Director of Culinary Operations

Job Description – Director of Culinary

Job Title: Director of Culinary

Location: Denver, CO

Reports To: Chief Operating Officer (COO)

Company: Olive & Finch Collective

About Olive & Finch Collective: Olive & Finch Collective is a Denver-based hospitality group offering chef-driven meals, warm service, and globally inspired flavors across a growing portfolio of cafés, a wholesale bakeshop, catering and events, airport operations, and retail outlets. Since 2013, we've been dedicated to scratch-made food, inclusive teams, and consistent execution of our brand promise: to nourish people with delicious, approachable offerings that celebrate quality and creativity. Position Summary The Director of Culinary is responsible for executing and operationalizing the culinary vision across all Olive & Finch Collective concepts-spanning both our streetside locations (neighborhood cafés, full-service bakeshop, catering/events) and our fast-paced airport operations at Denver International Airport (DEN). Reporting to the COO, this leader works closely with the Chef Founder and COO to develop and refine menus that reflect the brand's identity, ensure operational feasibility, and drive financial performance. This is a highly active, hands-on leadership role. Rather than managing strictly from behind a desk, the Director of Culinary spends significant time working directly on the line and shoulder-to-shoulder with kitchen teams in our streetside and airport kitchens-leading by example, training staff, auditing execution, and driving continuous operational improvement.

Key Responsibilities

Hands-On Kitchen Leadership & Operational Execution

• In-Kitchen Leadership: Maintain an active, visible, and hands-on presence across all kitchens, regularly working directly alongside BOH staff to coach technique, monitor workflow, and uphold brand quality.
• Dual-Environment Oversight: Actively bridge execution across both Streetside (cafés, bakeshop, catering) and Airport operations (DEN concourse outlets, grab-and-go markets, automated kiosks), adapting kitchen practices to fit each unique operational environment.
• Airport Culinary Integration: Tailor recipes, prep systems, and holding procedures to meet strict DEN airport security, logistics dock windows, vendor delivery constraints, and high-volume traveler throughput requirements.
• Quality Assurance & Audits: Conduct frequent, hands-on kitchen audits across all locations to ensure consistent recipe adherence, portion control, and presentation.

Culinary Development & Menu Engineering

• Concept Evolution: Partner with the COO and Chef Founder on the creation and evolution of seasonal menus, limited-time offerings (LTOs), and product innovations across both streetside and airport concepts.
• Operational Scalability: Translate creative concepts into executable, standardized kitchen systems that are operationally efficient, scalable, and cost-effective across diverse kitchen footprint sizes.
• Consistency Across Formats: Maintain consistency and culinary integrity across all offerings-from full-service restaurant plates to retail grab-and-go packaging and catering displays.

Kitchen Operations, Safety & Vendor Relations

• BOH System Standards: Oversee back-of-house operations, implementing standard operating procedures (SOPs) for prep planning, order management, inventory control, and waste reduction.
• Food Safety & Compliance: Ensure strict adherence to food safety, sanitation, and health department regulations across all streetside locations and DEN airport secure zones.
• Vendor & Supply Chain Alignment: Partner with suppliers and the DEN Supply Chain team to ensure product quality, ingredient consistency, and raw material cost control.

Team Development & Cross-Functional Collaboration

• Hands-On Mentorship: Recruit, mentor, and develop BOH talent-from prep cooks to executive chefs-by demonstrating proper techniques directly in the kitchen.
• Training Programs: Design and lead interactive, hands-on training programs to support onboarding, skill building, and kitchen consistency.
• Financial Alignment: Work closely with Finance and Operations leadership to monitor food costs, labor efficiency, yield management, and kitchen performance metrics.
• Inter-Departmental Support: Collaborate with Bakeshop, Catering, Events, and Marketing teams to support production alignment, event execution, and new product rollouts.

Qualifications

• Experience: 8-10+ years of progressive culinary leadership experience in multi-unit or multi-concept restaurant groups, with proven exposure to both traditional streetside restaurants and high-volume airport, travel hub, or non-traditional operations.
• Hands-On Approach: Proven commitment to working directly in production kitchens alongside culinary teams to drive standards and mentor staff.
• Airport Regulatory Requirements: Must be able to successfully complete federal background screening and fingerprinting required to obtain a Denver International Airport (DEN) security badge.
• Operational Expertise: Strong technical skill in bridging chef-driven creativity with operational reality, menu engineering, and strict cost controls (food and labor).
• Multi-Format Versatility: Background managing diverse food production environments (scratch restaurant lines, high-volume prep, catering, wholesale bakery, and retail grab-and-go).
• Leadership & Communication: Collaborative leadership style with exceptional communication, organizational, and teaching abilities.

Physical Requirements & Work Environment

• Hands-on operational leadership requiring extended periods of standing, walking, cooking, and actively working on commercial kitchen lines across multiple properties.
• Ability to travel regularly between local Denver streetside locations and traverse long distances across DEN airport terminals and concourses.
• Ability to lift up to 50 lbs., bend, stoop, and manage exposure to heat, cold (walk-in coolers/freezers), and fast-paced kitchen environments.
• Flexible schedule including early mornings, evenings, weekends, and holidays as operational needs require.

Compensation & Benefits

• Salaried, exempt position (not tip-eligible).
• Comprehensive benefits package including meal discounts, paid time off, and opportunities for advancement.
• Bonus Eligible
• Paid Sick Time (Up to 6 days per year)

EEO & At-Will Statement

Olive & Finch Collective is an Equal Opportunity Employer. Employment with Olive & Finch is at-will, meaning either the employee or the company may terminate employment at any time, with or without notice or cause. This job description is not an employment contract and may be updated as business needs evolve.