POSITION SUMMARY
The Culinary Services Director (CSD) is the department head responsible for the overall leadership, financial performance, culinary quality, hospitality, staffing, regulatory compliance, and day-to-day operation of Culinary Services.
This is a hands-on, working leadership position. The CSD is expected to spend the majority of their working time actively engaged in culinary operations, including cooking, food preparation, training, coaching, and developing team members in the kitchen. Administrative responsibilities are an important part of the position but should support, rather than replace, active leadership within the operation.
The CSD is accountable for both front-of-house (FOH) and back-of-house (BOH) operations and is expected to lead by example, maintain a visible presence during meal periods, and step directly into production and service as operational needs require.
RESPONSIBILITIES include but are not limited to the following:
Culinary Operations & Hands-On Leadership
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Maintain a consistent and visible presence in the kitchen and dining operation, with the majority of working time spent actively supporting culinary production, training, coaching, and service execution.
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Regularly work alongside the culinary team in food preparation, cooking, plating, and execution of meal periods.
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Lead by example and be prepared to work any culinary station when operationally necessary.
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Demonstrate proper culinary techniques, recipe execution, presentation standards, sanitation practices, organization, and efficient kitchen workflow.
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Use daily production as an opportunity to evaluate team performance, identify skill gaps, and provide real-time coaching and development.
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Oversee daily culinary operations to ensure efficient, consistent, and high-quality meal service.
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Ensure company recipes, menus, portion standards, presentation standards, and production expectations are consistently followed.
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Maintain responsibility for food quality, taste, presentation, consistency, and overall execution.
Leadership, Staffing, & Team Development
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Provide strategic leadership for the Culinary Services department in alignment with community and company goals.
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Lead, mentor, coach, and develop the culinary team while promoting a culture of accountability, hospitality, excellence, teamwork, and continuous improvement.
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Maintain appropriate staffing levels through proactive recruiting, interviewing, onboarding, scheduling, training, retention, coaching, and performance management.
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Directly lead and develop cooks, sous chefs, servers, dishwashers, and other Culinary Services team members.
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Provide hands-on culinary training to develop the technical skills and confidence of the culinary team.
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Conduct performance evaluations and provide ongoing feedback, coaching, accountability, and opportunities for professional growth.
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Address performance and accountability concerns promptly and consistently.
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Develop the Sous Chef and other emerging leaders to create departmental succession and operational coverage.
Front-of-House & Back-of-House Operation
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Maintain full operational ownership of both front-of-house and back-of-house Culinary Services operations.
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Ensure proper execution of kitchen production, dining room service, sanitation, dishwashing, opening and closing procedures, and meal-period readiness.
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Establish and maintain appropriate schedules based on resident census, meal volumes, operational requirements, and approved labor targets.
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Maintain a visible leadership presence during meal periods and actively support both culinary production and dining service.
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Ensure resident preferences are accommodated and excellent service is consistently provided to residents and guests.
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Establish clear expectations and accountability for service standards across the entire department.
Financial & Business Performance
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Own departmental financial performance, including food cost, labor, productivity, overtime, inventory, purchasing, waste, operating expenses, kitchen maintenance, and budget compliance.
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Analyze financial and operational results to identify trends, opportunities, and areas requiring corrective action.
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Monitor established performance indicators including Food Per Resident Day (PRD), Labor Per Resident Day (PRD), RPLH/Productivity, inventory, overtime, budget variance, and resident satisfaction.
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Implement corrective action when departmental performance falls outside established targets.
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Maintain appropriate inventory levels while minimizing waste and unnecessary spending.
Menu, Production, & Resident Experience
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Execute the company's standardized corporate menu program with consistency and attention to quality, while incorporating approved seasonal rotations, resident feedback, and dietary needs within established guidelines. Communicate menu feedback or improvement suggestions through proper channels to home office leadership.
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Ensure standardized recipes, portion standards, presentation standards, and production requirements established by the corporate menu program are consistently followed.
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Regularly engage directly with residents to gather feedback regarding food quality, menu preferences, service, dietary needs, and overall dining satisfaction.
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Respond promptly and professionally to resident dining concerns and implement appropriate corrective action.
