Aulani, A Disney Resort & Spa, is more than an enchanting, family-friendly destination. We’ve combined the spirit of O`ahu with the magic of Disney to create a place where guests and cast members alike can feel the magic, can feel the spirit of the island and can truly feel welcome. Here, you’ll bring the spirit of the islands to life in every part of your role. Are you ready to join this team and make an impact?

About the Role:

The Hotel Operations Director provides strategic and operational leadership for Front Office, Recreation, and Information Technology at Aulani. This role advances exceptional guest experiences, Cast engagement, financial performance, safety, operational reliability, and continuous improvement across a complex, high-volume resort environment. The Director translates business priorities into disciplined operating plans, develops strong leadership teams, and ensures each area consistently reflects Disney’s Five Keys and Aulani’s cultural values.

The Hotel Operations Director leads multiple operational teams and leaders to deliver seamless hotel operations, balancing guest satisfaction, safety, financial performance, and technology reliability in a high-volume resort environment. This position sets strategic direction, aligns departmental plans with broader Disney Experiences goals, and mentors leaders to prioritize resources, drive continuous improvement, and uphold Disney’s service standards. This role matters because it ensures Aulani remains a creative, customer-focused, and culturally aware destination where Cast and guests experience the magic of Disney every day, requiring a strategic, team-oriented, and detail-oriented leader to be successful.

This full-time, salaried position reports to the General Manager and will be working onsite at Aulani resort on the island of Oahu, Hawaii.

Responsibilities:

• Provide strategic and operational leadership for Front Office, Recreation, and resort Information Technology operations, translating business priorities into clear operating plans for multiple related teams.
• Direct Front Office strategy and execution across arrival, departure, lobby, concierge, bell, valet, phone, and guest-services functions to ensure seamless, premium service delivery and timely recovery of complex guest concerns.
• Lead safe, engaging, and culturally relevant Recreation operations across pools, beach, water activities, cabanas, and related equipment, maintaining rigorous safety, water-quality, and regulatory standards.
• Provide executive oversight of resort Information Technology operations, infrastructure, end-user support, and technology-enabled guest experiences, ensuring system availability, cybersecurity compliance, and effective incident response in partnership with enterprise technology teams.
• Own departmental operating plans, budgets, forecasts, labor strategies, and capital priorities, using performance metrics and operational indicators to guide improvements in guest satisfaction, safety, service reliability, and financial results.
• Develop and implement strategy-oriented operating plans that align team responsibilities with Disney Experiences goals, empowering leaders to solve both immediate and long-term operational challenges.
• Build, coach, and retain a high-performing, inclusive leadership team by setting clear expectations, providing continuous coaching and feedback, and supporting career development and succession planning.
• Foster a positive, service-minded work environment that models Disney’s leadership behaviors and values, encourages creative problem solving, and ensures Cast feel respected, informed, and empowered.
• Model Disney’s Five Keys and Aulani values, including Kuleana, Mālama, Laulima, and ʻOluʻolu, in daily decisions and relationships.
• Collaborate with Housekeeping, Food & Beverage, Security, Sales, Revenue Management, Facilities, and external partners to optimize the end-to-end resort experience and support integrated Disney vacation offerings.
• Oversee strategic partnerships supporting transportation, excursions, lifeguard safety, housekeeping support, parking revenue collection, and electric-vehicle charging, ensuring service quality and alignment with resort standards.
• Provide visible leadership during peak periods, critical incidents, emergency response, and business disruptions, demonstrating sound judgment, crisis leadership, and care for both guests and Cast.

Required Qualifications:

• Minimum 10+ years of progressive experience in luxury hotel hospitality, resort operations, or comparable service operations, including 5+ years leading multiple teams or departments at the managerial level.
• Proven ability to envision future possibilities and create breakthrough strategies for hotel and resort operations, aligning departmental plans with Disney Experiences objectives.
• Demonstrated strength in planning and prioritizing work across multiple departments, setting organizational priorities, and allocating resources to meet financial, safety, and guest-experience goals.
• Extensive leadership of large, diverse teams and multiple operating functions, with accountability for guest experience, safety, labor management, and financial performance in a complex hospitality or resort environment.
• Strong working knowledge of Front Office and Recreation operations, with the capability to provide effective executive oversight of Information Technology and technology-enabled guest experiences.
• Ability to interpret and use performance data, service metrics, and labor indicators to guide operational improvements and drive continuous improvement across multiple hotel departments.
• Highly developed collaboration and communication skills, with a team-oriented, culturally aware, and service-minded approach to building partnerships across resort operations, shared services, enterprise technology, and external stakeholders.
• Demonstrated commitment to inclusion and to respectfully integrating Hawaiian culture, values, and community perspectives into guest and Cast experiences.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Leadership experience in a luxury, destination, mixed-use, or vacation-ownership resort environment.
• Experience working in Hawaiʻi with familiarity of local culture, community relationships, and regulatory requirements.
• Experience sponsoring enterprise technology initiatives, digital guest-experience solutions, or business-continuity programs in a hospitality or resort setting.
• Bachelor’s Degree or higher in Hospitality Management, Business, or a related field, or equivalent education.

 

Benefits and Perks:

• Disney offers a rewards package to help you live your best life. This includes health and savings benefits, educational opportunities and special extras that only Disney can provide. Learn more at https://jobs.disneycareers.com/aulani-benefits 

The hiring range for this position in Hawaii is $139,200 to $186,600 per year. The base pay actually offered will take into account internal equity and also may vary depending on the candidate’s geographic region, job-related knowledge, skills, and experience among other factors. A bonus and/or long-term incentive units may be provided as part of the compensation package, in addition to the full range of medical, financial, and/or other benefits, dependent on the level and position offered.