Executive Chef

COMPASS GROUP CANADA; Kamloops; On-site; CAD 70,000 - 75,000; Full time

Job summary

Compass Group Canada in Canada is seeking an Executive Chef to provide culinary leadership, oversee food production, menu development, quality standards, and financial results. You will lead the culinary team to deliver high-quality guest experiences while achieving operational objectives, working with site leadership and F&B operations.

The role emphasizes production planning, staff development, and maintaining safety standards in a fast-paced, high-volume environment, with focus on cost

Qualifications

• Minimum 5 years of progressive culinary leadership in high-volume settings.
• Previous experience as an Executive Chef or senior culinary leader.
• Red Seal Chef certification or equivalent preferred.
• Strong knowledge of food production and kitchen management.
• Ability to balance culinary creativity with profitability and efficiency.
• Experience with budgeting, forecasting, and cost control.

Responsibilities

• Lead all culinary operations including daily foodservice, catering, and events.
• Develop menus and ensure consistent quality across service areas.
• Maintain food safety, sanitation, and allergen controls.
• Drive menu engineering, recipe costing, and portion controls.
• Manage food and labor costs, inventory, and procurement.
• Coach and develop Sous Chefs and cooks; recruit and train staff.
• Collaborate with site leadership and F&B teams to ensure guest satisfaction.

Skills

Culinary leadership

Menu development

Cost control

Team coaching

Food safety

Education

Red Seal certification

Job description

The salary range for this position is $70,000 to $75,000. Final compensation will be determined based on relevant skills, experience, qualifications, and internal equity. In addition to base salary, eligible employees may be entitled to other elements of total compensation, which may include group benefits, employer RRSP contributions, and discretionary bonus or incentive programs, where applicable to the role. We are committed to offering competitive compensation and comply with all applicable pay transparency legislation. Further details regarding our total rewards program will be shared by the Talent Acquisition team during the hiring process. Canadian work experience is not a requirement for this role. Please note that artificial intelligence–based tools may be used at certain stages of the recruitment and applicant screening process.

As the Executive Chef, you are responsible for providing overall culinary leadership for the operation, overseeing food production, menu development, quality standards, team performance, food safety, and financial results. You will lead the culinary team to deliver a consistent, high-quality guest experience while achieving operational and financial objectives. Working closely with Food & Beverage Operations and site leadership, you will ensure successful daily operations, catering programs, and special event execution.

Now, if you were to come on board as our Executive Chef, we'd ask you to do the following for us:

• Lead all culinary operations, including daily foodservice, catering programs, functions, and special events.
• Oversee food production activities and ensure consistent execution across all service areas.
• Develop production plans based on business volumes, menu requirements, service expectations, and operational needs.
• Ensure culinary areas are adequately staffed, organized, and prepared for service.
• Maintain food quality, presentation, portioning, recipe adherence, and service standards.
• Establish production schedules, prep plans, pars, deployment strategies, and labor plans.
• Conduct culinary meetings, operational reviews, and daily service briefings.
• Maintain a visible, hands-on leadership presence during peak operating periods.
• Develop and execute menus that align with client expectations, operational requirements, and financial goals.
• Maintain standardized recipes, specifications, costing, portion controls, and presentation standards.
• Drive menu innovation through seasonal offerings, local ingredients, and signature culinary programs.
• Balance culinary creativity with profitability, speed of service, and operational efficiency.
• Manage food costs, labor costs, purchasing, inventory controls, waste management, and kitchen productivity.
• Participate in budgeting, forecasting, business planning, and financial performance reviews.
• Monitor and analyze food and labor cost performance and implement corrective actions as required.
• Support menu engineering, recipe costing, pricing strategies, and profitability initiatives.
• Lead, coach, mentor, and develop Sous Chefs, supervisors, cooks, and other culinary associates.
• Participate in recruitment, onboarding, scheduling, training, performance management, and succession planning activities.
• Foster a positive, accountable, and inclusive workplace culture focused on teamwork and continuous improvement.
• Develop future culinary leaders and ensure appropriate staffing levels are maintained.
• Ensure compliance with Compass Group Canada's food safety, quality assurance, allergen management, sanitation, and health & safety programs.
• Maintain compliance with applicable regulatory requirements, including public health standards, WHMIS, HACCP principles, and Occupational Health & Safety legislation.
• Conduct regular kitchen, storage, sanitation, and safety audits.
• Oversee purchasing, receiving, storage, inventory management, and product rotation processes.
• Manage supplier relationships to ensure quality, consistency, availability, and value.
• Monitor inventory levels and implement controls to minimize waste, shortages, and overproduction.
• Ensure accurate receiving, requisitioning, transfers, and inventory accountability procedures.
• Collaborate with site leadership and Food & Beverage teams to support operational excellence and successful event execution.

Think you have what it takes to be our Executive Chef? We're committed to hiring the best talent for the role. Here’s how we'll know you'll be successful in the role:

• Minimum 5 years of progressive culinary leadership experience in a high-volume foodservice, hospitality, catering, restaurant, hotel, institutional, or multi-unit environment.
• Previous experience as an Executive Chef, Executive Sous Chef, Chef de Cuisine, or in a senior culinary leadership capacity.
• Red Seal Chef certification or equivalent culinary credential preferred.
• Strong knowledge of high-volume food production, culinary operations, and kitchen management.
• Demonstrated experience managing food cost, labor cost, inventory, purchasing, forecasting, and operating budgets.
• Proven ability to lead, coach, motivate, and develop high-performing culinary teams.
• Strong understanding of food safety, sanitation, allergen management, and workplace health and safety requirements.
• Experience with menu development, recipe standardization, menu engineering, and cost control strategies.
• Strong organizational, analytical, communication, and problem-solving skills.
• Ability to make effective decisions in a fast-paced, high-volume operating environment.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office and foodservice systems related to purchasing, inventory management, scheduling, and recipe costing.
• Excellent client service mindset with a commitment to delivering exceptional guest experiences.
• Ability to balance culinary excellence, operational efficiency, financial performance, and team development.