Senior Executive Chef

Vail Resorts; Champion (PA); On-site; USD 75,000 - 110,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Free Epic passes for employees

Free ski lessons

Employee discounts on lodging, food, &

40% retail discounts

Training & development

Referral program

Wellness benefits

EAP

RSP options

Health, dental & vision after 500 hrs

Critical Illness & Accident plans

Job summary

Vail Resorts is seeking a Senior Executive Chef to provide visionary culinary leadership across 20+ locations, including a high-volume banquet and catering operation generating over $20 million in annual revenue.

This role is a key member of the Food & Beverage leadership team, driving culinary excellence, consistency, innovation, and financial performance while developing strong leaders and high-performing teams.

Qualifications

• 10+ years of progressive culinary leadership experience
• Proven success managing high-volume banquet and catering operations
• Strong financial acumen with experience managing large-scale revenue operations
• Demonstrated ability to lead, influence, and develop teams across multiple locations
• Culinary degree or equivalent professional experience preferred

Responsibilities

• Lead through presence, setting the tone as a high-impact, visible leader across all culinary operations
• Build, mentor, and develop Executive Chefs and culinary leaders, fostering a culture of accountability, ownership, and engagement
• Establish clear expectations, performance standards, and leadership behaviors
• Provide regular coaching, candid feedback, and recognition to unlock team potential
• Create a culture where leaders are empowered to make decisions while being held accountable for results
• Drive collaboration and alignment across culinary, operations, and support teams
• Provide strategic leadership across 20+ locations, ensuring consistency in quality, execution, and guest experience
• Develop and implement a unified culinary vision aligned with brand and business objectives
• Oversee menu development, recipe standardization, and culinary innovation
• Ensure all locations are operating efficiently while maintaining high culinary standards
• Oversee a large-scale banquet and catering operation with significant revenue contribution
• Ensure seamless execution of events including weddings, corporate functions, and large group business
• Partner with sales and operations teams to elevate the group and event experience
• Lead menu development and innovation for banquet offerings, balancing creativity with operational feasibility
• Optimize production processes, staffing, and logistics for large-volume events
• Own and drive overall financial performance, including food cost, labor cost, and profitability
• Develop budgets, forecasts, and cost-control strategies across all units
• Identify and execute opportunities for efficiency, productivity, and margin improvement
• Hold leaders accountable to financial targets and operational goals
• Recruit, develop, and retain top culinary talent across multiple locations
• Implement structured training programs to support skill development and leadership growth
• Build a strong leadership bench and succession pipeline
• Foster a high-performance culture centered on growth, feedback, and continuous improvement
• Ensure all operations meet or exceed food safety, sanitation, and regulatory standards
• Maintain consistency in product quality, presentation, and service execution
• Develop and refine SOPs to support scalable and sustainable operations
• Drive operational discipline and attention to detail across all kitchens
• Lead with a forward-thinking mindset, anticipating business needs and industry trends
• Drive innovation in menus, concepts, and culinary approaches
• Contribute to long-term planning, capital projects, and new business opportunities
• Challenge the status quo and bring solutions that enhance efficiency and guest satisfaction

Skills

Culinary leadership

Multi-unit oversight

Financial management

Team development

High-volume operations

Education

Culinary degree

Job description

Now hiring for winter 2026/27 - Cooks, Drivers, Instructors & more.

Come work and play in the mountains! Whether it’s your first-time seeing snow or you were born on the slopes, joining our team means discovering (or re-discovering!) a passion for the outdoors while building lifelong connections with teammates and guests from around the world.

With 40+ resorts across 3 continents, you can join our team for a season or stay to build a career. From day one, you'll receive some of the highest compensation rates in the industry, free Epic pass(es) along with free ski and snowboard lessons, 40% retail discounts, the chance to grow through Epic Service - our leading training and development experience, and wellness benefits to fuel your success.

• Ski/Mountain Perks! Free passes for employees, employee discounted lift tickets for friends and family AND free ski lessons
• MORE employee discounts on lodging, food, gear, and mountain shuttles
• RSP Options (after 12 months or 2000 cumulative hours of service)
• Employee Assistance Program
• Excellent training and professional development
• Referral Program

Full Time roles are eligible for the above, plus:

• Health Insurance; Medical Insurance, Dental Insurance, and Vision Insurance plans (for eligible seasonal employees after working 500 hours)
• Critical Illness and Accident plans

Job Summary

The Senior Executive Chef is responsible for providing visionary culinary leadership and operational oversight across 20+ food and beverage locations, including a high-volume banquet and catering operation generating over $20 million in annual revenue.

This role serves as a key member of the Food & Beverage senior leadership team, driving culinary excellence, consistency, innovation, and financial performance, while developing strong leaders and high-performing teams throughout the organization.

