Job Summary:

The Head of Food & Culinary Program provides strategic and operational leadership for all Yardstick food businesses, including the Hot Kitchen, Commissary, and Yardstick Bakery. This role is responsible for defining the overall culinary vision, leading a high-performing culinary team, and driving innovation through menu development and product launches. The Head of Food & Culinary partners cross-functionally with Operations, Purchasing, and Warehouse teams to ensure seamless execution, efficient forecasting, and consistent product quality. By establishing scalable systems, standardized processes, and a strong product development pipeline, this role ensures culinary excellence, operational efficiency, and profitable growth across all food business units.

Location: Makati

Primary Duties and Responsibilities:

• Own the culinary direction across all Yardstick food businesses, including Hot Kitchen, Commissary, and the upcoming Yardstick Bakery.
• Build, lead and develop a high-performing culinary organization through hiring, coaching, succession planning and performance management.
• Serve as the primary bridge between the culinary organization and management, translating business strategy into operational execution while providing regular updates on priorities, challenges and opportunities.
• Design and continuously improve internal systems, SOPs and product development processes that enable rapid iteration while maintaining consistency, quality and profitability.
• Partner closely with Operations, Purchasing and Warehouse teams to ensure accurate forecasting, inventory planning and ingredient availability across all locations.
• Lead seasonal menu planning and establish an efficient product development pipeline that allows new products and limited-time offerings to move quickly from concept to launch.

Job Specification/s:

• Culinary degree or equivalent certification.
• 2-3 years proven experience as a Head Chef or Executive Chef in a high-volume restaurant or hospitality establishment.
• With experiences in handling multiple kitchen operations
• Certification in food safety and sanitation
• Strong leadership, communication, and interpersonal skills.
• Creative flair, passion for food, and a commitment to culinary innovation.
• Comprehensive knowledge of food safety regulations, kitchen operations, and inventory management.
• Ability to work well under pressure in a fast-paced environment.
• Demonstrated experience leading and scaling multi-site culinary teams.
• Proven ability to recruit, mentor and develop high-performing kitchen leaders.
• Experience overseeing commissary or central kitchen operations is highly desirable.
• Bakery or pastry leadership experience is a strong advantage.
• Strong commercial understanding of menu engineering, food cost management and new product launches.
• Excellent cross-functional leadership with Operations, Supply Chain and Marketing teams.