Director of Culinary Operations – Food Systems

Expert VA

. Lead and strengthen culinary operations across multiple locations, concepts, and teams .

Posted 10/23/2026full-timeRemote • United StatesLeadWebsite

Core Competencies

Role fit

Core Competencies

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Demonstrates extensive culinary leadership with a focus on multi-location operations, food safety, and quality assurance. Proficient in building and standardizing culinary systems while leveraging technology and data for operational excellence.

Highest-signal resume keywords

Culinary Leadership ExperienceFood Safety and Quality AssuranceMenu Engineering and Product DevelopmentData-Driven Decision MakingMulti-Concept Operations Management

ATS Keywords

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Applicant Tracking System Keywords

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Hard Skills

Culinary Operations ManagementRecipe DevelopmentQuality Control StandardsFood Cost ManagementProduction ProcessesSOP DevelopmentTraining SystemsRoot-Cause AnalysisPortion ControlBakery and Pastry Operations

Soft Skills

Strong Communication SkillsCommercial JudgmentLeadership and Team DevelopmentProblem-SolvingRemote Team Management

Tools & Technologies

AI and Digital ToolsData Analysis SoftwareCulinary Management SystemsOperational Control Technologies

Industry Keywords

Food and Beverage OperationsCulinary StandardsTraceability SystemsHospitality ManagementCulinary Quality Assurance

Tech Stack

Tools & technologies

Chef

About the role

Key responsibilities & impact

Lead and strengthen culinary operations across multiple locations, concepts, and teams
Assess products, menus, recipes, suppliers, and production processes using data, reports, and remote evidence
Diagnose and direct fixes for taste, consistency, quality, and food-safety issues
Work through on-site Head Chefs and culinary leaders to ensure standards are executed consistently
Build controlled recipes, specifications, production standards, and processes with clear tolerances and version control
Standardize culinary systems across restaurants, commissary/central kitchen, bakery, catering, and other food operations as needed
Lead menu engineering — improve, reposition, standardize, or remove underperforming products
Establish food-safety, quality, and traceability systems, including root-cause analysis
Build training, development, and succession systems for culinary teams
Own the culinary drivers of food cost, yield, waste, consistency, and margin
Use technology, data, and AI to improve culinary decision-making, communication, and operational control
Create systems that preserve culinary knowledge and maintain continuity despite team turnover

Requirements

What you’ll need

10+ years of progressive culinary/F&B leadership experience, ideally at Executive Chef, Culinary Director, Corporate Chef, or equivalent level
Significant experience leading multi-location, multi-concept, or complex hospitality/F&B operations
Strong practical culinary background across different cuisines, products, and operating environments
Working knowledge of bakery and pastry operations, including products, recipes, production processes, and quality standards
Proven ability to restore product quality and build repeatable culinary systems — not just cook well
Experience with recipes, specifications, SOPs, production standards, quality control, and training systems
Comfortable leading and directing kitchen execution remotely through on-site culinary leaders
Strong understanding of food cost, yield, waste, portion control, and labor economics
Experience with food safety, quality assurance, and traceability
Strong systems, technology, data, and communication skills
Advanced, practical use of AI and modern digital tools
Strong commercial judgment and the ability to balance culinary quality with profitability

Benefits

Comp & perks

HMO / Health Insurance
Paid Time Off (PTO)
Additional Leave
Work from Anywhere / Work from Home
Performance-Based Pay Raises