Head Chef & Culinary Operations Manager

This is not a standard Head Chef position. You take full ownership of a gastronomic operation, combining culinary leadership with business responsibility, team management, and client relations. You run the operation with autonomy, structure, and real decision-making power. **Your mission** You are responsible for the culinary, operational, and financial performance of the restaurant. You act as the main point of contact for the client and ensure a consistently high-quality guest experience. **Your Responsibilities** - Reporting lines: Primary point of contact for the client; dotted-line reporting to the Regional Operations Manager/Leadership team. - Team leadership: Lead, develop and schedule a multi-disciplinary team (minimum 8 staff). Responsible for recruitment, performance reviews and maintaining staff retention and engagement. - Financial & commercial ownership: Own budget planning and P&L performance. Drive cost control measures (food cost %, labor cost %) and ensure event and daily service profitability. - Guest experience & quality: Ensure consistent delivery of high-quality food and service. Translate client expectations into clear action plans and measurable outcomes (e.g., guest satisfaction scores, repeat bookings). - Event delivery: Plan and deliver high-end events from commercial proposal through execution, ensuring margin and client satisfaction targets are met. - Operations & compliance: Ensure full compliance with hygiene, quality and safety standards (HACCP) and achieve target audit scores. - Continuous improvement: Drive operational and service improvements, implement changes and track impact through KPIs and regular reporting. - Client relationship management: Build and maintain a strong, trust-based relationship with the client, proactively resolving issues and aligning on goals. - Sustainability & CSR: Support sustainability initiatives and CSR objectives, embedding them into daily operations and supplier choices. - Collaboration: Work closely with internal support functions (procurement, HR, finance) to align on objectives and deliverables. **Success metrics (examples)** - Financial: Achieve P&L targets; maintain food and labor cost within agreed thresholds. - Quality: Maintain high guest satisfaction (CSAT/NPS) and achieve hygiene audit scores above target. - People: Maintain low staff turnover and meet training and development milestones for the team. - Commercial: Deliver event profitability and secure repeat client bookings. - Operational: Timely and accurate reporting; implementation of at least X process improvements per year (as agreed with leadership). **Required Qualifications** - Formal training as a Chef with strong hands-on culinary expertise - Proven experience in a comparable leadership or operations role - Demonstrated ability to combine kitchen leadership with business responsibility - Calm, structured, and solution-oriented under pressure - Strong interpersonal and communication skills across all levels - Confident with standard IT tools and reporting - Fluent in German and English **Preferred Qualifications** - Working knowledge of French is a plus - Experience planning and delivering high-end events or client-facing culinary services - Familiarity with sustainability and CSR initiatives in a hospitality context **What’s In It For You** - A strategic role with real autonomy and influence - Attractive working hours supporting work–life balance - Clear development opportunities within a growing organization - Collaborative, respectful, and performance-driven culture - Ongoing training and professional development - Fair and competitive Swiss compensation package. Skills: restaurant management,leadership,culinary education,chef,operations,financial performance Gehalt: CHF 88k - CHF 95k per year Quelle: https://ch.linkedin.com/jobs/view/head-chef-culinary-operations-manager-at-olm-consultants-4328536005

Level: c level