Director of Culinary Operations - Resident - New York : Job Details

About Resident:

Resident is not a restaurant. We are a VC-backed culinary events platform that is reimagining where, when, and how people dine. We leverage the 'sharing' economy, similar to Uber and AirBnB, to host our Michelin-grade events in underutilized luxury spaces across NYC - and soon LA + Miami. Resident is a VC-backed startup that is growing quickly, and was recently ranked #391 on the INC 5000 List of fastest growing companies, and the #7 fastest growing hospitality brand.

Our chefs and sommeliers have experience at the world's best restaurants, including: Eleven Madison Park, Noma, Per Se, and Meadowood. While the concept of a ‘pop-up' isn't new, our talent loves working with us because of our turnkey operational and marketing framework. We produce our events such that the talent can focus on curating the cuisine/beverage with a pre-set budget, and present it to our affluent audience.

Rather than operating in traditional commercial spaces, we partner with luxury real-estate developers that are interested in offering our programming as an amenity within their properties. The building receives a free, leading-edge experiential amenity that garners press and generates sales leads; and we receive a long-term, rent-free location to host building tenants, members of the public, and our private clients. We've partnered with LCOR, Related, RXR, and The Dermot Company, to name a few.

By reimagining the fixed costs of a traditional restaurant, Resident's asset-light, variable approach will finally turn fine dining into a lucrative endeavor, all while elevating the next generation of culinary stars.

Our investors include: Valor Equity Partners, Bienville Capital (invested in: Zola, Qualia, and Ro), Quality Branded (Smith & Wollensky, Quality Italian), and Mike Kennedy (co-owner: Olmsted + Maison Yaki).

About the role:

Resident is looking for a Director of Culinary Operations. The Director of Culinary Operations is a leadership role in our “start-up” hospitality group, with a crucial role directing our extraordinary culinary team. The Culinary team at Resident is an impressive group, a combination of guest chefs and full-time chefs, all of which have backgrounds in Michelin-starred restaurants. We are looking for a dynamic individual with a strong entrepreneurial spirit, who is innovative and ready to take the next step in their career with a rapidly growing hospitality company. The ideal candidate will share our company's creative vision and have a passion for all things food and hospitality!

As Director of Culinary Operations they will be responsible for managing and overseeing the culinary operations. We are looking for someone who knows the importance of quality, has a real depth of knowledge and understanding when it comes to flavor profiles and ingredients but who is also inspired to continue to keep learning. We need a confident leader that can usher efficiency and experience to a multi-unit, fine dining environment with unparalleled opportunities. The ideal candidate will have years of progressive leadership experience with knowledge and abilities at every level of service.

The Director of Culinary Operations will be responsible for preparing Resident's Culinary team for continued growth, developing standard operating procedures to be implemented across all locations where Resident operates. This role will play a strategic role in inventory management, maintaining current venues, and preparing for the opening of new spaces.

The Director of Culinary Operations will not only look after the Resident brand by ensuring our chefs' menus and execution are of an elevated caliber - they will remain an advocate for the contract chefs, sous chefs, and dishwashers we work with. Our hire will be invested in the entire guest experience. They will work directly with the VP of Event Operations, Senior Director of Operations, and Resident's Financial Controller to create and preserve financial health for the business. They will be a proactive, ‘no-task-too-small' team player that is willing to roll up their sleeves to build something incredible.

Start Date: Flexible, but target of 4/1/2025

Qualifications:

• 10+ years of Culinary fine dining experience, including a minimum of 5 years of experience as Executive Chef or Director of Culinary Operations/Culinary Director
• Bachelor's Degree or degree from a post-secondary culinary arts program preferred
• Excellent communication skills
• Advanced computer skills
• Ability to stand, sit, bend, kneel, and reach with little to no accommodations needed for possible extended periods of time
• Able to carry/hold more than 50 lbs.
• Flexible schedule to include evenings, weekends, and holidays
• Strong written and verbal communication skills
• NYC DOH Food Protection Certification
• Advanced knowledge of Microsoft Office suite and Google suite
• Working knowledge of restaurant financial systems, P&L management, and inventory processes
• A strong and confident leader that drives change, trains, and inspires team members
• Culinary degree from a major culinary institution highly preferred
• Classical training in a Michelin Star environment is required
• Flexible mindset & outside the box thinker- there is never just one way to solve a problem.
• Ability to travel to markets outside of New York City as Resident grows in other first tier cities

