Traveling Executive Chef (Culinary Project Manager)

This is a  nationwide travel position.  Candidates may reside anywhere in the United States but must be willing and able to deploy nationwide for extended assignments.

**Please Read Before Applying**

This is  not a traditional local Executive Chef position .

This is a hands-on culinary leadership role supporting large-scale operations throughout the United States. Successful candidates must be comfortable with  extended nationwide deployments , working approximately 12-hour shifts while deployed , and living in company-provided lodging. A typical rotation is approximately 30 days on assignment followed by 14 days off , but deployment lengths and time off may vary based on operational and emergency-response needs.

This is also a  working chef position . You will lead kitchen operations and culinary teams, but you must be willing and able to work alongside your team and participate directly in food production when needed.

Strong Executive Chef candidates should have:

• 10+ years of  hands-on  professional chef experience
• Experience leading production of 500+ meals or covers during a single meal service or event
• Experience directly managing or supervising 20+ culinary employees
• Demonstrated responsibility for food cost and inventory management
• Demonstrated responsibility for labor cost, staffing and scheduling
• Menu development and execution experience
• A stable recent employment history
• Experience working in high-volume culinary environments

If your background is primarily administrative foodservice management without significant hands-on chef experience, this position is unlikely to be a fit.

The Opportunity

Sharp Spoon Network has been retained to recruit traveling Executive Chefs on behalf of a nationally recognized leader in disaster response, remote workforce support and large-scale culinary operations.

Assignments may support data centers, disaster recovery operations, military operations, remote workforce camps and other large-scale culinary projects throughout the United States.

Every deployment presents a different operational environment. Executive Chefs must be adaptable, decisive and comfortable leading teams in fast-paced and sometimes remote conditions.

What You'll Do

As a Traveling Executive Chef, responsibilities may include:

• Lead high-volume culinary production and kitchen operations
• Direct culinary teams that may include 30 or more employees
• Maintain food quality and service standards
• Manage inventory, ordering and food cost
• Manage staffing, scheduling and labor
• Execute menus and accommodate operational or client requirements
• Train, coach and develop culinary employees
• Troubleshoot operational challenges
• Maintain food safety and sanitation standards
• Ensure large-volume meal production is completed safely and on schedule
• Work directly alongside the culinary team when operational needs require it

Typical Assignments

Projects may include:

• Data center culinary operations
• Disaster response and recovery
• Military support
• Remote workforce camps
• Corporate hospitality and special events
• Other temporary or large-scale foodservice operations

Assignments vary throughout the year and may occur anywhere in the United States.

Travel and Deployment Requirements

Candidates must be comfortable with:

• Nationwide travel
• A typical rotation of approximately 30 days on assignment followed by 14 days off
• Flexibility to accommodate  longer deployments, shortened time off, reassignment or emergency-response needs
• Approximately 12-hour shifts during deployments
• Hotel accommodations when available
• Remote projects that may require camp-style housing
• Changing locations and operational environments

Company-paid travel and lodging are provided for qualifying deployments.

Minimum Qualifications

• 10+ years of hands-on professional chef experience
• Experience producing at least 500 meals/covers during a single service or event
• Experience directly supervising at least 20 culinary employees
• High-volume foodservice experience
• Food cost and inventory management experience
• Labor management, staffing and scheduling experience
• Menu development and execution experience
• Strong kitchen leadership and communication skills
• Valid driver's license
• Reliable transportation
• At least 21 years of age
• Ability to pass required background screening
• Ability to pass required drug screening
• Ability and willingness to travel nationwide for extended deployments

Preferred Background

Candidates with high-volume experience in one or more of the following environments are especially encouraged to apply:

• Convention hotels and resorts
• Banquet and large-scale catering operations
• Sports and entertainment venues
• Casino culinary operations
• Contract or institutional dining
• Military foodservice
• Offshore or remote-site foodservice
• Traveling or task-force culinary operations
• Disaster response
• Mobile or temporary kitchens

What Makes Someone Successful

The strongest candidates are working culinary leaders who are:

• Calm under pressure
• Comfortable leading from the front
• Adaptable in unfamiliar environments
• Capable of making independent operational decisions
• Strong developers of culinary teams
• Comfortable transitioning between leadership and hands-on production
• Genuinely interested in a travel-based career

Compensation and Benefits

• $70,000 base salary
• Monthly performance incentive
• Opportunity to earn six-figure total annual compensation through base salary and performance incentives
• $45 daily per diem while on qualifying deployments
• Lodging provided during qualifying deployments
• Company-paid travel when applicable
• Company laptop, cell phone and corporate credit card
• Opportunity for long-term leadership advancement based on performance

About This Opportunity

Sharp Spoon Network has been retained to recruit qualified candidates on behalf of our client. Selected candidates will become employees of our client, not Sharp Spoon Network.

Position details, compensation, schedules, assignments, and benefits are provided by the client and may be adjusted during the hiring process based on business needs.