Associate Director, Culinary Operations

msk; New York (NY); On-site; USD 124,000 - 205,000; Full time

Job summary

Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSK) seeks an Associate Director of Culinary Operations to provide strategic leadership for culinary production and kitchen operations across assigned areas in New York. You will drive performance, optimize resources, and support a best-in-class dining experience for patients, guests, and staff.

Responsibilities include labor planning, budgeting, safety compliance, process improvements, and staff development.

Qualifications

• Progressive leadership experience overseeing large-scale culinary production or kitchen operations.
• Professional culinary or chef experience with understanding of production systems and management.
• Experience managing budgets, labor costs, productivity, and operational performance.
• Knowledge of food safety regulations, sanitation standards, and QA practices.
• Proven ability to develop, mentor, and coach managers and frontline teams.

Responsibilities

• Provide strategic oversight of culinary production and kitchen operations across assigned areas.
• Lead and support culinary management teams to achieve operational, quality, and service goals.
• Manage labor planning, staffing strategies, productivity metrics, and workforce optimization.
• Oversee departmental budgeting, cost controls, and resource allocation.
• Ensure compliance with food safety, sanitation, regulatory, and organizational standards.
• Develop and implement processes to improve efficiency, consistency, and quality.
• Partner with culinary leaders to uphold high standards for production and presentation.
• Drive staff training, coaching, and succession planning for culinary teams.
• Collaborate with cross-functional stakeholders to support objectives and continuous improvement.

Skills

Strategic leadership

Financial acumen

Communication

Talent development

Continuous improvement

Team leadership

Operational excellence

Job description

About Us

The people of Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSK) are united by a singular mission: ending cancer for life. Our specialized care teams provide personalized, compassionate, expert care to patients of all ages. Informed by basic research done at our Sloan Kettering Institute, scientists across MSK collaborate to conduct innovative translational and clinical research that is driving a revolution in our understanding of cancer as a disease and improving the ability to prevent, diagnose, and treat it. MSK is dedicated to training the next generation of scientists and clinicians, who go on to pursue our mission at MSK and around the globe.

Exciting Opportunity at MSK: Associate Director, Culinary Operations

At Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSK), our mission is to end cancer for life through exceptional patient care, research, and education. The Associate Director of Culinary Operations provides strategic leadership for culinary production and kitchen operations, ensuring the highest standards of food quality, safety, efficiency, and service. This role partners closely with clinical. culinary and operational leaders to drive performance, develop talent, optimize resources, and support a best-in- class dining experience for patients, guests, and staff.

Role Overview

• Provide strategic oversight of culinary production and kitchen operations across assigned areas.
• Lead and support culinary management teams in achieving operational, quality, and service excellence goals.
• Manage labor planning, staffing strategies, productivity metrics, and workforce optimization initiatives.
• Oversee departmental budgeting, financial performance, cost controls, and resource allocation.
• Ensure compliance with all food safety, sanitation, regulatory, and organizational standards.
• Develop and implement operational processes that enhance efficiency, consistency, and quality outcomes.
• Partner with culinary leaders to establish and maintain high standards for food production and presentation.
• Drive staff training, coaching, succession planning, and professional development initiatives for culinary teams.
• Collaborate with cross-functional stakeholders to support organizational objectives , continuous improvement efforts, and exceptional customer experiences.

Key Qualifications

• Progressive leadership experience overseeing large-scale culinary production, food service, or kitchen operations.
• Professional culinary or chef experience with a strong understanding of food production systems and kitchen management.
• Demonstrated experience managing departmental budgets, labor expenses, productivity, and operational performance.
• Comprehensive knowledge of food safety regulations, sanitation standards, and quality assurance practices.
• Proven experience leading, developing, and mentoring managers and frontline culinary teams.

Core Skills

• Strategic leadership with the ability to align operational priorities with organizational goals.
• Strong financial acumen and analytical skills to manage budgets, labor performance, and cost controls.
• Excellent communication and relationship-building skills across diverse stakeholder groups.
• Talent development capabilities with a focus on coaching, engagement, and team performance.
• Continuous improvement mindset with the ability to implement efficient, scalable operational solutions.

Additional Information

• Schedule: 9:00 AM - 5:00 PM EST, Monday - Friday
• Location: 1275 York Avenue, New York, NY
• Reporting To: Director, Food & Nutrition

Helpful Links

• Compensation Philosophy
• Benefits

Pay Range: $124,000.00 - $204,700.00

FSLA Status: Exempt

Closing

At MSK, we believe in fair, competitive pay that reflects your job, experience, and skills.

MSK is an equal opportunity and affirmative action employer committed to diversity and inclusion in all aspects of recruiting and employment. All qualified individuals are encouraged to apply and will receive consideration without regard to race, color, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, national origin, age, religion, creed, disability, veteran status or any other factor which cannot lawfully be used as a basis for an employment decision.

Federal law requires employers to provide reasonable accommodation to qualified individuals with disabilities. Please tell us if you require a reasonable accommodation to apply for a job or to perform your job. Examples of reasonable accommodation include making a change to the application process or work procedures, providing documents in an alternate format, using a sign language interpreter, or using specialized equipment.