Senior Director of Culinary Operations

Hope Mission Statement The mission of Hope the Mission is to prevent, reduce and eliminate poverty, hunger, and homelessness by offering immediate assistance and long-term solutions. 3.8 million scratch-made meals a year. Three kitchens. 30+ sites. One standard. Hope the Mission runs one of the largest scratch-cooking operations in Southern California. Every year our kitchens produce 3.8 million whole-foods-based meals for people living in interim housing across more than 30 sites. This is a multi-site, high-volume culinary enterprise, and it’s growing fast: warehousing and distribution, large-scale meal production, and a social enterprise that includes catering and baked-goods wholesaling. If you’re picturing a typical shelter kitchen, this isn’t it. We cook from scratch, at scale, because we believe love, dignity, and respect are best demonstrated through a meal. Who we’re looking for A kitchen aficionado who loves the enterprise side of culinary arts. You get energized by production systems, supply chains, menu engineering, and the complexity of running several kitchens as one operation. A high-EQ leader with equal passion for people and production. You develop strong managers, build teams that run independently, and hold a high bar without losing your warmth. Someone who believes a great meal is an act of respect. You see food quality as part of the mission. What you’ll lead Reporting to the VP of Business Affairs, you’ll be HTM’s senior culinary leader, responsible for: People: Leading regional directors, managers, and kitchen teams across all locations; building performance management, leadership development, and succession plans. Food quality and menu: Setting culinary standards and directing menu development, recipe costing, and nutrition balance in partnership with our Executive Chef. Food safety and compliance: Owning a HACCP-based food safety, sanitation, and regulatory program across every kitchen, including audits, inspections, and corrective action. Procurement and logistics: Leading purchasing strategy, vendor relationships, inventory, waste reduction, and our regional distribution function. Operations and growth: Building scalable operating standards and KPIs; planning equipment, technology, and capital investments; supporting new kitchen openings and expansions. Social enterprise and training: Growing our catering and wholesale revenue programs and building a culinary arts training initiative. What you bring 7+ years leading multiple kitchen facilities 8+ years of cooking experience, ideally in high-volume environments Extensive experience as an Executive Chef or head chef in a high-volume scratch kitchen Deep knowledge of food safety, sanitation, and regulatory compliance Budget management and cost-control experience across a multi-site operation Bachelor’s degree in culinary science or a related field, or an equivalent certificate Preferred: culinary training program experience; social enterprise or food-revenue program experience; bilingual English/Spanish Position Purpose and Summary HTM's food service operation is one of the most direct expressions of the organization's mission — producing and delivering scratch-cooked meals at scale, across multiple sites, to thousands of people experiencing homelessness every day. It also encompasses a full events program, a regional logistics function, a growing culinary arts training initiative, and an emerging social enterprise. Leading all of it is the Senior Director of Culinary Operations. Reporting to the VP of Business Administration, the Senior Director oversees every operational dimension of HTM's food service department. This includes leading regional directors, managers, and kitchen staff across all HTM locations; setting food quality, safety, and sanitation standards; directing menu development in collaboration with the Executive Chef; managing inventory, vendors, and equipment; overseeing event food ser…

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