and community leadership on recognition programs that reinforce service excellence

Support change with management as new service standards or programs are rolled out

Cross-Community Collaboration

Travel between communities to deliver consistent training and standards company-wide

Act as a liaison between corporate hospitality vision and on-the-ground community execution

Qualifications

Required

5+ years of front-of-house hospitality management experience (hotel, resort, restaurant, club, or similar guest-services environment)

Strong working knowledge of culinary fundamentals, menu composition, and food plating/presentation standards

Demonstrated experience training, coaching, or developing service staff and/or managers

Strong presentation, facilitation, and public speaking skills

Excellent interpersonal skills with the ability to build trust with staff at all levels, from front-line associates to executive directors

Deep understanding of what exceptional service looks and feels like — and the ability to teach it

Comfortable working in and adapting hospitality standards for a healthcare-adjacent, senior living environment

Willingness to travel between communities as needed

Preferred

Prior experience in senior living, assisted living, or healthcare hospitality

Culinary training, culinary arts education, or back-of-house kitchen experience

Certification or coursework in hospitality management, training and development, or adult learning

Experience developing SOPs, training manuals, or service playbooks

Familiarity with resident/family satisfaction survey tools and service quality metrics

Working knowledge of texture-modified diets, dietary accommodations, and food safety standards relevant to senior living dining

Core Competencies

Service Mindset: Genuine passion for hospitality and elevating the guest (resident) experience

Culinary & Dining Acumen: Strong eye for food presentation, plating, and the details that turn a meal into an experience

Coaching & Mentorship: Ability to develop others through modeling, feedback, and encouragement — not just instruction

Empathy & Emotional Intelligence: Sensitivity to the unique needs of older adults and their families

Communication: Clear, warm, and persuasive communicator across all levels of an organization

Adaptability: Comfortable adjusting polished hospitality standards to fit a residential, non-transactional care setting

Accountability: Holds self and others to high standards with consistency and follow-through

What Success Looks Like

Front-line staff consistently deliver warm, attentive, and dignified service across all resident touchpoints

Dining service reflects consistent, elevated plating and presentation standards across all communities

Managers and community leaders feel equipped and confident to reinforce service standards independently

Measurable improvement in resident and family satisfaction scores

A recognizable, consistent service culture across all communities

#J-18808-Ljbffr

Who can apply

Review the original listing for work authorization, qualifications and employer requirements.