Director Culinary Operations

gategroup•San Francisco, CA

6d•Onsite

About The Position

The Director Culinary Operations is the senior culinary and production leader responsible for overseeing a high-volume, complex airline catering operation functioning as an industrial-scale food manufacturing production department. This role ensures the safe, compliant, efficient, and cost-effective production of high-quality meals across multiple airline customers, while leading teams, enforcing strict process controls, and driving continuous improvement through data, standardization, and advanced production techniques. The Director of Culinary Operations is at the intersection of culinary excellence, industrial engineering, food safety, and operational leadership, ensuring all outputs meet regulatory requirements, airline specifications, and internal "gold standard" quality benchmarks.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree in Industrial Engineering, Process Engineering, Food Engineering, or a related field (preferred).
Minimum 10+ years of hands-on leadership experience in large-scale food manufacturing/production environments (strongly preferred).
Airline catering or high-volume institutional catering experience.
Proven experience as Production Manager/Culinary Operations Leader.
Experience implementing Lean food production/manufacturing and Continuous Improvement methodologies.
Demonstrated experience with ERP/MRP systems (MPS, production planning).
Deep knowledge of food safety systems (HACCP, GMP, FDA/USDA compliance).
Deep knowledge of industrial-scale food production processes.
Deep knowledge of production planning and scheduling.
Strong understanding of KPIs and operational financial drivers.
Strong understanding of inventory and cost control.
Hands-on capability with batch control, process standardization, and quality systems.
Regularly stands, bends, lifts, and moves intermittently during shifts of 10+ hours.
Must be able to lift, push, pull and move product, equipment, supplies, etc., in excess of twenty-five (25) pounds.

Nice To Haves

Culinary qualifications are a plus but not mandatory.

Responsibilities

Consistently meets or exceeds regulatory and industry standards, including Health Department requirements, USDA and FDA regulations, as well as HACCP, GMP, and stringent airline-specific protocols.
Partners with QA Support teams in the design, execution, and continuous improvement of robust sanitation programs, ensuring that cleaning schedules, validation processes, and verification mechanisms are rigorously followed.
Ensures full traceability and control throughout the production lifecycle, embedding food safety and operational discipline into the DNA of the kitchen organization.
Operates as the senior production leader of a high-volume, industrialized food manufacturing environment.
Orchestrates complex, multi-line, multi-shift operations, ensuring that production flows seamlessly across kitchens and assembly lines.
Establishes and reinforces standardized processes, driving consistency and eliminating variability.
Accountable for optimizing kitchen throughput, maximizing efficiency, and ensuring on-time and in-full delivery to assembly (i.e. Make & Pack) in a fast-paced and demanding operational environment.
Owns the end-to-end food production planning process, including the Master Production Schedule (MPS) for the kitchen and detailed production sequencing required to meet dynamic customer demand.
Leverages ERP and MRP systems to ensure accurate material planning, capacity alignment, and real-time execution tracking.
Implements rigorous control over batch sheets and work orders, ensuring data accuracy and operational discipline at every stage.
Implements structured process control mechanisms to reduce variability, enhance predictability, and improve overall system performance.
Ensures close collaboration with planning, procurement, and logistics functions to ensure a synchronized and efficient supply chain, from raw materials to finished product.
Implements Total Quality Management (TQM) principles across the entire food production and assembly operation.
Establishes and enforces "gold standard", recipe accuracy, specifications, and procedures that define excellence in product quality and consistency.
Ensures that every product meets rigorous standards before reaching the customer.
Places strong emphasis on portion control and uniformity, critical in a high-volume airline catering context.
Drives continuous improvement.
Is fully accountable for operational performance, owning a comprehensive set of KPIs that reflect both efficiency and effectiveness.
Identifies trends, gaps, and improvement opportunities, driving both corrective and preventive actions.
Builds a culture where decisions are grounded in data and performance management is embedded at every level of the operation.
Ensures strict adherence to FIFO principles, safeguarding product freshness while minimizing waste and obsolescence.
Actively monitors and manages key cost drivers, including food cost (COGS), waste levels, recipe yield accuracy and inventory variances, taking corrective action where necessary.
Fosters a high-performance culture characterized by accountability, discipline, and continuous improvement.
Responsible for designing and implementing comprehensive training programs that reinforce food safety, process adherence, and operational excellence.
Invests in long-term capability building, developing future leaders and establishing robust succession pipelines to sustain organizational success.
Brings a strong understanding of modern food processing technologies and their application in a large-scale production environment.
Works closely with multiple stakeholders, including Supply Chain Planning, Buyers, Quality Assurance, Process Engineering, Maintenance, and Commercial teams.
Ensures alignment between production capabilities and customer requirements, navigating operational constraints while maintaining service excellence.
Collaborates with corporate functions to drive strategic initiatives, innovation, and transformation efforts, contributing to the long-term success and competitiveness of the organization.