Compensation

• Base Salary Range: $110,000 - $130,000
• Bonus: this role is eligible for a KPI-based, non-discretionary annual bonus of up to $10,000 per year
• Equity. Commensurate with professional experience. The offering of any such equity package shall take the form of stock options (subject to a 1 year cliff/4 year vesting schedule) and will be influenced by the base salary (inversely correlated).
• Benefits – 100% employer-sponsored healthcare for employees (Aetna- total value of roughly $9,600/year), dental (total value of roughly $250/year) and life insurance ($25,000). One Medical, Teladoc, Talk Space and Health Advocate membership, FSA, commuter benefits, are all included. 401K available after 90 days of employment. Resident does not currently match 401K contributions, subject to future revision as we grow. 15 days of PTO.
• Evaluations - Salary evaluations occur yearly and will be conducted by your direct supervisor and the Vice President of Event Operations.

Responsibilities:

Operations & Event Management:

• Support the Culinary Operations team in Event Management, as needed. Event oversight will be facilitated and scheduled by the VP of Event Operations.
• Support staff and management as required during times of operational change or product enhancements/advancements
• Create and implement systems to streamline kitchen processes
• Work in collaboration with Business Operations, Client Services, Marketing, and Sales team to enhance our Resident event experiences
• This will include, but is not limited to:
• Large format menu development
• Alternate event style format creation
• Sourcing smallwares and supplies for presentation and execution
• Execute as a Head Chef or Sous Chef on an ad-hoc basis as needed to gain familiarity with our product and step in if there is a last-minute need.

People & Training:

• Evaluate current Training programs and systems for the Culinary Operations team, and provide recommendations for upgrades and improvements.
• Create an outline for Training program upgrade(s) including specific steps, priorities, and goals to accomplish.
• Create systems that are easy to follow, execute, and replicate for the Culinary Operations team in order to provide consistent, outstanding service at Resident events.
• Train and coach managers, supervisors, and others involved in employee development efforts.
• Liaise with senior managers, where appropriate, to discuss how to better enable, support, and create paths for the continued success of the Culinary Operations Managers.

• Support our community of Head Chef talent (independent contractors), including onboarding, site visits, and other tasks, as needed.

Talent Acquisition & Staffing:

• Drive strategic Culinary recruiting efforts for Resident, partnering with both the Operations and Client Services teams to maintain a robust candidate pipeline for Head Chefs, as well as sous chefs
• Participate in Head Chef screening calls and tastings
• Recruit, interview, and hire Culinary staff (sous chefs, dishwashers, Head Chefs)
• Update current and design new recruiting procedures/tools (e.g. job application and onboarding processes)
• Participate in the interview process for key managerial and hourly hires
• Seek out new outlets to post jobs and recommend creative ways to connect with potential candidates

Venue Maintenance & Development:

• Visit each venue as frequently as possible, no less than once per month, to assess cleanliness, organization, and equipment functionality.
• Work cross-functionally with other departments to lead activities related to new venue activations, as needed.

• Reviews food + pantry inventory upon completion by Culinary Operations Managers

Quality Control

• Observes BOH activities, ensuring all DOH or OSHA/workplace safety standards are met and upheld.
• Train/work with Culinary team (Full Time Head Chefs, 1099 Head Chefs, sous chefs) to ensure quality, speed, safety, and health standards are consistently met.
• Regularly meet with members of our Head Chef community (independent contractors) and Culinary team to review Resident's Culinary Standards of Service
• Review menus submitted by Head Chefs, assessing both creativity and quality of ingredients
• Regularly attend Resident events to evaluate the quality, portion, and taste of food prepared for our guests

Reporting

• Directs and organizes the back-of-house strategy to maximize profitability and quality.
• Review invoices and food purchases by event, following up as needed, in instances of chefs' spending outside the predetermined budget (over or under budget are applicable)
• Meets regularly with senior members of the operations team and the Financial Controller to review the P&L and identify opportunities within the BOH that can be corrected to increase profitability & success.
• The Director of Culinary Operations reports directly to the Vice President of Event Operations as well as a dotted line to the CEO/Founder.