Director, Culinary Strategy

Intro

Are you ready to explore a world of possibilities, both at work and during your time off? Join our American Airlines family, and you’ll travel the world, grow your expertise and become the best version of you. As you embark on a new journey, you’ll tackle challenges with flexibility and grace, learning new skills and advancing your career while having the time of your life. Feel free to enrich both your personal and work life and hop on board!

Why you'll love this job

The Director of Culinary Strategy provides leadership, creative direction, and strategic oversight for American Airlines’ culinary, beverage, and serviceware programs across inflight and lounge experiences. This role leads a multi-disciplinary team that develops menu concepts, beverage programs, service cadence, and tablescape design that elevate the guest experience, create moments of delight throughout the customer journey, and can be executed reliably across a global network. The Director partners closely with Inflight Dining Operations, Inflight, Premium Guest Services, Procurement, Finance, Digital, Brand, and Global Engagement to deliver a consistent, compelling, and cost-effective culinary vision. This leader drives a hospitality-forward culture, bringing creativity and a willingness to challenge norms, ensuring operational feasibility, and improving customer satisfaction, sustainability, and commercial performance.

What you'll do

This list is intended to reflect the current job but there may be additional essential functions (and certainly non-essential job functions) that are not referenced. Management will modify the job or require other tasks be performed whenever it is deemed appropriate to do so, observing, of course, any legal obligations including any collective bargaining obligations.

• Provide strategic leadership for the end-to-end culinary vision across all inflight cabins and lounge tiers.
• Oversee development of seasonal and long-range menu strategies for short-haul and long-haul flying, Admirals Clubs, and Flagship Lounges.
• Champion creativity and innovation, challenging the status quo to deliver distinctive, brand-defining experiences.
• Design and govern service cadence, course structure, tablescape layout, and delivery requirements.
• Oversee beverage strategy, including wine, beer, spirits, non-alcoholic options, and signature items.
• Lead serviceware and tabletop strategy—balancing brand expression, function, weight, durability, sustainability, and cost.
• Serve as decision owner for culinary and beverage specifications, tasting standards, acceptance criteria, and menu language.
• Partner with Inflight Dining Operations and Inflight teams to validate feasibility, refine SOPs, and integrate feedback.
• Collaborate with Procurement and Finance on supplier evaluations, RFPs, negotiations, and business case development.
• Manage cost-per-guest, waste reduction, weight targets, and sustainability improvements.
• Ensure consistency through spec-library governance, menu-update cycles, food-safety integration, and tasting standards.
• Use customer insights, KPIs, waste and missing-item reports, and flight attendant feedback to refine offerings.
• Partner with Brand/Comms, Digital, and Loyalty to deliver culinary strategy across menu surfaces and journey touchpoints.
• Lead, develop, and coach an 8-person multi-level team, fostering creativity, collaboration, and accountability.
• Represent Culinary Strategy in forums aligned with Hospitality Strategy, Inflight Service Standards, Airport Lounge Strategy, and Premium Experience initiatives.

All you'll need for success

Minimum Qualifications – Education & Prior Job Experience

• Bachelor’s degree in a related field or equivalent experience/training.
• 7 years of progressive leadership experience in culinary strategy, food & beverage innovation, product design, or hospitality experience.
• Experience leading multi-disciplinary culinary, beverage, or serviceware/tabletop teams.

Preferred Qualifications – Education & Prior Job Experience

• Culinary or hospitality degree, or equivalent certification.
• Wine/beverage certifications (e.g., WSET).
• Experience in airline culinary operations, travel/hospitality brands, or large-scale catering.
• Experience with human-centered design or menu storytelling.
• Experience advancing sustainability initiatives in food, beverage, or packaging.

Skills, Licenses, and Certifications

• Demonstrates the highest standards of personal ethics and integrity.
• Strong understanding of large-scale food production, multi-site distribution, and operational execution.
• Ability to translate brand strategy and customer insights into executable culinary programs.
• Proven partnership with Operations, Procurement, Finance, Safety/Quality Assurance, Brand, Digital, and external suppliers.
• Strong commercial acumen with cost-per-guest management, menu costing, and business case development.
• Strong analytical skills with ability to interpret customer, waste, and performance data.
• Ability to think strategically, negotiate skillfully, digest complex details, and use sound judgment & initiative in making decisions.
• Excellent project planning and organizational skills, with ability to thrive in a fast-paced environment with multiple priorities while maintaining high attention to detail and follow-through.
• Ability to influence through outstanding interpersonal, collaboration, and negotiation skills.
• Proven ability to drive innovation, continuous improvement, and enhancements to customer and team member experience.
• Ability to build and facilitate relationships at all levels of the organization, both internally and externally.
• Ability to be flexible in rapidly changing conditions and priorities, as well as to embrace ambiguity and enable clarity.
• Superior communication, presentation, and interpersonal skills, with ability to handle complex topics comfortably and to interact effectively with all levels, both verbally and written.

What you'll get

Feel free to take advantage of all that American Airlines has to offer:

• Travel Perks: Ready to explore the world? You, your family and your friends can reach 365 destinations on more than 6,800 daily flights across our global network.
• Health Benefits: On day one, you’ll have access to your health, dental, prescription and vision benefits to help you stay well. And that’s just the start, we also offer virtual doctor visits, flexible spending accounts and more.
• Wellness Programs: We want you to be the best version of yourself – that’s why our wellness programs provide you with all the right tools, resources and support you need.
• 401(k) Program: Available upon hire and, depending on the workgroup, employer contributions to your 401(k) program are available after one year.
• Additional Benefits: Other great benefits include our Employee Assistance Program, pet insurance and discounts on hotels, cars, cruises and more

Feel free to be yourself at American

From the team members we hire to the customers we serve, inclusion and diversity are the foundation of the dynamic workforce at American Airlines. Our 20+ Employee Business Resource Groups are focused on connecting our team members to our customers, suppliers, communities and shareholders, helping team members reach their full potential and creating an inclusive work environment to meet and exceed the needs of our diverse world.

Are you ready to feel a tremendous sense of pride and satisfaction as you do your part to keep the largest airline in the world running smoothly as we care for people on life’s journey? Feel free to be yourself at American.