Head – Kitchen & Dining

Rishihood University; Sonipat; On-site; INR 900,000 - 1,400,000; Full time

Job summary

Rishihood University seeks an experienced dining operations leader to own the campus dining standard and drive a learning-oriented food program. You will manage the relationship with the outsourced Food & Dining partner, ensure nutrition-forward menus, food safety, and a dignified, learning-focused dining environment for learners and staff.

Ideal candidate has 8–12 years in institutional catering or large-scale kitchen leadership, with outsourcing management, strong knowledge of FSSAI, and a

Qualifications

• Degree in Hospitality Management, Culinary Arts, Food Technology or Nutrition/Dietetics.
• 8–12 years of experience in institutional catering, large-scale kitchen operations or F&B leadership, with outsourced partner management.
• Knowledge of food safety regulations (FSSAI) and large-volume kitchen hygiene standards.
• Exposure to sustainable/holistic food practices is a plus.

Responsibilities

• Own the Rishihood Dining Standard and hold the outsourced partner accountable to it.
• Design and continuously improve menus with nutritionists, balancing nutrition, taste and cultural relevance.
• Turn the dining hall into a learning environment with nutrition communication and mindful-eating practices.
• Manage food safety, hygiene compliance and audits in partnership with the outsourced partner.
• Oversee dining ambience, service flow and efficiency during peak hours to ensure a dignified experience.
• Track food cost, wastage and quality metrics and liaise with procurement and Campus 2.0 teams for results.
• Handle escalations on food quality/safety and drive continuous improvement with the partner.

Skills

Nutrition knowledge

Vendor management

Communication

Cost discipline

Education

Hospitality/culinary/food tech degree

Job description

Rishihood isIndia's first national transformation university. It prepares learners to solvethe big problems of tomorrow. Our transformative education is built on threepillars:

• Personal Impact – developing physical,intellectual, emotional, and spiritual strength.
• Professional Impact – building real-worldskills through industry-integrated, practice-based learning.
• Public Impact – fostering interdisciplinarythinking and a commitment to nation-building.

At Rishihood, we nurture leaderswho will transform themselves, their professions, and the nation.

Reports to

Director – Operations

Direct reports

Dining hall supervisors; day-to-day oversight of the outsourced Food & Dining partner’s on-campus team

Function

ROLE PURPOSE

The vision is explicit that food at Rishihood must move from “campus service” to “campus experience” — every meal should nourish the body, cultivate awareness, strengthen community and make holistic living effortless. This role is the internal owner of that philosophy: it sets and enforces the Rishihood dining standard, manages the day-to-day relationship with the outsourced Food & Dining partner, and turns the dining hall into a genuine learning environment rather than just a place to eat.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

• Own the Rishihood Dining Standard — nutritious, safe, fresh, beautiful, efficient and dignified — and hold the outsourced Food & Dining partner accountable to it day-to-day.
• Design and continuously improve menus in consultation with nutritionists/dieticians, balancing holistic nutrition with taste, variety and cultural relevance.
• Turn the dining hall into a learning environment: nutrition communication, mindful-eating practices, and community-building around meals as part of holistic living.
• Own food safety and hygiene compliance across the kitchen and dining operations — FSSAI licensing, hygiene audits, staff health checks — in partnership with the outsourced partner.
• Manage dining hall ambience, service flow and efficiency at peak hours, ensuring a dignified, unhurried dining experience.
• Track food cost, wastage and quality metrics; work with Head – Procurement on ingredient sourcing and with Campus 2.0 Experience on feeding results into the Campus Excellence Scorecard.
• Handle escalations on food quality/safety and drive continuous improvement with the outsourced Food & Dining partner, including periodic performance reviews against SLA.

KEY RESULT AREAS & SUCCESS METRICS

• Key Result Area
• How Success Is Measured
• Menu nutrition-adequacy review score; taste/quality feedback from learners and staff
• Food safety
• Hygiene/FSSAI audit pass rate; zero food-safety incidents
• Food waste as % of meals served; volume composted and returned to campus use
• Dining satisfaction scores, including ambience and service
• Cost per meal against budget, without compromising the standard

QUALIFICATIONS & EXPERIENCE

• Degree in Hospitality Management, Culinary Arts, Food Technology or Nutrition/Dietetics.
• 8–12 years of experience in institutional catering, large-scale kitchen operations or F&B leadership — experience managing an outsourced catering partner is a strong plus.
• Working knowledge of food safety regulations (FSSAI) and large-volume kitchen hygiene standards.
• Exposure to sustainable/holistic food practices (composting, farm-to-table, waste reduction) is a plus.

SKILLS & ATTRIBUTES

• Deep understanding of nutrition and holistic wellbeing, not just food service.
• Strong vendor/partner management — able to hold a large outsourced kitchen accountable without running it directly.
• Communication skills to build a food-awareness culture among learners.
• Comfortable balancing cost discipline with quality and experience.