Portfolio Director of Culinary (60% Travel Required)

Job Summary

The Portfolio Director of Culinary Operations is a senior culinary leader and field operator responsible for advancing food quality, culinary standards, kitchen operations, and culinary culture across a complex, multi-site corporate dining and hospitality program. Reporting directly to the Vice President of Hospitality at LinkedIn, this role serves as bench strength that can be deployed to any location in the portfolio — providing hands-on culinary leadership, kitchen stabilization, and executive chef-level coverage when needed.

This is an operator's role as much as it is a culinary role. The Director of Culinary Operations is deployed into locations when Executive Chefs are transitioning or on leave, when a kitchen requires immediate senior-level intervention, or when a new location is being opened and requires culinary leadership. The role also supports program-wide culinary initiatives and special projects in close partnership with the National Culinary Director, who holds overall accountability for culinary standards across the portfolio.

The ideal candidate is an accomplished chef-operator who has led kitchens at a high level, opened food & beverage programs from scratch, and has the operational discipline to manage food safety, cost, and consistency across multiple environments. This is a role for a chef who is as comfortable with a P&L as they are behind a line — and who earns respect from a team the moment they walk through the kitchen door.

Key Responsibilities

Field Deployment & Culinary Coverage

• Deploy to locations across the national portfolio to provide senior culinary leadership when Executive Chefs or Culinary Directors are transitioning, on leave, or when kitchen support is required
• Stabilize kitchen operations during leadership gaps, service challenges, or food quality issues — maintaining full culinary continuity and standards
• Provide coverage across all culinary formats in the portfolio including full-service dining, micro-kitchens, café programs, and catered event kitchens
• Serve as a credible, calm culinary presence that builds trust with kitchen teams and clients from day one of deployment

Culinary Standards & Food Quality

• Champion food quality, flavor authenticity, presentation standards, and temperature integrity across all supported locations
• Evaluate kitchens against program culinary standards and develop clear, actionable improvement plans
• Ensure menu accuracy at both the station and digital/online level, and maintain cultural and dietary inclusivity across all programs
• Partner with site chefs to strengthen day-to-day culinary execution, consistency, and quality output

Food Safety, Sanitation & Compliance

• Ensure strict adherence to HACCP protocols, temperature log accuracy, and BOH sanitation standards across all deployed locations
• Maintain allergen accuracy and food safety escalation documentation in full compliance with client and regulatory requirements
• Drive health inspection readiness, targeting A ratings or equivalent pass results at all supported sites
• Champion a culture of safety, cleanliness, and accountability in every kitchen environment

Catering & Event Culinary Execution

• Oversee culinary execution for catering and event programs, ensuring on-time setup, food quality, proper presentation, and smooth breakdown
• Collaborate with FOH and events teams on timing, menu execution, and client-facing communication for all catered functions

New Openings & Special Projects

• Bring hands-on opening expertise to new location launches — developing kitchen systems, building culinary teams, establishing food quality standards, and ensuring culinary readiness prior to go-live
• Support program-wide culinary initiatives, menu development, and innovation projects as directed by the VP of Hospitality and National Program Culinary Director
• Contribute to the development of culinary SOPs, recipe standards, training programs, and food quality benchmarks

Purchasing, Cost & Financial Discipline

• Advise on and support purchasing practices, product sourcing, vendor relationships, and cost-conscious procurement decisions
• Maintain food cost discipline at deployed locations, contributing to budget adherence and financial reporting accuracy
• Identify opportunities to improve culinary efficiencies without compromising food quality or guest experience

Team Leadership & Culinary Development

• Mentor and develop site chefs and kitchen leaders, building culinary confidence, technical skills, and operational discipline
• Support staffing coverage, succession planning, and the development of culinary bench strength at key locations
• Ensure training completion in HACCP, allergen management, food safety, and culinary standards across deployed teams

Requirements

• 10+ years of progressive culinary leadership experience in high-quality food service environments, with a strong emphasis on multi-site or complex programs
• Proven background in restaurant or hotel food & beverage new openings — experience as a pre-opening Executive Chef, Corporate Chef, or Culinary Director for a multi-unit or flagship program strongly preferred
• Deep expertise in kitchen operations, food quality standards, food safety compliance, and culinary team development
• Demonstrated ability to walk into a kitchen, quickly assess operations and food quality, and implement practical, immediate improvements
• Experience managing diverse culinary formats including full-service kitchens, micro-kitchens, café programs, and high-volume catering
• Strong financial acumen with experience managing food costs, supporting P&L accountability, and driving procurement discipline
• A chef who balances creativity with operational rigor — passionate about food quality and innovation while maintaining consistency and cost discipline
• Ability to build credibility quickly with kitchen teams, site operators, and clients — calm under pressure, decisive in the moment
• Background in corporate dining, tech campus hospitality, or contract food service is a strong plus
• Must be based in the San Francisco Bay Area within reasonable distance of a major airport
• Ability to travel approximately 60% of the time to program locations including NYC, Chicago, Detroit, Carpinteria, Omaha, Bellevue, DC, Atlanta, Toronto, San Francisco, and other micro-locations
• Ability to commute to headquarters in Sunnyvale or San Francisco as needed