Role Purpose
The Chef Manager – Culinary Solutions & Bid Excellence plays a critical role in driving business growth by designing commercially viable, brand-aligned culinary solutions for new business bids, and ensuring seamless execution post-award.
This role bridges culinary innovation, financial acumen, and operational delivery—ensuring that every concept is cost-effective, scalable, and delivers both client satisfaction and sustainable profitability.
Key Responsibilities:
1. Bid & Solution Development
- Partner with Business Development, Marketing and Operations teams to develop winning food concepts for tenders and pitches
- Translate client needs into innovative, relevant, and executable menus and service models
- Build detailed costing models (food cost, labor, equipment, logistics) to ensure competitive yet profitable bids
- Ensure all proposals align with company food strategy, brand standards, and category positioning
- Contribute to pitch presentations, tastings, and client engagements where required
2. Commercial & Financial Ownership
- Own and validate food cost structures, ensuring margin targets are met or exceeded
- Identify opportunities for cost optimization without compromising quality or brand integrity
- Work closely with procurement and supply chain to ensure accurate pricing assumptions and sourcing strategies
- Support scenario planning and sensitivity analysis for bids
3. Mobilization & Implementation
- Lead or support the end-to-end mobilization of new contracts from a culinary standpoint
- Ensure all approved concepts are translated into clear SOPs, recipes, and training materials
- Work with operations teams to ensure smooth launch execution, including kitchen setup, menu rollout, and staff readiness
- Act as a key bridge between design (bid phase) and delivery (operations)
4. Operational Performance & Profitability
- Monitor post-launch performance to ensure financial targets, food quality, and client expectations are met
- Conduct periodic reviews and implement corrective actions where needed
- Support sites in optimizing menus and processes to drive efficiency and profitability
5. Brand & Culinary Excellence
- Uphold and evolve the company's food brand standards and culinary identity
- Ensure consistency across new implementations while allowing for local relevance and client customization
- Drive innovation in menu design, sustainability, and customer experience
Key Stakeholders
- Business Development / Sales
- Commercial & Finance Teams
- Procurement & Supply Chain
- Operations & Site Teams
- Marketing / Brand
Ideal Candidate Profile Experience
- 8–12 years in culinary leadership roles, preferably within contract catering, hospitality groups, or large-scale food service
- Proven experience in menu engineering, costing, and multi-site operations
- Experience supporting tenders, bids, or new business acquisition is highly preferred
Skills & Competencies
- Strong commercial and financial acumen (comfortable with costing, margins, and P&L impact)
- Ability to balance creativity with practicality and scalability
- Strong stakeholder management and cross-functional collaboration
- High attention to detail with a solution-oriented mindset
- Ability to thrive in a fast-paced, deadline-driven environment
Success Measures
- Quality and accuracy of culinary contribution in bids
- Accuracy and robustness of costing models
- Successful and timely mobilization of new contracts
- Post-launch profitability vs. bid assumptions
- Client satisfaction and brand alignment
