Senior Dean - Food and Beverage Arts bei Culinary Institute of America

The anticipated hiring range for this position is $200,000 to $240,000. Hiring offers will be determined based on the final candidate’s qualifications and experience. The recruiter can share more information about what the anticipated hiring salary would be based upon your specific qualifications during the selection process. 

The CIA offers a substantial benefits package that includes medical coverage available at no cost to qualifying employees, dental insurance, vision insurance, life insurance, short and long term disability insurance, retirement savings plan with high employer contributions, a generous paid time off program, and more!

As the benefits package at the CIA results in a significant value above the base hiring salary for this position, we encourage you to apply so that our recruiters can share more information with you about the benefits of working for the CIA.

POSITION SUMMARY

In collaboration with the Vice President – Academic Affairs & Chief Academic Officer, President, Provost, and other senior team members, the Senior Dean will play a pivotal role in refining the vision for culinary education at the CIA. Serving as the principal spokesperson for the college on food, beverage, and hospitality matters, the Senior Dean will provide oversight and guidance to the deans responsible for all food, beverage and hospitality programming, as well as the branch campus associate deans. The Senior Dean will cultivate faculty capacity in applied knowledge creation, and will partner with Advancement to secure fundraising and gift-in-kind support for food-focused programming. The Senior Dean – Food & Beverage Arts will drive the recognition of all of CIA’s food, beverage, and hospitality education programs as best in class, both nationally and internationally.

ESSENTIAL RESPONSIBILITIES

• Academic Leadership and Strategy
  • Oversee academic excellence across the schools, providing academic leadership and vision for curriculum design, innovation, and integration. Ensure all programs maintain the highest standards in curriculum design, learning outcomes, faculty performance, and student experience.
  • Develop and align long-term academic vision by leading the strategic development and evolution of each School's mission in alignment with the CIA’s broader strategic pillars: global cuisine leadership, food and beverage innovation, health and sustainability, and entrepreneurship.
  • Lead cross-school synergies and integration efforts. Foster collaboration among the schools to develop cross-disciplinary programs, shared courses, and strategic co-curricular initiatives that reflect the future of the food, beverage, and hospitality industries.
  • Champion artificial intelligence (AI) and emerging technologies by integrating tools and practices such as AI, robotics, sustainability technologies into curriculum and labs to prepare students for future-facing industry roles.
• Faculty Development and Talent Management
  • Develop, retain and recruit high-caliber faculty. Lead faculty recruitment, onboarding, evaluation, and professional development across the schools.
  • Promote and support an inclusive and diverse faculty culture of academic excellence. Foster a culture of academic excellence, diversity, and innovation in teaching and learning. Ensure that diversity in background, experience, and pedagogy is actively pursued and supported among faculty ranks.
  • Facilitate scholarly and industry-engaged work. Support faculty development in pedagogy, research, and industry engagement. Implement strategies to support faculty in balancing teaching loads with applied research, thought leadership, and industry consulting, especially through CIA collaboratives and conferences (e.g., Menus of Change, Healthy Kitchens - Healthy Lives).
• Holistic Student Experience, Retention and Success
  • Elevate the student learning journey by creating a high-touch, student-centered culture that emphasizes mentoring, professional preparation, and leadership development across all schools. Champion a cohesive, world-class student experience that unites all arts schools under a shared set of values: craftsmanship, innovation, global fluency, and service excellence.
  • Champion a student-centered culture. Foster a culture of student engagement, personal growth, and professional development across all aspects of the school. Serve as a visible and accessible leader for students, ensuring their voices help shape institutional decisions.
  • Ensure student experiences reflect the CIA’s commitment to diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging. Partner with Student Life to promote mental health, career confidence, and life skills alongside technical excellence.
  • Collaborate with Career & Academic Advising to prepare students for success in a diverse and rapidly evolving food and hospitality workforce. Champion integration of leadership, entrepreneurship, communication, and digital literacy across all programs.
  • Embed hands-on, real-world, and interdisciplinary experiential learning at every stage of the academic journey.
  • Develop and standardize student experiences through a progressive and agile curriculum that is:
  • Sequential: from foundational skills to advanced specializations.
  • Layered: integrating the arts, science, business, culture and wellness.
  • Customizable: enabling student pathways across arts, business, and science.
• Program Innovation, Adaptation and Market Responsiveness
  • Drive program evolution and creation. Lead the design, launch, and ongoing review, refresh and renewal of degree programs and courses, ensuring they are timely, market-relevant, competitive, mission-aligned and responsive to industry needs, global trends, and CIA’s strategic priorities. Ensure that curriculum reflect real-world challenges and trends, especially in hospitality workforce development and culinary entrepreneurship.
  • Ensure the global relevance, portability of programs, program viability and adaptability across CIA’s campuses—Hyde Park, Greystone, San Antonio, Singapore—and in online and hybrid formats.
• Operational and Financial Oversight
  • Work with the Vice President – Finance & Administration, Vice President – Academic Affairs & Chief Academic Officer, and Provost to ensure optimal resource allocation between faculty, labs, technology, travel, and events across the schools.
  • Establish key academic and operational metrics (e.g., student satisfaction, graduate outcomes, ROI, diversity benchmarks) and use data to drive continuous improvement.
• Industry and External Relations
  • Represent the food-focused academic enterprise of the CIA to industry leaders, advisory councils, conference audiences, and peer institutions, serving as a visible leader and advocate.
  • Expand the CIA’s global academic influence by promoting CIA thought leadership in areas like global food cultures, beverage innovation, sustainable hospitality, and more, through strategic speaking, publishing, and partnerships.
  • Foster experiential and work-integrated learning through working with employers and alumni to expand externships, immersive industry residencies, and real-world applied learning.
  • Serve as a key academic partner to Advancement in fundraising efforts related to the schools of food and beverage arts (e.g., endowed chairs, scholarships, capital investments).
• Any and all other duties as assigned.

