Director Culinary Operations

gategroup•San Francisco, CA

2d•$150,000 - $160,000

About The Position

The Director Culinary Operations is the senior culinary and production leader for a high-volume, complex airline catering operation that functions as an industrial-scale food manufacturing production department. The role oversees safe, compliant, efficient, and cost-effective production of high-quality meals for multiple airline customers, leading teams, enforcing process controls, and driving data-informed continuous improvement and standardization. The position brings together culinary excellence, industrial engineering, food safety, and operational leadership to ensure outputs meet regulatory requirements, airline specifications, and internal quality benchmarks. This leader oversees production planning and execution across multiple kitchens, lines, and shifts; owns the kitchen Master Production Schedule and detailed production sequencing; and uses ERP/MRP systems for material planning, capacity alignment, and execution tracking. The role is accountable for quality, food safety, operational performance, cost control, training and development, and collaboration with internal departments and airline customers. Travel is required up to 10%.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree in Industrial Engineering, Process Engineering, Food Engineering, or a related field is preferred.
At least 10 years of hands-on leadership experience in large-scale food manufacturing or production environments, airline catering, or high-volume institutional catering.
Proven experience as a Production Manager or Culinary Operations Leader.
Experience implementing Lean food production/manufacturing and continuous improvement methodologies.
Demonstrated experience with ERP/MRP systems, including Master Production Scheduling and production planning.
Deep knowledge of food safety systems, including HACCP, GMP, and FDA/USDA compliance.
Knowledge of industrial-scale food production processes and production planning and scheduling.
Strong understanding of KPIs and operational financial drivers, inventory, and cost control.
Hands-on capability with batch control, process standardization, and quality systems.
Ability to regularly stand, bend, lift, and move intermittently during shifts of 10 or more hours.
Ability to lift, push, pull, and move products, equipment, and supplies weighing more than 25 pounds.

Nice To Haves

Culinary qualifications are a plus but are not mandatory.

Responsibilities

Meet or exceed Health Department, USDA, FDA, HACCP, GMP, and airline-specific safety and compliance requirements.
Partner with Quality Assurance teams to design, execute, and improve sanitation programs, including cleaning schedules, validation, verification, allergen management, and cross-contamination prevention.
Ensure full traceability and control throughout the production lifecycle and embed food safety and operational discipline in the kitchen organization.
Lead high-volume, multi-line, multi-shift food production across kitchens and assembly lines, ensuring smooth production flow.
Establish and reinforce standardized processes to improve consistency and reduce variability.
Optimize kitchen throughput and efficiency and ensure on-time, in-full delivery to assembly (Make & Pack).
Own end-to-end food production planning, including the kitchen Master Production Schedule and production sequencing to meet customer demand.
Use ERP/MRP systems to support accurate material planning, capacity alignment, and real-time execution tracking.
Maintain rigorous control of batch sheets and work orders, ensuring data accuracy and process discipline.
Implement structured process controls to reduce variability, improve predictability, and enhance system performance.
Collaborate with planning, procurement, and logistics to synchronize the supply chain from raw materials through finished products.
Implement Total Quality Management principles and establish and enforce quality standards for recipes, specifications, and procedures.
Ensure products meet quality standards before reaching customers, with particular attention to portion control and uniformity.
Own operational KPIs, including food cost, labor cost and productivity, food waste, yield accuracy, portion consistency, and on-time delivery; identify performance gaps and lead corrective and preventive actions.
Enforce FIFO practices and manage cost drivers, waste, recipe yield accuracy, and inventory variances.
Build a high-performance culture of accountability, discipline, and continuous improvement.
Design and implement training programs covering food safety, process adherence, and operational excellence; develop future leaders and succession pipelines.
Apply modern food processing technologies and techniques, including sous-vide, hot-fill processing, pasteurization, and shelf-life extension methods.
Work with Supply Chain Planning, Buyers, Quality Assurance, Process Engineering, Maintenance, Commercial teams, airline customers, and corporate functions to align production capabilities with customer needs and support strategic initiatives, innovation, and transformation.