General Manager – Kitchen Operations

Local Kitchen Co; Adelaide; On-site; AUD 180,000 - 240,000; Full time

Job summary

Local Kitchen Co in Adelaide is seeking an experienced operational leader to oversee two on-site kitchens, build a capable team and embed quality, efficiency and accountability in daily practice. Reporting to the Founder and senior leadership, you will align production schedules with demand, manage budgets, labour, and food costs, and drive continuous improvement while upholding HACCP and WHS standards.

You will mentor leaders, foster collaboration across Production and Commercial Logistics, and

Qualifications

• Experience leading food production operations at scale.
• Proven ability to manage budgets, labour and production costs.
• Strong people management and coaching skills.
• Knowledge of HACCP, GMP and WHS.

Responsibilities

• Lead two kitchens on site, build a high-performing team.
• Set direction and connect daily decisions to the business plan.
• Own operational KPIs and drive performance improvements.
• Uphold food safety standards and safe practices on the floor.

Skills

Operational leadership

Food production

People management

Budgeting & cost control

Quality & compliance

Job description

Great food starts with great leadership. Bring both.

You know what excellent food looks like. You also know it takes clear expectations, capable people and strong commercial decisions to deliver it consistently at scale.

At Local Kitchen Co, we make meals that help people spend less time worrying about dinner and more time enjoying it. We’re looking for an experienced leader to bring that same care and purpose to the people and operations behind every meal.

The challenge? Lead two kitchens on one site, build a team that takes pride in its work, and make quality, efficiency and accountability part of every day.

Your impact

Reporting to the Founder and working as part of our senior leadership team, you’ll take responsibility for kitchen operations, overseeing our kitchen teams, Production Manager and Commercial Logistics Manager.

You’ll set the direction, develop your leaders and connect daily production decisions with the bigger business picture.

Your focus will include:

People who thrive: Coach and mentor leaders, build team capability and manage performance with clarity and respect. Quick decision-making and the ability to bring people along with you

Production that delivers: Align people, capacity and schedules to meet demand, quality standards and fulfilment targets.

Numbers that matter: Own operational KPIs, review results monthly and turn insights into action across labour, food costs, waste and productivity.

Standards we stand behind: Lead food safety, HACCP and WHS, creating a culture where safe practices are everyone’s responsibility.

Better ways of working: Strengthen systems, solve recurring problems and help the business plan for what comes next.

Customers at the centre: Keep taste, consistency and the customer experience at the heart of operational decisions.

What will you bring to the table?

You're an experience operational leader who understands food production and knows that great results start with great people.

You'll bring:

Leadership experience in food manufacturing or a comparable production environment.

A track record of improving operations and guiding teams through change.

Strong people skills, including the confidence to address issues fairly and follow through.

Sound commercial judgement and experience managing budgets, labour and production costs.

Practical workforce planning and rostering experience.

Ability to work across production teams as needed, rather than being limited to a five-day structure.

A strong understanding of food safety and WHS, with working knowledge of GMP and HACCP.

A practical. calm approach and a willingness to be visible and involved on the floor.

Desired, not essential - Additional food production or industry experience.

Why Local Kitchen Co?

We're a South Australian business with a clear purpose: making everyday life easier through delicious, quality meals.

This role offers the opportunity to work directly with our Founder, contribute to senior leadership decisions and make a visible difference to our people, our operations and the food our customers take home.

If you can lead the people, understand the numbers and care deeply about the food, we’d love to hear from you.