Director of Hospitality

Description

Job Title: Director of Hospitality FLSA Status: Exempt

Grade: 20 Reports to: President/CEO

For 80 years, Sandy Cove Ministries has been a place where millions of people have connected with God and each other.

We offer year-around signature programs designed to uplift and strengthen individuals and families, including summer vacation packages and a day camp for kids. We also contract with ministries and organizations, helping them create their own impactful retreats and events on our property.

All of this happens at our breathtaking location on the headwaters of Chesapeake Bay in North East, Maryland. With 150 guest rooms in our lodge and 220 beautiful acres, we offer guests authentic hospitality and the rest and renewal they crave.

Position Summary

The Director of Hospitality provides executive leadership over Sandy Cove Ministries' guest-facing operations, ensuring every guest experiences remarkable hospitality while advancing the ministry's mission of helping people connect with God and each other through His Word, His creation, and His community.

This position is responsible for developing a unified hospitality strategy across Food Services, Uncle Wilf’s Cafe, Housekeeping (which includes event services), and Audio/Visual Support creating a seamless guest experience from reservation through departure. The Director serves as both a strategic leader and operational executive, building healthy teams, developing leaders, improving systems, and ensuring excellence in every guest interaction.

The ideal candidate is a seasoned hospitality executive who understands hotel and resort operations while embracing Christian ministry. This individual possesses strong business acumen, operational excellence, servant leadership, and a genuine passion for creating environments where guests encounter extraordinary hospitality and feel genuinely cared for.

Essential Responsibilities

Strategic Hospitality Leadership

• Develop and execute Sandy Cove's comprehensive hospitality strategy aligned with organizational vision and mission.
• Champion a culture of Christ-centered hospitality throughout every guest touchpoint.
• Establish measurable standards for guest satisfaction, operational excellence, and service consistency.
• Evaluate guest feedback and operational metrics to continuously improve the guest experience.
• Collaborate with executive leadership to ensure hospitality initiatives support ministry objectives and organizational priorities.
• Lead cross-department collaboration to provide a seamless guest experience.

Operational Leadership

Provide executive oversight of:

• Food Service 
• Hospitality Operations Manager (including Cafe)
• Housekeeping 
• A/V Staff (including Event Tech)

Ensure departments operate efficiently while maintaining high standards of:

• Guest satisfaction
• Cleanliness
• Food quality
• Service excellence
• Operational consistency
• Stewardship of ministry resources

Leadership Development

Lead and mentor department leaders, including:

• Executive Chef
• Hospitality Operations Manager (Food Service and Cafe)
• Housekeeping Manager
• A/V Manager

Responsibilities include:

• Coaching and leadership development
• Performance management
• Succession planning
• Building accountability
• Creating a healthy, collaborative leadership culture
• Identifying and developing emerging leaders

Guest Experience

Serve as the organization's champion for guest experience by:

• Designing intentional hospitality standards
• Monitoring guest satisfaction and online reputation
• Responding appropriately to significant guest concerns
• Identifying opportunities to surprise and delight guests
• Improving arrival, dining, lodging, recreation, and departure experiences
• Creating consistency across all guest interactions

Financial Stewardship

• Develop and manage departmental budgets.
• Monitor financial performance and operational metrics.
• Identify efficiencies while maintaining exceptional guest experiences.
• Analyze occupancy trends, food service performance, labor utilization, and guest satisfaction.
• Partner with Finance on forecasting and strategic planning.

Operational Excellence

• Develop and improve departmental systems and SOPs.
• Ensure compliance with health, safety, and regulatory requirements.
• Partner with Facilities to coordinate maintenance impacting guest spaces.
• Lead continuous improvement initiatives.
• Utilize technology to improve operational effectiveness.

Ministry Integration

• Model Christ-like servant leadership.
• Foster a workplace culture that reflects Sandy Cove's mission and values.
• Encourage spiritual growth among leaders and team members.
• Support ministry programming by ensuring hospitality operations enhance the guest's opportunity to connect with God.

Leadership Responsibilities

• Build highly engaged hospitality teams.
• Recruit, hire, onboard, and retain outstanding leaders.
• Conduct regular coaching and performance evaluations.
• Lead departmental meetings.
• Promote teamwork across all hospitality functions.
• Ensure departments communicate effectively and operate as one hospitality team.

Qualifications

Required

• Bachelor's degree in Hospitality Management, Business Administration, Hotel Management, or related field (or equivalent experience).
• 10+ years of progressive hospitality leadership experience.
• Minimum 5 years leading multiple operational departments.
• Demonstrated success leading hotels, resorts, conference centers, retreat centers, or similar hospitality organizations.
• Strong financial and operational management skills.
• Exceptional leadership and communication abilities.
• Experience developing leaders and building healthy organizational culture.

Preferred

• Experience within a Christian ministry, retreat center, conference center, or faith-based organization.
• Experience overseeing lodging, food service, housekeeping, and guest services simultaneously.
• Knowledge of hotel property management systems.
• Experience leading organizational change and operational transformation.

Core Competencies

• Christ-Centered Leadership
• Strategic Thinking
• Operational Excellence
• Guest Experience Design
• Hospitality Leadership
• Organizational Development
• Financial Stewardship
• Change Management
• Team Development
• Emotional Intelligence
• Collaboration
• Problem Solving
• Service Excellence

Reporting Structure

Direct Reports

• Executive Chef
• Hospitality Operations Manager
• Housekeeping Manager
• A/V Manager

Success Measures

The Director of Hospitality will be evaluated on:

• Guest satisfaction and experience metrics
• Departmental financial performance
• Food service quality and guest feedback
• Lodging cleanliness and quality standards
• Employee engagement and retention
• Leadership development and succession planning
• Operational efficiency
• Cross-department collaboration
• Ministry alignment and organizational culture

Salary: $78,355.00 to $97,944.00

Full-Time Benefits 

Employee Benefits: Health Insurance (Individual/Family), Dental Insurance, Life, LTD, Paid vacation, Paid Sick, Paid Holidays, 401(k) with employer match, meal privileges, tuition reimbursement, discounts on Sandy Cove Programs, discount in the Nook. 

Learn more about Sandy Cove by visiting www.sandycove.org