The Executive Chef (Food Engineering Focus) is responsible for leading large-scale production of savory Vietnamese and Western cuisine, butchery, and ready-to-eat meals while integrating modern food engineering, sustainability, and dietary inclusivity into daily operations.
This role blends culinary mastery with financial, operational, and R&D leadership. The Executive Chef ensures scalable recipe execution, cost efficiency, manpower productivity, food safety compliance, and innovation that addresses today’s consumer trends—including plant-based diets, vegetarian offerings, and dietary needs such as Halal and Kosher.
Planning & Budgeting
Manage food cost, labor cost, and productivity to meet budget targets.
Support the Head of Production in developing annual production plans, manpower forecasts, budgets, and Capex, ensuring alignment with growth and automation strategies.
Track productivity KPIs (output per FTE, yield per batch) and drive improvements.
Identify cost-saving opportunities through recipe optimization, by-product utilization, and supplier negotiations.
Contribute to long-term capacity planning to meet store expansion, partnerships, and B2B opportunities.
Culinary & Production Leadership
Lead operations in commissary across various sections: receiving, hot kitchen, butchery, soups, sauces, grills, and RTE lines, product waste lines.
Ensure consistent production of authentic, premium ingredients and RTE products, balancing traditional recipes with efficiency at scale.
Oversee and train teams in advanced culinary techniques (e.g., sous-vide, smoking, braising, steaming, grilling) as well as core chef skills and product knowledge, ensuring store-based associates meet brand standards.
Mentor chefs, butchers, and line cooks to strengthen technical, cultural, and leadership skills.
Create a team culture of accountability, innovation, and continuous improvement.
Collaborate closely with Supply Chain, QA/QC, Marketing, and Operations to ensure seamless alignment of production with business needs.
Food Engineering & Operational Excellence
Design and optimize food processing layouts and workflows to maximize efficiency, safety, and scalability.
Integrate automation and advanced technologies (combi steaming, pressure cooking, sous vide cooking, vacuum, MAP, pasteurization, freezing).
Standardize recipes for high-volume production while maintaining flavor, nutrition and consistency.
Monitor yields, batch performance, and process productivity with data-driven controls.
Supervise protein handling from receiving to finished goods, ensuring portion control, cold chain compliance, yield optimization, and by-product utilization.
Lead HACCP, ISO, and cold chain programs across production, conducting audits, enforcing SOPs, and aligning with export standards.
Ensure hygiene systems and in-store compliance, including dietary and religious requirements (Halal, Kosher, vegetarian), in coordination with the Hygiene & Sanitation Manager.
Innovation, Sustainability & Consumer Trends
Develop and implement waste reduction and sustainability programs for raw, cooked, and packaging materials.
Lead initiatives in energy efficiency, water usage reduction, sustainable sourcing, and eco-friendly packaging/storage solutions.
Partner with NGOs and community partners for food donation initiatives.
Collaborate with relevant stakeholders and suppliers to design scalable savory recipes and detect/respond to consumer trends.
Research and develop plant-based and vegetarian options to meet modern dietary trends.
Integrate health-conscious, functional, and sustainable food solutions.
Stay ahead of global and local food trends (clean label, organic, low-carb, wellness-driven).
Ensure inclusiveness in offerings by addressing Halal, Kosher, Vegan, allergen-free, and other dietary requirements.
Conduct trials and validations for automation, shelf-life extension, and consumer acceptance.
Job Requirement
Education/ Training Qualifications
Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration, Supply Chain, Food Technology, or related field.
Experience
8–10 years of culinary leadership in 5* hotels, banquets, airline catering, or central kitchens.
Strong expertise in savory Vietnamese and Western cuisine, butchery, and large-scale meal (automatized) production.
Experience in recipe scaling, dietary-compliant production (Halal, Kosher, vegetarian).
Proven success in financial management, manpower planning, and operational efficiency.
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