Customer Dedicated Executive Chef

We’re looking for motivated, engaged people to help make everyone’s journeys better. Dedicated to strategic airline partner for development of new menus and culinary concepts globally across a range of cuisines (Asian, Modern European and Ethnic etc.) for the client in line with their brand values and corporate identity with the use of approved suppliers taking into account budget, dietary and operational needs. Joint responsibility for kitchen operations globally related to the dedicated customer with influence in training in multiple units to deliver the customers’ expectations whilst ensuring quality and culinary standards are consistently upheld by actively supporting operational execution on a regular basis. Annual Hiring Range/Hourly Rate: •      $145,000 - $150,000/Per Year •      This position is eligible for incentive pay of 20% of the annual base salary, dependent upon successful attainment of company, team, and individual goals. Benefits Paid time off 401k, with company match Company sponsored life insurance Medical, dental, vision plans Voluntary short-term/long-term disability insurance Voluntary life, accident, and hospital plans Employee Assistance Program Commuter benefits Employee Discounts Main Duties and Responsibilities:   Ensures Gate Gourmet can deliver world class menu development and production services to a strategic customer that reflects the Airlines signature culinary style  Be the gategroup expert with respect to the customer experience the airline creates and consistently deliver to its passengers through in-flight meals  Secures the confidence of the customer and strengthen the levels of consistent quality service.  Assists the customer with the development of food philosophies and standards and ensure gategroup has the capability to deliver consistently against the customers culinary standards  Builds relationships with Regional Executive Chefs and Airline Unit Chefs to ensure clear communication of expectations and deliverables. Articulate the customer needs with respect to raw materials, identify and secure suppliers to meet the requirements, potentially outside gategroup’s supplier list  Partners with the Customer Lead Executive Chefs and Regional Executive Chefs to ensure seamless integration of menu requirements into production and ensure menus are consistently executable in-flight via gate gourmet or supplier partner production environment  Be a trusted point of contact for the customer regarding Menus, Food and Kitchen service requirements.  Works closely with gategroup’s Total Cost Management (TCM) organization. Assure new specifications, recipes and photos are properly documented and delivered for pricing analysis  Monitors customer feedback and ensure appropriate corrective actions are taken in a timely manner.  Measures success based on KPI’s that are mutually agreed by gategroup and the customer including but not limited to margin, customer satisfaction, quality and recipe management  Travels to designated units and fly specified routes to learn, inspect, audit, train and make recommendations for improvements  Prepares all culinary aspects of the presentation to the customer during a tender including but not limited to the food presentation, messaging, ingredients and physical appearance of the local kitchen  Actively participates as a member of the account management team that includes and Executive Management Board sponsor, VP Group Culinary Excellence and Global Account Director making contributions that result in winning, retaining and/or building the business  Actively participates as a member of the Gate Gourmet global dedicated S.P.I.C.E (Sustaining Progress in Culinary Excellence) program  Creates a joint responsibility for the customer satisfaction between the local kitchens and the dedicated chef team  Maintains the standard of skill and service levels of multiple customer dedicated production chefs and support these dotted line reports in the operations at key locations to balance the need to meet the dedicated customers’ requirements  Develops and refreshes all menus globally in line with the Airlines culinary style to create an appealing customer experience  Prepares menu and food reports by collecting, analyzing and summarizing food, dining and customer trend data  Represents the customer and Gate Gourmet at media events, special affairs, inaugural events, food fairs, exhibitions and seminars as requested  Acts as an Ambassador for gategroup  ​ Qualifications   Education:   Apprenticeship, AOS or compatible degree in Culinary Arts and/or Bachelor’s Degree in Business and/or Hospitality  Catering diploma or City and Guilds, or other appropriate qualification  Work Experience:    3-5 years of experience within in-flight catering preferred  4 years of Menu Development and operational experience  Global style, proficiency in fusion cooking  Previous menu development responsibility in a fine dining environment  A sound knowledge and experience of Asian cuisines and modern European cuisines  Working knowledge and experience of HACCP stands and equivalent  Experience presenting to clients/customers and building/maintaining appropriate relationships  Skills and Knowledge:    Strong Culinary Background  Understanding of large scale production and assembly  Clear understanding of Hospitality and Service and the Customer Experience Ability to present a culinary vision utilizing all 5 senses  Project Management Skills  Diverse/multi-cultural Interpersonal Skills  Independent and Pro-active Leader  Process Oriented and Results Driven  Capability to keep the hand on the pulse of the culinary world including trends, organizations and personnel  Passionate about food and teaching culinary techniques   Current in the latest food production techniques  Current in the latest food trends  Aware of Super Food and Functional Food principles Aware of caloric intake and basic d