AVP – Food and Beverage

The AVP, Food & Beverage Operations is a senior operating leader responsible for the total daily operation of the Royal Caribbean International front-of-house food and beverage business, both shipboard and shoreside. This executive owns the day-to-day performance of restaurant and beverage operations fleetwide — including financial results, guest experience, and employee experience — and serves as a strategic partner and thought partner to the SVP, Food & Beverage. The position is structured as a growth role positioned to step into a RCG brand Head of Food & Beverage role, and the AVP is therefore expected to operate with enterprise-level ownership across every aspect of the front-of-house operation while building the leadership capability, business acumen, and strategic judgment required for that advancement.

The AVP leads, directs, manages, and develops two senior operating leaders — the Sr. Director, Restaurant Operations and the Sr. Director, Beverage Operations — and, through them, the broader shipboard and shoreside F&B teams. As a thought partner to the SVP on strategy, planning, and execution, the AVP translates brand and enterprise objectives into consistent operational delivery and ensures the highest level of guest satisfaction and F&B key performance indicators (ratings and revenue). The role is accountable for driving revenue and profitability, protecting and elevating the guest experience, strengthening the employee experience and talent pipeline, and ensuring operational excellence, public health compliance, and continuous improvement across all front-of-house dining and beverage venues. The AVP effectively communicates relevant information to peers, the SVP, and other department executives, and maintains an operational-level understanding of the business functions that support F&B, including Culinary, Supply Chain, Human Resources, Finance, Marketing, and Technology. This position is based in Miami, Florida, reports through the organizational structure as defined in Food & Beverage, and directly reports to the Senior Vice President, Food & Beverage for Royal Caribbean International.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:

Operational Leadership & Daily Accountability

• Hold end-to-end accountability for the total daily operation of the front-of-house F&B business fleetwide, ensuring consistent, high-quality execution of restaurant and beverage service across all ships and shoreside support functions.
• Provide leadership and direction to the Sr. Director, Restaurant Operations and Sr. Director, Beverage Operations, aligning both functions around shared operational standards, service delivery, and performance targets.
• Establish, monitor, and continuously improve operational standards, SOPs, and performance metrics; drive a culture of operational excellence, accountability, and continuous improvement across the front of house.
• Ensure full compliance with company standards, public health (USPH) requirements, food safety, and all applicable regulatory and brand requirements across F&B operations.

Financial Performance

• Own the daily financial performance of the front-of-house F&B operation, including revenue generation, cost control, labor efficiency, and margin management across restaurant and beverage operations.
• Partner with the SVP on the annual budget and forecasting process; monitor financial and operating reports, identify variances, and deploy strategies to meet or exceed revenue and profitability targets.
• Drive initiatives that increase onboard restaurant and beverage revenue while managing food, beverage, and labor cost structures with discipline.

Guest Experience

• Protect and elevate the guest F&B experience fleetwide, using guest insights, satisfaction metrics, and service feedback to identify opportunities and eliminate service breakdowns.
• Ensure the consistent delivery of an industry-leading dining and beverage experience that reflects the brand vision and drives measurable improvement in guest satisfaction and F&B ratings.

Employee Experience & Talent Development

• Strengthen the employee experience across the front-of-house F&B organization, fostering an engaged, high-performing, and results-oriented culture shipboard and shoreside.
• Lead, coach, and develop talent within the business — directly mentoring senior directors and building the leadership pipeline and bench strength required to support fleet growth.
• Partner with Human Resources to attract, select, develop, and retain top F&B talent; support effective talent assignment, succession planning, and organizational design.

Strategic Partnership & Growth

• Serve as a strategic partner and thought partner to the SVP, Food & Beverage on strategy, planning, and execution, contributing enterprise-level perspective and translating strategic priorities into operational reality.
• Deputize for the SVP as needed and progressively assume broader scope and responsibility in preparation for advancement into the VP, Food & Beverage role.
• Inspire and communicate with a wide range of stakeholders and executives across functions and organizational levels, leading by influence across the global organization to deliver results.
• Collaborate cross-functionally with Hotel Operations, Product Development, Supply Chain, Marketing, Guest Experience, and Technology to support new concepts, product launches, and operational initiatives.
• Provide F&B operational leadership to company projects and initiatives, including new ship construction, modernizations, amplifications, and business improvement efforts, and lead the effective execution of all other aspects of the front-of-house F&B business as required.

FINANCIAL / QUANTITATIVE RESPONSIBILITIES

• Accountable for the daily financial performance of the front-of-house F&B operation, including all related revenue (beverage, specialty dining, and interactive/education) and expense categories fleetwide.
• Partners with the SVP to build the annual financial plan and manage the forecast process throughout the year; reviews and analyzes financial and operating reports to evaluate performance against established budgets.
• Drives cost discipline around food cost, beverage cost, and labor while protecting service standards and the guest experience.
• Responsible for all aspects of personnel management (e.g., hiring, training, and development of direct reports) and overall leadership of the front-of-house shipboard and shoreside teams.

QUALIFICATIONS:

• Minimum 10 years as a highly regarded senior F&B leader for established companies, preferably in a high-volume 4- or 5-star multi-resort, cruise line, hotel, multi-unit restaurant, or food service environment.
• Bachelor’s degree from a 4-year college, preferably in Hospitality Management or Business Administration.
• Proven leadership and F&B management abilities with experience at the executive level, including a track record of building high-performance teams and attracting great talent.
• Strong business and financial acumen, with P&L management expertise and a demonstrated ability to drive ROI.
• Leadership style aligned with the Royal Way values, with a high level of ethics and integrity, outstanding communication and relationship-building skills, and executive presence.

KNOWLEDGE AND SKILLS:

• Culinary, beverage, and restaurant operations experience, ideally in a high-volume, multi-unit environment.
• Proven strategic business management knowledge and skills, including financial, product, quality assurance, human resources, and analytical skills.
• Strong organizational, planning, and communication skills, with excellent interpersonal skills to communicate with all levels of employees.
• Strong leadership capability; quickly establishes credibility with shoreside and shipboard teams as a go-to leader for F&B operations.
• A global thinker who is comfortable working across cultures and team-oriented in reaching objectives.

PHYSICAL DEMANDS:

• Ability to travel depending on itinerary; approximately 25–40% travel, including shipboard visits of 2–14 days.