Executive Vice President of Culinary Operations
Job Overview
Employment Type
Full-time
Work Schedule
Standard Hours
Benefits
Health Insurance
Dental Insurance
Paid Time Off
Retirement Plan
Employee Discounts
Professional Development
Flexible Schedule
Job Description
The San Antonio Food Bank (SAFB) is a leading hunger-relief organization dedicated to ensuring that all individuals and families in the San Antonio community have access to nutritious and culturally relevant meals. As one of the largest food banks in the country, SAFB mobilizes resources, partnerships, and innovative programs to address food insecurity and promote health and well-being across diverse populations including children, adults, and seniors. Their mission-driven approach centers on providing immediate food assistance while also implementing sustainable food programs to create lasting impact. SAFB operates multiple community kitchens and culinary programs designed to deliver high-quality meals and foster... Show More
Job Requirements
- Bachelor’s degree in culinary arts, food service management, hospitality, nutrition, or a related field preferred
- Minimum 7-10 years of progressive leadership experience in culinary operations or food service management
- ServSafe certification or equivalent food safety certification required or ability to obtain
- Proven track record managing multi-site or large-volume meal programs
- Strong knowledge of food safety regulations and compliance standards
- Experience developing and managing budgets, cost controls, and financial oversight
- Ability to lead and develop diverse teams in a mission-driven environment
- Effective communication, collaboration, and stakeholder engagement skills
- Ability to work in fast-paced and evolving operational settings
- Flexibility to maintain an on-site presence and travel between multiple kitchen locations
- Commitment to SAFB’s community-centered mission and values
Job Qualifications
- Significant experience leading large-scale culinary operations, preferably across multiple sites or programs serving diverse populations
- Demonstrated success managing high-volume meal production while maintaining food quality, safety, and consistency in fast-paced, regulated environments
- Proven ability to lead, mentor, and develop culinary teams, including supervisors and frontline staff, in mission-driven settings
- Strong working knowledge of food safety, sanitation, and regulatory requirements, with experience operating within highly regulated food programs
- Experience collaborating across disciplines, including nutrition, compliance, agriculture, operations, and development, to deliver integrated food programs
- Ability to balance creative culinary leadership with operational rigor, financial discipline, and scalability, including experience managing budgets and cost controls
- Experience with earned revenue or social enterprise models, such as catering or mission-aligned food service operations, preferred
- Familiarity with nutrition standards and menu analysis, and experience partnering with nutrition professionals to develop compliant, health-forward menus
- Experience integrating locally sourced or farm-grown foods into large-scale meal programs preferred
- Experience supporting or leading culinary education, workforce development, or training initiatives preferred
- Strong communication and relationship-building skills, with experience engaging community partners, donors, volunteers, and internal stakeholders
- Demonstrated experience representing an organization externally through culinary demonstrations, events, or public-facing engagements
- Demonstrated ability to operate effectively at both the strategic and on-the-ground operational levels within complex organizations
- Culinary degree, certification, or equivalent professional experience preferred
- ServSafe or equivalent food safety certification required or ability to obtain
- Formal training in leadership, management, or operations a plus
- A solutions-oriented, collaborative leadership style grounded in operational realities, with high emotional intelligence and a commitment to continuous improvement
- Strong alignment with SAFB’s mission and community-centered values
Job Duties
- Set and advance a mission-driven culinary vision that reflects creativity, cultural relevance, nutrition goals, and financial sustainability
- Provide strategic leadership across SAFB culinary programs, ensuring food is high-quality, skillfully prepared, scalable, and aligned with community needs
- Champion culinary innovation and continuous improvement while maintaining consistency and quality
- Serve as a visible culinary ambassador through partner engagement, events, demonstrations, and food-centered storytelling
- Oversee culinary operations across SAFB’s three Community Kitchens and related initiatives
- Maintain an active, on-site leadership presence in Mays Kitchen, providing day-to-day operational oversight, real-time problem solving, and visible support to culinary teams while ensuring alignment with broader organizational standards and goals
- Direct meal planning, preparation, and production to meet programmatic, nutritional, and service goals at scale
- Establish and uphold culinary standards for food quality, preparation, and presentation in partnership with nutrition and compliance leadership
- Serve as a collaborative partner in menu development with nutrition, compliance, and program leaders, supporting shared decision-making and consistent meal offerings
- Develop and refine operational processes to support efficiency, consistency, and scalability
- Oversee the culinary processing of donated proteins through Hunters for the Hungry, ensuring food safety, quality, and alignment with program needs and operational capacity
- Provide financial oversight for culinary operations, including budgeting, cost management, and operational decision-making
- Oversee Catalyst Catering as a mission-aligned social enterprise, balancing culinary excellence, earned revenue, and brand integrity
- Ensure culinary programs are financially viable and support long-term organizational sustainability
- Lead, mentor, and develop culinary teams, setting clear expectations and fostering a culture of accountability, collaboration, and creativity
- Ensure compliance with all food safety and regulatory requirements, in partnership with compliance leadership
- Partner with farm and food resilience leadership to integrate farm-grown foods and seasonal planning where feasible
Job Qualifications
Experience
Expert Level (7+ years)
Job Location
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