Director of Hospitality

About This Role

At Varda, we are building the future of aerospace—rapidly, relentlessly, and at scale. The Director of Hospitality is responsible for designing and operating world-class workplace services that enable our teams to perform at their absolute best. 

This is not a traditional hospitality role. You will own the full lifecycle of employee experience across food service, workplace operations, transportation, and on-site services. Your work will directly impact productivity, morale, and our ability to execute on ambitious technical milestones. 

You will be expected to operate with urgency, remove friction, and build systems that scale with a fast-growing, high-performance engineering organization. 

This is a full-time, exempt position located in our El Segundo headquarters.

Responsibilities

• Own and scale all on-site hospitality and workplace services, including: 
  • Food service (cafeterias, micro-kitchens, catering)  
  • Employee shuttles and transportation programs  

• • Office operations and workplace experience 

• • Manage janitorial services quality control and contracts 

• • Events, team-building, and employee engagement initiatives  

• Build and manage vendor relationships with a focus on performance, cost efficiency, and reliability  

• Design high-throughput, high-quality food service supporting shift-based manufacturing teams 

• Execute services and catering/event requests, following detailed schedules and timelines, ensuring absolute guest satisfaction  

• Develop and track KPIs (cost per meal, utilization, service levels, employee satisfaction)  

• Identify and eliminate operational bottlenecks that impact employee productivity  

• Partner with Facilities, HR, Security, and Finance to deliver integrated workplace solutions 

• Support the setup, execution and breakdown of services/events including workstations, surrounding areas, dining, work, and storage spaces; ensuring safety and organization 

• Stand up new sites quickly, including greenfield builds and rapid expansions  

• Drive continuous improvement in quality, speed, and cost across all hospitality functions  

• Build and lead a high-performing team; hire, train, and develop managers and frontline staff

Basic Qualifications

• High school diploma or equivalency certificate
• Culinary degree and 4+ years of industry experience; OR 6+ years of food industry experience in lieu of a culinary degree
• 10+ years of experience in a multi-outlet operation facility
• Food Managers Certification
• Best practices in food safety and sanitation 
• Proficiency in use of Microsoft Office and Outlook software
• Experience in a corporate environment
• Experience with high volume or batch cooking
• Experience leading a group of 20 or more team members
• Experience managing contracts and vendors
• Advanced knowledge of kitchen equipment and safe kitchen operations
• Excellent communication skills, both written and verbal
• Ability to lift 50lbs unassisted
• Strong verbal and written skills

Preferred Skills And Qualifications

• Proficiency in use of Microsoft Office and Outlook software
• Experience in a corporate environment
• Experience with high volume or batch cooking
• Experience leading a group of 20 or more team members
• Advanced knowledge of kitchen equipment and safe kitchen operations

Pay Range

• Salary Range: $148,000 - $190,050/per year
• This role is on-site in El Segundo, CA
• Leveling and base salary is determined by job-related skills, education level, experience level, and job performance
• You will be eligible for incentives in the form of stock options and/or long-term cash awards