REQUIRED QUALIFCATIONS

Education:

• Master’s degree required; or Associate degree in culinary, baking, hospitality or beverage combined with significant work experience in lieu of a Master’s degree.

Experience:

• Minimum of ten (10) years of progressive experience at a top culinary, hospitality, or higher education institution, or ten (10) years of progressive experience in executive roles in elite food, beverage or hospitality companies.
• Minimum of five (5) years leading a cross-functional team.
• Strong record of academic achievement, or executive-level professional experience. Recognized leader in the culinary or hospitality education community.

PREFERRED QUALIFCATIONS

• Doctorate or equivalent degree preferred.
• Certified Master Chef (CMC), Certified Master Baker (CMB) or equivalent.
• Experience in academic administration, program development, faculty leadership, accreditation, curriculum development and academic policy. Familiarity with accreditation, learning outcomes assessment, and online/hybrid learning.

REQUIRED SKILLS

• Excellent communicator with high cultural fluency and a collaborative leadership style.
• Strategic thinker with ability to align multiple units under a shared vision.
• Collaborative and diplomatic—skilled at fostering culture, coherence, and innovation. Demonstrated success in organizing the efforts of multiple organizational units to achieve institutional objectives.
• Comfortable working with senior leadership, board members, and external partners. Effective problem solver and negotiator.
• Inspiring communicator with a high level of cultural and culinary fluency.
• Ability to build diverse, inclusive teams and academic environments.
• Strong experience with budgeting and fiscal responsibility.
• Strong analytical, evaluative, and problem-solving abilities, with attention to detail.
• A high level of energy and self-motivation.
• Ability to use sound judgment and discretion in handling sensitive data, plans and analyses.

WORKING CONDITIONS

• Ability to work extended hours, including nights and weekends as befits a senior leadership position with high levels of business needs.
• Regular work requires the use of a computer, many times in excess of eight (8) hours per day.
• Periodic domestic and international travel is required.