Director, Culinary Development - Lifestyle

Hyatt is a globally renowned hospitality company known for its commitment to delivering exceptional guest experiences across its portfolio of hotels and resorts. With a focus on innovation, cultural relevance, and brand integrity, Hyatt has established itself as a leader in the hospitality industry. The company places a strong emphasis on diversity, equity, and inclusion, nurturing curiosity, and building meaningful connections among colleagues, stakeholders, and guests. Hyatt’s Lifestyle Group stands out as a dynamic movement within the hospitality sector, centered on design, cultural resonance, and creating transformative guest experiences that are unique and unparalleled. This group is dedicated to agility, accountability, and inspiration, with a firm commitment to the well-being of its employees, guests, and owners. Hyatt's purpose, 'to care for people so they can be their best,' is deeply embedded in its culture and guides all business decisions. The company has proudly earned a spot on Fortune's 100 Best Companies to Work For list for over a decade, highlighting its dedication to fostering an inclusive, empathetic, and respectful workplace culture where everyone feels a strong sense of belonging. Hyatt supports its employees with a robust suite of corporate benefits including free annual hotel stays, flexible work schedules, well-being initiatives such as a complimentary Headspace subscription, and a comprehensive global family assistance policy. Additional benefits include paid time off following the birth or adoption of a child, financial assistance for adoption, medical, dental, vision coverage, and a 401K plan with company match. The salary range for the role of Director of Culinary Development is competitive, between $180,500 and $199,500, with the actual pay depending on experience, qualifications, and location of work.

The Director of Culinary Development at Hyatt is a key leadership role within the Lifestyle Group’s Food & Beverage Operations team. This position is responsible for leading the development of innovative culinary menus and concepts across independently positioned and branded full-service restaurants, bars, and nightlife venues throughout the Americas. The role requires collaboration with the broader operations, development, and design teams to ensure that all culinary offerings align with Hyatt’s standards of quality, safety, sustainability, and profitability. The successful candidate will possess a strong passion and proven expertise in creating exciting, dynamic culinary experiences and leading kitchen design initiatives that support those concepts. Responsibilities include leading menu development to drive traffic and optimize labor and product efficiency, overseeing kitchen layout and equipment specifications, sourcing and mentoring culinary talent, and engaging with owners and stakeholders as needed. The Director is also charged with maintaining consistency and high standards across all menus, developing systems for property-level culinary leaders to contribute creatively, and providing comprehensive training materials and recipe documentation. With a focus on Hyatt’s core values of empathy, inclusion, integrity, experimentation, respect, and well-being, this role offers ample opportunities for personal and professional growth within a supportive and innovative hospitality environment. The ideal candidate will need to be a strategic, hands-on leader who can inspire culinary teams while effectively managing operational and financial performance across multiple venues.