Executive Vice President of Culinary Operations

SAN ANTONIO FOOD BANK INC•San Antonio, TX

15d•Onsite

About The Position

The San Antonio Food Bank Executive Vice President, Culinary Operations leads the creative, operational, and financial stewardship of our culinary programs. This role provides strategic leadership across SAFB kitchens and initiatives, setting a clear culinary vision and standard. The leader in this role ensures our food is mission-aligned and community-centered, while also financially viable, scalable, and operationally sound. The result is high-quality, nutritious, and culturally responsive meals for children, adults, and seniors. The Executive Vice President, Culinary Operations works closely with senior leaders overseeing nutrition and community health, meal programs and compliance, and farm and food resilience to advance SAFB’s Food for Today, Food for Tomorrow, Food for a Lifetime strategy. The role balances culinary creativity and food quality with financial discipline, nutrition standards, regulatory requirements, and operational realities. Reporting to the Chief Programs Officer, this highly visible role blends strategic leadership with operational and financial rigor. Success requires the ability to see the big picture while managing complex details, including leading and developing culinary teams, strengthening cross-functional partnerships, and exercising sound judgment around budgets and operational decisions.

Requirements

Significant experience leading large-scale culinary operations, preferably across multiple sites or programs serving diverse populations.
Demonstrated success managing high-volume meal production while maintaining food quality, safety, and consistency in fast-paced, regulated environments.
Proven ability to lead, mentor, and develop culinary teams, including supervisors and frontline staff, in mission-driven settings.
Strong working knowledge of food safety, sanitation, and regulatory requirements, with experience operating within highly regulated food programs.
Experience collaborating across disciplines, including nutrition, compliance, agriculture, operations, and development, to deliver integrated food programs.
Ability to balance creative culinary leadership with operational rigor, financial discipline, and scalability, including experience managing budgets and cost controls.
Strong communication and relationship-building skills, with experience engaging community partners, donors, volunteers, and internal stakeholders.
Demonstrated experience representing an organization externally through culinary demonstrations, events, or public-facing engagements.
Demonstrated ability to operate effectively at both the strategic and on-the-ground operational levels within complex organizations.
Culinary degree, certification, or equivalent professional experience preferred; ServSafe or equivalent food safety certification required or ability to obtain.
A solutions-oriented, collaborative leadership style grounded in operational realities, with high emotional intelligence and a commitment to continuous improvement.
Strong alignment with SAFB’s mission and community-centered values.

Nice To Haves

Experience with earned revenue or social enterprise models, such as catering or mission-aligned food service operations, preferred.
Familiarity with nutrition standards and menu analysis, and experience partnering with nutrition professionals to develop compliant, health-forward menus.
Experience integrating locally sourced or farm-grown foods into large-scale meal programs preferred.
Experience supporting or leading culinary education, workforce development, or training initiatives preferred.
Formal training in leadership, management, or operations a plus.

Responsibilities

Set and advance a mission-driven culinary vision that reflects creativity, cultural relevance, nutrition goals, and financial sustainability across all culinary programs.
Provide strategic leadership across SAFB culinary programs, ensuring food is high-quality, skillfully prepared, scalable, and aligned with community needs.
Champion culinary innovation and continuous improvement while maintaining consistency and quality.
Serve as a visible culinary ambassador through partner engagement, events, demonstrations, and food-centered storytelling.
Oversee culinary operations across SAFB’s three Community Kitchens and related initiatives.
Maintain an active, on-site leadership presence in Mays Kitchen, providing day-to-day operational oversight, real-time problem solving, and visible support to culinary teams while ensuring alignment with broader organizational standards and goals.
Direct meal planning, preparation, and production to meet programmatic, nutritional, and service goals at scale.
Establish and uphold culinary standards for food quality, preparation, and presentation in partnership with nutrition and compliance leadership.
Serve as a collaborative partner in menu development with nutrition, compliance, and program leaders, supporting shared decision-making and consistent meal offerings.
Develop and refine operational processes to support efficiency, consistency, and scalability.
Oversee the culinary processing of donated proteins through Hunters for the Hungry, ensuring food safety, quality, and alignment with program needs and operational capacity.
Provide financial oversight for culinary operations, including budgeting, cost management, and operational decision-making.
Oversee Catalyst Catering as a mission-aligned social enterprise, balancing culinary excellence, earned revenue, and brand integrity.
Ensure culinary programs are financially viable and support long-term organizational sustainability.
Lead, mentor, and develop culinary teams, setting clear expectations and fostering a culture of accountability, collaboration, and creativity.
Ensure compliance with all food safety and regulatory requirements, in partnership with compliance leadership.
Partner with farm and food resilience leadership to integrate farm-grown foods and seasonal planning where feasible.