Director, Culinary Development & Support

IHG’s Restaurants, Bars and Events (“RB&E”) team is an in-house center of excellence providing best of class services and support to the Luxury, Lifestyle and Premium branded hotels in the Americas.  Our locally-inspired restaurants and bars are run by passionate restauranteurs who partner with the Executive Chef and the on-property team to deliver exceptional guest experiences while generating a profitable bottom-line. The Director of Culinary Support + Development, must have a passion for the culinary industry, hospitality in general, and an innate ability to lead, coach, inspire, and motivate other culinarians while fostering a creative and entrepreneurial environment, setting and defining strategic goals, supporting the our culture and balancing the needs of both our internal and external stakeholders (team members, guests, owners, vendor partners, and communities).

The Director of Culinary Support and Development role is designed to sustain and evolve the integrity and creativity of the culinary teams, concepts and menus for IHG’s Luxury, Lifestyle and Premium banded hotels. Specifically, this role will be tasked with collaborating with the in-house Concept Development team in the creation of new and innovating culinary concepts and collaborating with the culinary teams of our existing operations to workshop and evolve existing menus, concepts and portfolio-wide initiatives. This position reports to the Vice President of Restaurants, Bars & Events, Americas

Your day to day 

• Partner with RB&E leadership team to ensure that the Culinary culture of IHG and each Restaurant, Bar and Event operation (current and future) meet or exceed established brand philosophies, guidelines and standards.
• Actively participate in the generation of revenues for IHG by acting as a key contributor and facilitator of our Restaurant and Bar Concept Development Services offered to current and future Managed properties and Franchised properties
• As part of the above, participate in and contribute to Concept Development deal pitches to current and potential hotel owners, creation of market research and studies, creation of innovative new and refreshed culinary concepts and the execution of the aforementioned
• Work directly with kitchen designers and kitchen equipment consultants on kitchen layout/equipment planning and review of concept development projects
• Partner with the VP, RB&E to develop optimal conceptual culinary direction, leadership staffing, and programming to ensure financial viability of all Restaurant, Bar and Event operations.
• Support VP, RB&E and Performance Leadership Teams in evaluating the culinary challenges and opportunities of existing properties and take the lead on developing creative yet tactical strategic improvement plans. 
• Responsible for recruiting, networking & stage coordination for existing and future Culinary leadership positions
• Collaborate with Director of Partnerships & Programs to develop strategic purchasing & partnerships with artisan culinary providers 
• Collaborate with Director of Task Force on the deployment and oversight of the culinary task force team 
• Act as Culinary Ambassador for all back-of-house systems integration and training (including but limited to POS, Purchasing and Procurement, Inventory, Accounting, Labor Management, etc.); Provide leadership to and act as guiding member of our in-house “Chef Collective”

What we need from you

• Minimum 3 years of experience in a comparable above-property and multi-property Culinary leadership role 
• Minimum 5 years of experience in a property level Executive Chef role
• Minimum 10 years of overall experience in property level culinary leadership role (Executive Sous Chef/CDC or higher - in hotel organization or restaurant organization)
• Participation in a least five separate and distinct Restaurant concept development projects 
• Proven track record of success in the above
• Experience in the development, opening and transitioning of successful Restaurant, Bar and Event culinary operations
• Experience in the recruiting, interviewing and hiring of high level Culinary talent
• Strong communicator with excellent interpersonal skills and ability to manage multiple projects at the same time.
• Extensive passion for and an understanding of the culinary industry 
• Exceptional knowledge of Culinary trends, operators, restaurateurs, and notable Chefs
• Expansive national network of known chefs and leaders in the industry
• Education:  Culinary Degree and/or BA in Hospitality Management is a plus 

Travel – 60%

Location – Remote: **Candidate must reside in the US near a major airport**

The salary range for this role is $150,000.00 to $225,000.00.  This role is also eligible for bonus pay (as applicable). We offer a comprehensive package of benefits including paid time off, medical/dental/vision insurance, 401K, and other benefits to employees.  

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