Job Specifications

• Starting Wage: $75,000 - $110,000 + annual bonus
• Employment Type: Year Round
• Shift Type: Full Timehours available
• Minimum Age: At least 18 years of age
• Housing Availability: No

Job Responsibilities

• Lead through presence, setting the tone as a high-impact, visible leader across all culinary operations
• Build, mentor, and develop Executive Chefs and culinary leaders, fostering a culture of accountability, ownership, and engagement
• Establish clear expectations, performance standards, and leadership behaviors
• Provide regular coaching, candid feedback, and recognition to unlock team potential
• Create a culture where leaders are empowered to make decisions while being held accountable for results
• Drive collaboration and alignment across culinary, operations, and support teams

2. Multi-Unit Culinary Oversight

• Provide strategic leadership across 20+ locations, ensuring consistency in quality, execution, and guest experience
• Develop and implement a unified culinary vision aligned with brand and business objectives
• Oversee menu development, recipe standardization, and culinary innovation
• Ensure all locations are operating efficiently while maintaining high culinary standards
• Oversee a large-scale banquet and catering operation with significant revenue contribution
• Ensure seamless execution of events including weddings, corporate functions, and large group business
• Partner with sales and operations teams to elevate the group and event experience
• Lead menu development and innovation for banquet offerings, balancing creativity with operational feasibility
• Optimize production processes, staffing, and logistics for large-volume events

4. Financial Performance & Accountability

• Own and drive overall financial performance, including food cost, labor cost, and profitability
• Develop budgets, forecasts, and cost-control strategies across all units
• Identify and execute opportunities for efficiency, productivity, and margin improvement
• Hold leaders accountable to financial targets and operational goals
• Recruit, develop, and retain top culinary talent across multiple locations
• Implement structured training programs to support skill development and leadership growth
• Build a strong leadership bench and succession pipeline
• Foster a high-performance culture centered on growth, feedback, and continuous improvement

6. Operational Excellence & Standards

• Ensure all operations meet or exceed food safety, sanitation, and regulatory standards
• Maintain consistency in product quality, presentation, and service execution
• Develop and refine SOPs to support scalable and sustainable operations
• Drive operational discipline and attention to detail across all kitchens

7. Strategy, Innovation & Continuous Improvement

• Lead with a forward-thinking mindset, anticipating business needs and industry trends
• Drive innovation in menus, concepts, and culinary approaches
• Contribute to long-term planning, capital projects, and new business opportunities
• Challenge the status quo and bring solutions that enhance efficiency and guest satisfaction

Job Requirements

• 10+ years of progressive culinary leadership experience, including multi-unit responsibility
• Proven success managing high-volume banquet and catering operations
• Strong financial acumen with experience managing large-scale revenue operations
• Demonstrated ability to lead, influence, and develop teams across multiple locations
• Exceptional communication, organization, and leadership skills
• Culinary degree or equivalent professional experience preferred

Core Leadership Competencies

• Connect: As a leader at Vail Resorts, Connect requires that you: create authentic connections with others; inspire trust and manage expectations for stakeholders; listen to others to develop a shared understanding; build strong relationships across locations and functions; recognize inter-dependencies and take ownership for our mutual success; ensure sharing of different ideas and points of view; respect the value of others.
• Develops: As a leader at Vail Resorts, Develop requires that you: are very self-aware, deeply understanding your own strengths and opportunities; are comfortable seeking feedback from others on your performance and leadership; are constantly seeking to improve your leadership skills; hire and retain those who embrace these competencies at the highest level; create future leaders and bench strength; establish authentic connections with others, based on a high level of candor, in support of their personal and professional growth; recognize and reward employees for outstanding performance; unlock the potential of your team.
• Drive: As a leader at Vail Resorts, Drive requires that you: exhibit a strong desire to be the best and your results show it; be decisive and take the initiative to step up when and where the business needs you; understand how to execute and deliver results; empower others to share in the decision making and work processes; hold others accountable to be their best and achieve great results; make difficult personnel and other decisions when needed; enroll employees in our shared vision, clarify goals and clearly communicate the road map for success.
• Out-Front: As a leader at Vail Resorts, Out Front requires that you: are forward thinking and one step ahead of the needs of the business, our guest's expectations, and your leader; act fast to changing dynamics; are able to synthesize multiple viewpoints, including external perspectives, to create well thought-out strategic plans; present new ideas by way of detailed analysis and careful planning inclusive of contingency plans; continuously prioritize to ensure the focus is on the most important work.
• Passion: As a leader at Vail Resorts, Passion requires that you: embrace our product, culture and mission to your core; allow your personal passion to inspire others to follow in your footsteps; ensure alignment of who you are with what you do; create the opportunity for our guests and employees to have an "Experience of a Lifetime" at Vail Resorts.
• Re-Imagine: As a leader at Vail Resorts, Re-imagine requires that you: innovate and lead change; courageously challenge conventional wisdom; be willing to take on risk; thoughtfully approach all potential outcomes; influence others to challenge the status quo; be curious about all facets of the business to surface new ideas and support new company initiatives.
• Elevate: LeadInclusively. Intentionally build teams with diverse backgrounds, perspectives and experiences; identify and remove obstacles that limit engagement, impact or advancement for employees of all backgrounds, including barriers to developing a diverse workforce; and foster a culture of belonging where everyone can do their best work and contribute to creating an Experience of a Lifetime for our employees and guests.

Impact of the Role

This role is instrumental in shaping the guest experience, operational performance, and leadership culture of the organization. The Senior Executive Chef is not only responsible for culinary execution, but for leading at scale, developing future leaders, and driving long-term business success.

In completing this application, and when submitting related documentation, applicants may redact information that identifies their age, date of birth, and/or dates of attendance at or graduation from an educational institution.

We follow all federal, state, and local laws including restrictions on child/minor labor. Minors hired into this position will not be asked or permitted to engage in any activities restricted to adult workers.

Vail Resorts is an equal opportunity employer. Qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability, protected veteran status or any other status protected by applicable law.