Director of Lodging (Year-Round)

At Interlochen, we celebrate creativity, individuality, and collaboration, all within a vibrant community dedicated to advancing the arts. We offer a dynamic environment that encourages artistic risk-taking, nurtures talent, and fosters interdisciplinary connections. By joining our team, you become part of a tradition that balances innovation with heritage, supporting the artistic journeys of students, faculty, and staff as they strive for excellence. Come be a part of our mission to elevate the arts and inspire future generations.

Position Summary: The Director of Lodging will serve as a strategic leader, advisor, and partner to the AVP Hospitality & Retail.  Helping to operationalize and sustain the values and vision of Interlochen through hospitality and guest services.  This role will oversee lodging including but not limited to the Stone Hotel and long-term housing, the switchboard and all other areas as directed by the AVP Hospitality & Retail.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities:

• Provides fiscal management and sound business decisions for all switchboard, employee housing, lodging activities and housekeeping operations.

• Provides direct management oversight to the switchboard, employee housing, lodging activities and housekeeping operations.

• Strategizes, identifies, creates, and executes new lines of revenue that relate to the switchboard, employee housing, lodging activities and housekeeping operations.

• Initiates planning and executes projects as they directly relate to the improvement of the switchboard, employee housing, lodging activities and housekeeping operations. 

• Identifies and executes annual strategic plans for the switchboard, employee housing, lodging activities and housekeeping operations.

• Explores, proposes, and develops public and private partnerships in support of Interlochen Center for the Arts, especially related to lodging.

• Implements industry best practices in group and conference management.

• Develops new, beneficial relationships with outside vendors while leveraging relationships with current vendors to achieve the highest results.

• Makes customer service decisions based on safety, integrity, and overall impact for the switchboard, employee housing, lodging activities and housekeeping operations.

• Proactively develops and maintains professional working relationships with all Interlochen Center for the Arts and Academic directors, their administrative support teams, and supervisors in order to cohesively achieve goals.

• Builds, energizes, and leads an engaged, high performing team and engages and motivates cross-functional teams across the organization to meet customer experience objectives.

• Develops operational processes and protocol for the switchboard, employee housing, and lodging activities that ultimately deliver an exceptional customer experience.

• Identifies key operational inefficiencies within customer support teams for switchboard, employee housing, and lodging, and develop, execute, and evaluate processes to correct them, focusing on process optimization.

• Identifies and collaborates cross-departmentally on marketing and communication strategies for the switchboard, external lodging, and vending.

• Partners with Human Resources to recommend and ensure proper staffing for the switchboard, employee housing, lodging activities and housekeeping operations.

• Adopts a systems-change mindset to solve problems, breaking down organizational silos to create a persistent customer-first mentality across physical and digital channels. 

• Seeks the best use of materials, equipment, and staff to maximize efficiency and effectiveness.

• Complies with ICA policies/procedures and acts as a good steward of ICA finances.

• Respects the culture, diversity, and rights of all students, their families and the community.

• Prioritizes duties in a manner consistent with organizational objectives and growth.

• Performs other duties as assigned.

Work Environment:

Work is performed primarily in a standard office environment with extensive internal and external stakeholder contact. On occasion this position may work in varying conditions including indoor and out, heat and cold.

Required Skills and Experience:

Education: Bachelor’s degree preferred but will consider an Associate’s degree or applicable experience.

Experience: 

• 3-5 years of people and project management experience required

• 3-5 in the Hotel/hospitality industry experience required.

• Property Manager experience preferred.

• Budget oversight experience. Hotel and/or rental management is a plus!

Equipment Familiarity: Proficient in Hotel Property Management Systems, Google Suites, Google Docs, Google Sheets, Phone Switchboards

Certifications, Licenses or Special Training: 

• Must meet and maintain background screening requirements for as detailed in policy 12.HR.01 Pre-Employment and Employee Background Checks. 

• Valid driver’s license and driving record that meets the eligibility requirements of ICA’s insurance carrier (for all positions requiring driving). 

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities: 

• A history of demonstrated skill providing successful leadership to for profit or non-profit businesses with experience in the following: Financial management,Marketing and Communication, Property Management, Contract negotiation, Personnel management

• Demonstrated skill in understanding financial reports, budgets, financial analysis, and long term financial planning.

• Strong communications skills; strong editing, writing, and critical reasoning skills and ability to influence stakeholders.

• Ability to promote and maintain a positive interaction with all internal and external stakeholders.

• Demonstrate respect for cultural, ethnic, spiritual, and linguistic diversity and values including differences in personal goals, lifestyle choices, and varying family backgrounds and histories.

• Ability to work independently and with a team.

• Creative thinking skills, and the ability to offer new ideas and approaches.

• Ability to maintain confidentiality and instill confidence with key stakeholders.

• Demonstrated knowledge of customer experience best practices.

• Ability to create structure around ambiguous assignments and manage complexity in terms of the work and stakeholders to deliver results in a compressed time frame.

• Use best-in-class project management and stakeholder engagement techniques to influence a broad group of stakeholders and senior leaders.

• Demonstrated ability to monitor, control, and record all finances, efficiently manage and authorize expenditures, and minimize costs when necessary

• Ability to investigate or identify problematic areas and rectify them

• Broad thinking and change management best practices.

• Strong attention to detail coupled with the ability to interpret data and create action plans to address trends.

• Understanding and aptitude of technology use at a corporate and departmental level with the ability to use technology in day-to-day communications and transactions.

• Ability to work long hours, nights, weekends, and holidays as dictated by the needs of the business.

For a completed Job Description and to apply, go to http://interlochen.org/careersor click on https://interlochen.submit4jobs.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=85509.viewjobdetail&CID=85509&JID=362376&BUID=3296#/jobDescription/362376/

Application Materials:

• Cover Letter

• Resume

Benefits Package:

• Health, dental, and vision insurance

• Vacation, Sick, Holiday and generous winter holiday time off

• Life insurance 

• Voluntary life insurance 

• Short and long-term disability

• Employee development & tuition reimbursement programs

• Defined contribution 401(a) plan, managed by TIAA

• Free or discounted employee tickets to Interlochen performances and events *some exceptions apply 

• Early event ticket purchase before general public sales begin

• Free Stone Cafeteria meal on shift

• Dennison Recreation Center accessibility (includes spouses)

• Priority access to Interlochen employees at Pitter Patter Day Care Center (less than one mile from campus)

• Employee Referral Program (cash payments)

• Tuition discounts for employee’s children at Academy, Camp and Interlochen Online

• Parental leave (12 weeks paid for Pregnancy/Maternity/Childbirth leave, 6 weeks paid for Parental leave).