Director of Culinary Operations - Berkeley Culinary

SUMMARY

The Director of Culinary is the senior culinary leader responsible for overseeing recipe development, product standardization, and culinary execution across the Culinary Centers and School Nutrition divisions. This role ensures that all recipes, Bills of Material (BOMs), and preparation procedures are fully industrialized, cost-controlled, scalable, and executable within a high-volume food manufacturing environment.

The Director of Culinary partners closely with Operations, Procurement, Quality Assurance, Finance, Training, and Plant Leadership to deliver consistent, high-quality products that meet customer expectations, regulatory requirements, and cost targets. This role plays a critical leadership function in driving food quality, production efficiency, and continuous improvement across prepared meals manufacturing.

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS, RESPONSIBILITIES, AND DUTIES

Culinary Strategy & Product Development

• Develop new meals and menu items for School Nutrition, Culinary Center, and internal Whitsons business lines.
• Identify Ready-to-Eat (RTE) meals and à la carte items suitable for large-scale production and school programs.
• Lead recipe creation for entrées, soups, sauces, pastas, proteins, salads, and prepared components.
• Industrialize all recipes by developing accurate BOMs, formulations, yields, and preparation standards.
• Conduct regular reviews of existing BOMs to ensure accuracy, efficiency, and cost alignment.
• Condense and streamline recipes and ingredient lists where practical to improve production efficiency.

Production Integration & Process Standardization

• Design standardized preparation, cooking, cooling, and handling procedures for all products.
• Establish yields and preparation processes and compare standards to actual production results.
• Observe daily BOM-related production functions to ensure adherence to approved formulations.
• Assist production planning to reduce changeovers and improve line efficiency.
• Ensure all work is performed safely and in compliance with company and regulatory standards.

Equipment, Training & Operational Support

• Maintain expert knowledge of all cooking, preparation, and processing equipment used in production.
• Develop equipment-specific training standards for efficient and consistent use.
• Partner with Training and Operations teams to document and implement culinary procedures.
• Train equipment operators and production teams on new recipes and formulations.
• Require documented sign-off confirming understanding and readiness to execute new products.

Quality Assurance & Product Standards

• Develop quality control and testing procedures for all new and existing products.
• Establish QA standards related to appearance, taste, texture, viscosity, and portioning.
• Conduct test tastings and focus groups with internal stakeholders and senior clients.
• Set meal portions, plating diagrams, and gold standard references in English and Spanish.
• Observe production lines periodically to verify portioning accuracy and gold standard compliance.
• Collaborate with QA to ensure HACCP, USDA, and internal quality standards are consistently met.

Financial Management & Cost Control

• Establish and maintain all BOM costs, yields, and absorbed labor calculations.
• Work with Procurement to ensure ingredient sourcing, availability, and cost alignment.
• Partner with Plant Leadership, COO, and CFO to vet and approve all BOM-related costs.
• Monitor plate costs to ensure meals remain within program-specific cost targets.
• Communicate proactively when cost, yield, or execution risks are identified.

Leadership & Cross-Functional Collaboration

• Provide day-to-day culinary leadership that aligns with the plant’s mission and core values.
• Partner with Operations, Safety, QA, Procurement, Finance, and Training teams to support plant goals.
• Develop plans with the Safety Team to reduce accidents and improve food handling safety.
• Maintain strong communication across departments to support smooth product launches and execution.
• Build a catalog of products that can be efficiently produced within cost and capacity guidelines.

Salary Range: $110,000-$130,000

Qualifications:

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS AND COMPETENCIES

Education & Certifications

• Culinary degree required; certification in Culinary Arts essential.
• ServSafe Certification required.
• HACCP, safety, and customer service training certifications required.
• Local ordinance certification required.
• Certified Executive Chef (CEC) accreditation preferred.

Experience

• Minimum of 10 years of culinary and management experience.
• 3–5 years of food manufacturing or large-scale production experience required.
• USDA-regulated production experience preferred.

Technical & Leadership Competencies

• Business and Financial Acumen
• Recipe Industrialization & BOM Development
• Quality Systems & Food Safety Compliance
• Operational Problem Solving
• Leadership & Team Development
• Communication & Cross-Functional Collaboration
• Continuous Improvement Mindset
• Time Management & Execution Discipline

WORK ENVIRONMENT AND OTHER DETAILS

Expected Hours of Work:

This is a full-time exempt position. Typical work hours are Monday–Friday, 7:00 a.m.–4:00 p.m., with additional hours as needed to meet business demands and production schedules. As an exempt position, it is expected that Team Member will devote whatever time necessary to accomplish the goals and responsibilities. This will often require extended work hours, evening, and/or weekend work.

Travel Requirements:

Periodic travel to production facilities, vendor sites, and industry events may be required. Most travel will be regional, with occasional overnight stays.

Physical Demands of the Job:

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodation may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

While performing the duties of this job, the team member is frequently required to sit, stand, walk, talk, and hear; use hands and fingers to feel, handle, or operate objects, tools, or controls; and reach with hands and arms. The employee is occasionally required to lift and/or move up to 25 pounds. Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision and the ability to adjust focus.

The duties listed above are intended only as illustrations of the various types of work and duties that may be performed. The omission of specific statements of duty does not exclude them from the position if the work is similar, or a logical assignment to the position, and the Company reserves the right to add additional duties or modify existing duties.

Salary : $110,000 - $130,000