Vice President of Culinary

Compass Group•New York, NY

13d•$185,000 - $215,000

About The Position

The VP of Culinary, Managed Services is a senior culinary executive responsible for shaping and elevating the culinary vision across all Managed Services accounts, including corporate dining, executive dining, conference centers, and workplace programs. Reporting to the SVP Culinary, this leader drives menu innovation, culinary standards, brand consistency, and operational excellence tailored to the managed services environment. This role supports nearly 200 accounts (80% of accounts are on the East Coast) and leads a team of 6 Supervising/Regional Chefs and 200 total associates. Candidates must be based in/commutable to New York City.

Requirements

Culinary degree required; bachelor’s degree preferred
7+ years of culinary management experience, ideally within corporate dining or managed services environments
Project management skills and ability to execute complex initiatives
Ability to generate revenue by driving top line initiatives and managing middle‑ and bottom‑line levers
Success in contract food service and workplace dining across diverse market segments
Experience with sustainability practices, waste reduction strategies, and nutritional/labeling systems

Nice To Haves

Experience leading R&D teams or menu innovation processes – a plus

Responsibilities

Lead development and evolution of culinary direction and menu strategy tailored to corporate and managed services environments
Identify workplace dining trends and translate them into scalable, client‑centric, profitable offerings
Drive innovation cycles from ideation to implementation across diverse corporate accounts
Establish and maintain culinary execution standards and quality assurance protocols
Ensure best‑in‑class hospitality, food quality, safety, and presentation
Lead culinary audits and continuous improvement feedback loops
Oversee waste reporting processes, partnering with operations and analytics to reduce food waste through thoughtful menu engineering, portioning, and sustainability-forward practices
Ensure accurate and compliant food labeling and nutritional transparency across all restaurants, including alignment with Webtrition and other corporate systems
Optimize food cost, menu mix, and labor models aligned to client budgets and service level agreements
Partner on purchasing, contracting, sustainability, and responsible sourcing initiatives
Work cohesively with all Managed Services leadership teams to achieve financial and operational goals
Partner with operations, marketing, design, wellness, and finance
Support new account openings, workplace redesigns, and client experience initiatives
Lead culinary strategy for all new business opportunities, including tastings and presentations
Partner with Sales, Marketing, and Operations to develop compelling, brand-aligned culinary materials
Oversee tasting menus, presentation content, and cross-functional coordination for RFPs and client-facing events
Ensure tastings and presentations highlight menu innovation, scalability, sustainability, and value
Lead reporting Supervising & Regional Chefs, holding them accountable to all department key initiatives
Recruit, mentor, and lead corporate and field culinary teams
Build a culture of creativity, accountability, and continuous learning