Consultant

Consultant – Knowledge Operations and Technology Supervisor

ICRISAT invites applications from qualified and motivated Indian nationals for the position of Consultant – Kitchen Operations and Technology, along with other technical interventions in Catering Services, under Corporate Services. The incumbent will lead kitchen operations through technology-driven processes, ensuring efficient food production, accurate recipe costing, ERP integration, kitchen automation, inventory control, and data-driven decision-making while maintaining high culinary and food safety standards. This position will be based at ICRISAT’s Headquarters in Patancheru, Hyderabad, Telangana, India.

ICRISAT is a non-profit, non-political organisation that conducts agricultural research for development in Asia and sub-Saharan Africa with a wide array of partners throughout the world. Covering 6.5 million square kilometers of land in 55 countries, the semi- arid or dryland tropics has over 2 billion people and 644 million of these are the poorest of the poor. ICRISAT and its partners help empower these disadvantaged populations to overcome poverty, hunger and a degraded environment through better agricultural production systems.

ICRISAT is headquartered at Patancheru near Hyderabad, India, with two regional hubs and eight country offices in sub-Saharan Africa. ICRISAT envisions a prosperous, food-secure and resilient dryland tropics. Its mission is to reduce poverty, hunger, malnutrition and environmental degradation in the dryland tropics. ICRISAT conducts research on its mandate crops of chickpea, pigeonpea, groundnut, sorghum, pearl millet and finger millet in the arid and semi-arid tropics. The Institute focuses its work on the drylands and in protecting the environment. Tropical dryland areas are usually seen as resource-poor and perennially beset by shocks such as drought, thereby trapping dryland communities in poverty and hunger and making them dependent on external aid. Please visit - www.icrisat.org

Responsibilities:

Kitchen Digitalization & ERP Management

• Act as the focal point for kitchen digital transformation initiatives.
• Lead implementation and continuous improvement of ERP-based kitchen operations.
• Ensure accurate master data management for recipes, ingredients, menus, and inventory.
• Monitor real-time kitchen performance dashboards and reports.
• Coordinate with Finance, Procurement, IT, and Food Services teams to optimize digital workflows.
Drive paperless kitchen operations through automated systems and digital records.

Kitchen Automation

• Implement and manage Kitchen Display Systems (KDS), digital production planning, and automated inventory tracking.
• Develop automated requisition, production, and consumption workflows.
• Improve efficiency through technology-enabled forecasting and demand planning.
Support integration of POS, ERP, inventory, and recipe management systems.

Recipe Costing & Menu Management

• Maintain standardized recipes within ERP systems.
• Perform recipe costing and variance analysis.
• Monitor food cost trends and identify opportunities for cost savings.
Support menu engineering and profitability analysis.

Data Analytics & Reporting

• Generate operational KPIs and performance reports.
• Analyze consumption patterns, wastage, yield variances, and production efficiency.
Provide management with actionable insights to improve operational performance.

Culinary & Gastronomy Support

• Ensure recipes and production methods meet culinary standards.
• Work with chefs to standardize recipes and improve product consistency.
Support menu innovation while maintaining cost efficiency.

Food Safety & Compliance

• Ensure HACCP and food safety records are maintained digitally.
• Monitor compliance through automated tracking and reporting systems.
• Key Competencies
• ERP Implementation and Administration
• Kitchen Automation Systems
• Recipe Costing & Menu Engineering
• Inventory Management
• Data Analytics and Reporting
• Culinary Knowledge and Gastronomy
• Food Cost Control
• Change Management and Digital Transformation
HACCP and Food Safety Compliance

Essential Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree in Hotel Management, Food Technology, Business, or Information Systems; MBA or relevant master’s preferred.
• 5–10 years of experience in kitchen operations, food services, or ERP-based system implementation.
• Strong hands-on experience with ERP systems, kitchen automation tools, inventory management, and recipe costing.
• Proficiency in data analysis tools (Excel, Power BI/Tableau) and ability to generate actionable insights.
• Good understanding of culinary operations, menu engineering, and food cost control.
• Knowledge of HACCP, food safety standards, and experience in driving digital transformation and change management.
• Strong adaptability with the ability to quickly learn and apply new technologies, supported by resilience during change and transitions.
• Excellent collaboration skills with a proven ability to work across teams and drive user adoption of new systems.
• High accountability, ownership, and attention to detail, ensuring accuracy and quality in all deliverables.
Effective time management and prioritization skills, with a customer-focused approach and commitment to service excellence.

General:

This is a contractual role for a period of 12 months.

How to apply:

The position will remain open until a suitable candidate is identified. Shortlisting will start from 02 July 2026. All Applicants should apply with their latest Resume, and the names and contact information of three references that are knowledgeable about their professional qualifications and work experience. All applications will be acknowledged; however, only short-listed candidates will be contacted.

ICRISAT is an equal opportunity employer and is committed to increasing diversity and maintaining a progressive and inclusive workplace. We welcome applications from all qualified candidates regardless of their ethnicity, race, gender, religious beliefs, sexual orientation, age, marital status or whether they have a disability.