Director of Food & Beverages - Avani Kota Kinabalu Hotel (Pre Opening Team)

Company Description

Minor Hotels is an international hotel owner, operator, and investor with a portfolio of more than 536 hotels in operation. Minor Hotels passionately explores new possibilities in hospitality with a diverse portfolio of properties designed intelligently to appeal to different kinds of travelers, serving new passions as well as personal needs. Through our Anantara, Avani, Oaks, Elewana, Tivoli, NH Hotel Group, Four Seasons, St. Regis, Marriott, and Minor International properties, across Asia Pacific, the Middle East, Africa, the Indian Ocean, Europe, and South America.

Avani Hotels & Resorts is a vibrant upscale brand offering relaxed comfort and contemporary style. Avani was launched in response to an increasingly influential group of discerning travelers who appreciate stylish design and excellent service, but also demand great value. Avani hotels are designed for the way we travel now. And we think it’s all about balance. Balance between coolness and kindness, between design and function, and between service and privacy.

Avani Kota Kinabalu Hotel is set to open in Q2 2026 with 378 new keys ready to welcome business and leisure travellers with trademark AVANI sleep satisfaction, contemporary living spaces, and Honest Food. The hotel will feature an all-day dining restaurant and a rooftop pool & bar, as well as 855 square metres of meeting space, perfect for conferences or social functions.

Job Description

Please note that this is not an exhaustive list of everything that needs to be done.  Minor Hotels employees always find new ways to look after the business, their guests, and their colleagues. Within this, the key responsibilities for this position are:

Planning and Organizing

• Participate in preparation of the hotel's strategic and marketing plans.  Prepare the Food and Beverage Department budget.
• Ensure that all Minor Hotels Resorts Food & Beverage Standards are being adhered to.
• Keep aware of trends, systems, practices and equipment in Food and Beverage preparation and service in the hospitality field.

Operations

• To be aware of the best external competitor offerings in the local market, and to continually work with hotel colleagues to improve our own offerings with the goal of being the best in the market for creativity, service, choice, and value for money.
• Directly responsible for all Restaurants and Catering areas, ensuring a smooth running, profitable operation within the framework of the Hotel.
• Work closely with Culinary to ensure the products and services are as expected.
• Supervise the functioning of all Food and Beverage employees, facilities, sales and costs, to ensure maximum departmental profit is achieved.
• Take personal responsibility for maximizing quality levels of product and service, and guest satisfaction.
• Attain high sanitation standards throughout the Food and Beverage operation by enforcing Minor Hotels Sanitation Checklist.
• To ensure that everyone in the departments is properly looking after all hotel property and facilities.
• To ensure that departments conduct a maintenance inspection on a monthly basis.
• Supervise and co-ordinate pricing and preparation of menus, beverage and wine lists, and liaise with local suppliers.

Administration

• Establish and maintain effective employee relations.
• Liaise with HR in all employee matters including interviewing and hiring, employee orientation, performance appraisals, coaching, counselling, and dismissal if necessary to ensure appropriate staffing and productivity. 
• With the hotel training manager, identify training needs and develop and deliver the required training for department employees to meet the needs of the business.  Support the training of Departmental Trainers to continue to improve hotel service levels.
• To be a sales champion for the hotel, generating and following up on business referrals and potential sales leads to maximize business for the hotel.

Qualifications

• 5 years previous management experience.
• Strong communication and organizational skills.
• A positive and energetic attitude.
• Be able to work under pressure within a dynamic team environment
• Be able to coach and motivate members of the Food & Beverage team
• An infectious passion for delivering a memorable guest experience.
• Strong knowledge of ultra-luxury and modern trends.
• Strong leadership and team management skills.
• Effective communication and interpersonal skill
• Passion for leadership.
• Good communications skills
• Flexible Work Attitude
• Must be quality focused in all aspects of their work-related duties.
• Must be able to interact with customers and have an outgoing personality.
• Must have a stable career history.
• Must currently hold the role applying for.
• Trackable references to support the role applied for