Director of Transitions & Openings

Sage Hospitality Group is set to hire a Director of Transitions & Openings to join us here in Denver!

As part of Sage Hospitality Group, we passionately strive to be the best and create excellence in everything we do. We believe in enriching lives one experience at a time. More than a slogan, we empower our employees to make positive impacts on the communities in which we live and work. By providing genuine service we build relationships with our guests and value for our shareholders, and we create unforgettable experiences.

We are looking for independent thinkers. Those who harness their entrepreneurial spirit so that it breaks preconceived notions. We’re not afraid to forge our own path. After all, it’s what industry leaders do. That’s why we welcome risk takers and creative spirits alike. No matter your daily role, Sage recognizes that your success is about more than the work you do—it’s really about who you are, which is why we invest in your personal and professional growth. We hope you consider joining us!

To orchestrate the seamless transition from concept to opening for Sage Hospitality Group’s new and reimagined properties ensuring every launch reflects the company’s purpose of Enriching Lives, while balancing creative excellence, operational readiness, and financial discipline.

The Director of Transitions & Openings serves as the bridge between business plan, concept, and operation, turning early strategic vision into executable, measurable, and meaningful outcomes. This role ensures that every Sage opening launches with purpose, alignment, and excellence, connecting the “why” behind each project to the daily workflows that bring it to life.

Operating at the intersection of strategy, process, and experience, this leader builds the cadence, systems, and accountability that ensure Sage’s creative and operational ambitions translate seamlessly from design to delivery. The role partners across the creative and design, development and construction, feasibility and investments, people and culture, operations, commercial, and finance teams, along with ownership groups to deliver openings that are on time, on budget, and on brand.

Strategic Integration & Early Alignment

· Translate early-stage brand and business strategy into a cohesive transition and opening roadmap that ties creative intent, budget discipline, culture, and operational readiness together.

· Partner across disciplines to define the why, what, and how of each project, ensuring the purpose and guest experience promise are reflected in every tactical plan.

· Build and manage detailed pre-opening budgets, validating line items against underwriting and ensuring clear alignment between development assumptions, opening costs, and long-term operating performance.

· Coordinate with corporate leadership, partners, and ownership teams to align project goals, brand standards, and success metrics.

· Establish measurable opening outcomes, including guest experience, financial targets, and cultural benchmarks, to guide all disciplines toward shared results.

Schedule & Process Leadership

· Develop and oversee the opening critical path timeline, integrating milestones across all disciplines (Design and Construction, Marketing, Sales, Revenue Management, Finance, People & Culture, IT, Operations, etc.).

· Facilitate cross-functional milestone meetings, ensuring all departments are aligned on key dates, dependencies, deliverables, and accountability.

· Embed process discipline into every project, not as a checklist, but as a shared framework for delivering purpose-driven work.

· Develop and continuously refine Sage’s Transition & Opening Playbook, evolving tools, templates, and best practices for scalability and excellence.

Transition & Opening Management

· Lead all property transitions and openings from signing through completion.

· Provide tactical support and execution on critical pre-opening workflows — including liquor licensing, bank account setup, regulatory approvals, inspections, and other operational readiness requirements — ensuring each milestone is completed accurately and on schedule.

· Establish and manage pre-opening budgets, ensuring cost efficiency and alignment with financial forecasts.

· Collaborate with and support People & Culture and Operations on staffing, training, onboarding, and culture immersion plans.

· Work closely with construction, design, and development teams to confirm that all physical environments align with schedule, brand specifications and operational flow.

· Coordinate with procurement and installation teams to ensure equipment, furniture, technology systems, and operating supplies are installed and implemented in accordance with opening milestones.

· Partner with IT to ensure smooth implementation of property management systems, POS, reservation platforms, and security protocols.

· Coordinate with Marketing and Sales teams on pre-opening campaigns, digital strategies, PR strategies, and activation events that bring the brand story to life.

· Support and/or implement Sage’s brand culture and guest experience standards across diverse brand environments, ensuring alignment with Sage’s purpose while adapting to partner flags and independent concepts.

Post-Opening Review & Continuous Improvement

· Conduct post-opening reviews with key stakeholders to assess successes, challenges, and ROI against strategic intent.

· Translate learnings into improved tools, processes, and templates for future openings.

· Maintain a feedback loop across Sage disciplines to continually evolve how projects are transitioned and launched.

Education/Formal Training

Bachelors or Master’s Degree preferred

Experience

Minimum 10 years of experience in hospitality operations, development, or transitions.

Knowledge/Skills

• Strong knowledge of hotel financial systems and operational processes.

• Proven ability to manage complex projects and deliver results on time and within scope.

• Excellent communication, training, and interpersonal skills.

• Advanced proficiency in financial systems and reporting tools.

• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills.

• Ability to learn and master new technologies quickly.

• High attention to detail and organizational skills.

• Collaborative mindset with a focus on continuous improvement.

• Self-motivated innovator with a passion for identifying opportunities and implementing sustainable improvements and operational excellence

Physical Demands

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an associate to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

• Ability to travel as needed (up to 75%).

• Prolonged sitting throughout entire shift at computerized workstation.

• Sitting 85%, Walking 5%, Standing 5%, bending, kneeling, lifting, climbing 5%.

• Lifting and carrying of objects, 30-35 pounds.

• Hearing required to train and interact with management and associates.

• Vision required to read reports, computer, etc.

• Excellent comprehension and literacy required for review and preparation of all documentation.

• Mobility -limited mobility between offices and departments. No continuous standing, climbing or driving.

Environment

Office environment – 75%, Hotel and restaurant environment – 25%

• Unlimited paid time off

• Eligible for bonus

• Medical, dental, & vision insurance

• Health savings and flexible spending accounts

• Basic Life and AD&D insurance

• Company-paid short-term disability

• Paid FMLA leave for up to a period of 12 weeks

• Eligible to participate in the Company’s 401(k) program with employer matching

• Employee assistance program

• Tuition Reimbursement

• Great discounts on Hotels, Restaurants, and much more.

• Eligible to participate in the Employee Referral Bonus Program. Up to $1,000 per referral.

** The application period will be open for approximately 30 days or until a suitable candidate is identified. We encourage qualified individuals to submit their applications within this timeframe.