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Organize and actively participate in food preparation and execution for special events, holidays, themed meals, and other culinary initiatives designed to enhance the resident experience, utilizing approved company resources and guidelines.
Special Diets & Clinical Coordination
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Partner with community leadership, clinical teams, residents, families, and dietitians as appropriate to ensure dietary requirements are properly executed.
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Ensure accurate execution of therapeutic diets, texture modifications, food allergies, documented resident preferences, and other dietary requirements.
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Ensure culinary employees understand and follow established procedures related to special diets, allergens, cross-contact prevention, and resident safety.
Food Safety, Sanitation, & Compliance
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Serve as the departmental leader for food safety, sanitation, and regulatory compliance.
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Maintain strong working knowledge of food safety, sanitation, infection prevention, allergen management, temperature control, cross-contamination prevention, and applicable regulatory requirements.
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Maintain the department in a constant state of readiness for health department inspections, company audits, and other regulatory reviews.
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Ensure proper documentation of food temperatures, sanitation requirements, cleaning schedules, and other required food-safety records.
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Conduct routine inspections of kitchens, storage areas, dining areas, equipment, and sanitation practices.
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Immediately address identified food-safety or sanitation concerns.
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Ensure employees receive appropriate food-safety training and maintain required certifications.
Systems, Technology, & Administrative Accountability
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Maintain proficiency with company technology platforms used for menus, recipes, production, ordering, inventory, financial tracking, food safety, POS, training, and operational reporting.
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Ensure required information is entered accurately and completed within established deadlines.
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Maintain accurate inventory, purchasing, financial, production, and operational records.
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Complete required company reporting accurately and on time.
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Ensure culinary employees are properly trained on systems and technology required for their positions.
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Balance administrative responsibilities with the expectation that the CSD remains a hands-on culinary leader actively engaged in daily operations.
Community Leadership
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Serve as an active member of the community leadership team.
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Maintain regular communication with the Executive Director regarding staffing, financial performance, resident concerns, operational challenges, regulatory compliance, and departmental priorities.
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Participate in community leadership meetings and operational reviews as required.
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Proactively communicate challenges and request support before operational issues negatively impact residents or employees.
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Partner with other department heads to support overall community operations and resident experience.
Purchasing, Vendors, & Equipment
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Follow company purchasing standards and utilize approved vendors, products, contracts, and purchasing programs.
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Maintain appropriate inventory and ordering practices to ensure adequate product availability while controlling costs and waste.
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Monitor kitchen and dining equipment for proper operation and maintenance.
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Promptly report equipment failures and coordinate repairs through established company procedures.
QUALIFICATIONS
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Education & Experience:
- Culinary degree or formal culinary education preferred.
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Minimum of 3–5 years of progressive culinary or food-service leadership experience. Senior living, healthcare, hospitality, or high-volume food-service leadership experience strongly preferred.
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Demonstrated experience with hands-on food production, cooking, culinary training, and kitchen leadership.
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Experience directly managing staffing, scheduling, food cost, labor, inventory, food safety, and daily culinary operations.
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Previous supervisory or management experience required.
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Must demonstrate strong culinary fundamentals and the ability to teach, coach, and develop the culinary skills of others.
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Knowledge, Skills & Abilities:
- Strong and effective communication skills with residents, families, culinary team members, community leadership, and business partners.
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Strong working knowledge of professional cooking techniques, food preparation, recipe execution, production planning, presentation, and kitchen organization.
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Ability and willingness to actively cook and work alongside the culinary team on a regular basis.
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Ability to teach culinary techniques and translate company recipes and standards into consistent execution by the team.
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Strong understanding of both FOH and BOH operations.
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Strong understanding of food safety, sanitation, infection prevention, allergen management, and applicable regulatory requirements.
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Ability to understand and manage departmental budgets, labor, food costs, inventory, and operational performance.
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Ability to analyze operational results and implement corrective action when necessary.
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Demonstrated ability to build, coach, develop, and hold culinary teams accountable.
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Ability to manage multiple operational and administrative priorities while maintaining a strong daily presence in the kitchen.
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Demonstrated commitment to hospitality and resident satisfaction.
