Vice President, Operations - Airline Lounges

Vice President of Operations - Airline Lounges

SodexoLive! is seeking a dynamic, strategic, and results-driven leader to lead, grow, and elevate a growing airport lounge portfolio across the U.S. This high-impact, multi-site leadership role requires a visionary leader who thrives in fast-paced, premium hospitality environments with prior international work experience or experience working with international clients. You'll be at the forefront of business expansion, client relationship management, and operational excellence, all while ensuring an unforgettable guest experience. As a key executive leader, you will drive strategic growth, financial performance, and best-in-class service delivery, collaborating with senior leadership, client partners, and high-performing teams. Your leadership will directly influence SodexoLive's competitive edge in the airport lounge industry.

This role demands a growth-oriented, strategic leader who can drive business expansion, elevate team performance, and ensure operational excellence across a portfolio consisting of international clientele. The ideal candidate will balance hands-on leadership in day-to-day operations with high-impact strategic engagement at the senior level. Success in this role requires the ability to navigate complex stakeholder relationships, lead cross-functional teams, and drive innovation while maintaining an unwavering commitment to compliance, service excellence, and financial performance. A leader in this role must communicate with clarity and influence at all levelsfrom frontline teams to executive leadershipwhile fostering a culture of accountability, collaboration, and continuous improvement. This is a remote leadership role with 50% - 70% travel, working hands-on with international airport lounge accounts. Candidates must reside near a major airport.

Incentives : Annual Incentive Plan and Car Allowance

What You'll Do :

• Strategic Leadership & Business Growth
• Develop and execute a growth strategy that expands market share and financial performance.
• Lead change management initiatives, driving innovation and operational efficiency across all locations.
• Identify and capitalize on business development opportunities to maximize revenue and retention.
• Oversee a $60M+ portfolio of third-party airport lounges, ensuring strategic alignment with client and corporate objectives.
• Client & Stakeholder Management
• Serve as the primary executive liaison for key clients, ensuring contract retention and satisfaction.
• Build a Web of Influence within client organizations to strengthen relationships and identify expansion opportunities.
• Oversee contract negotiations, renewals, and strategic investments, ensuring long-term partnerships.
• Operational Excellence & Financial Performance / Optimization
• Ensure premium service delivery and compliance with Sodexo Live's hospitality standards, overseeing high-quality, innovative, and consistent food & beverage services across all lounges.
• Maintain full P&L accountability, ensuring financial sustainability and profitability, while optimizing P&L performance, achieving financial targets and driving business profitability.
• Utilize data analytics and forecasting tools to optimize resource allocation and decision-making.
• Drive best-in-class operational protocols to maximize efficiency and service quality, ensuring regulatory compliance, operational efficiency, and adherence to corporate standards.
• High-Performance Leadership & Culture Building
• Inspire, develop, and lead the management team to achieve operational excellence.
• Foster a high-performance culture, centered on collaboration, innovation, and accountability.
• Promote a mission-driven approach to excellence, customer satisfaction, and continuous improvement.
• Leadership & Talent Development
• Lead a high-performance team of Senior National Client Executive (Associate Vice President), ensuring strong leadership across multiple locations.
• Drive succession planning, talent development, and employee engagement initiatives.
• Foster a culture of innovation, accountability, and inclusion.
• Guest Experience & Service Innovation
• Elevate customer experience standards, ensuring seamless and high-quality hospitality services.
• Implement service enhancements and best practices to optimize guest satisfaction and loyalty.
• Conduct regular site visits, assessing and refining service delivery and operational execution.

What We Offer :

Compensation is fair and equitable, partially determined by a candidates education level or years of relevant experience. Salary offers are based on a candidates specific criteria, like experience, skills, education, and training. Sodexo offers a comprehensive benefits package that may include :

More extensive information is provided to new employees upon hire.

What You Bring :

Who We Are :

At Sodexo, our purpose is to create a better everyday for everyone and build a better life for all. We believe in improving the quality of life for those we serve and contributing to the economic, social, and environmental progress in the communities where we operate. Sodexo partners with clients to provide a truly memorable experience for both customers and employees alike. We do this by providing food service, catering, facilities management, and other integrated solutions worldwide. Our company values you for you; you will be treated fairly and with respect, and you can be yourself. You will have your ideas count and your opinions heard because we can be a stronger team when you're happy at work. This is why we embrace diversity and inclusion as core values, fostering an environment where all employees are valued and respected. We are committed to providing equal employment opportunities to individuals regardless of race, color, religion, national origin, age, sex, gender identity, pregnancy, disability, sexual orientation, military status, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by applicable federal, state, or local law.

Qualifications & Requirements :