National Director, Culinary Operations

National Director, Culinary Operations at Legends Global

Legends Global is a premier partner to the world's greatest live events, venues, and brands, delivering fully integrated solutions across feasibility, sales, hospitality, venue management, and more. With a network of 450 venues worldwide, hosting 20,000 events and entertaining 165 million guests annually, Legends Global fosters a culture of respect, ambitious thinking, collaboration, and bold action, committed to building an inclusive workplace where every team member can thrive.

As the National Director, Culinary Operations, you will be instrumental in standardizing culinary Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) to ensure food quality, optimize cost control, enhance speed of service, and drive innovation, all aligned with Executive Leadership objectives.

Essential Duties And Responsibilities

• Coordinate effectively with Regional Executive Chefs/VP Culinary and SVP Culinary to achieve culinary operational excellence and common goals.
• Develop comprehensive SOPs for menu execution, costing, and inventory management.
• Influence operations personnel and enforce culinary standards through respect and credibility.
• Support culinary standards with both operations and finance teams.
• Ensure stringent food safety and sanitation compliance across all venues.
• Support scalable culinary innovation in collaboration with the SVP and VP of Culinary Innovation.
• Work with the VP of Culinary Innovation to develop and maintain standardized recipes for all menu items, ensuring accuracy and timely updates.
• Verify that all prepared food products consistently meet established specifications and quality standards.
• Ensure full utilization and adherence to Legends Global purchasing standards and approved vendors.

New Business Transition Readiness

• Lead the culinary onboarding process during new business transitions.
• Identify and set up vendors in alignment with Legends Global Standards and in conjunction with Culinary and Purchasing leaders.
• Deploy standardized menus, costing tools, and inventory management systems.
• Train and implement the Back-of-House (BOH) inventory system (Yellow Dog).
• Contribute to the ongoing development and implementation of Legends Culinary Programs, Build Sheets, and Specifications.
• Ensure full compliance and effectiveness of the HACCP (Food Safety) program.

Qualifications

To succeed in this role, individuals must demonstrate energy and enthusiasm in performing essential duties. The ideal candidate will possess the following knowledge, skills, and abilities:

Education And/Or Experience

• Bachelor’s degree preferred.
• 5+ years in a leadership role within sports & entertainment, theme parks, large hotels, or multi-unit QSR environments.

Skills And Abilities

• Proven experience in scaling standardized operating models across multiple locations.
• Strong change management and cross-functional leadership skills.
• Experience in managing multi-unit culinary operations.
• Excellent supervisory, leadership, hands-on management, and coaching abilities.
• Proficient written and verbal managerial communication and customer service skills.
• Comprehensive knowledge of kitchen sanitation, operation, and maintenance of kitchen equipment.
• Detail-oriented, highly organized, and capable of quickly learning new programs and procedures.
• Flexibility to travel up to 50% to units in various states and work extended hours, including nights, weekends, and holidays, due to business requirements.
• ServSafe Certification is required.
• Compassionate, consistent, and fair approach to employee and company needs.
• Strong written, verbal communication, and interpersonal skills.
• Ability to work independently, prioritize, and multi-task effectively.
• Willingness to contribute hands-on support to team members and venues as needed to maintain business operations.

Working Conditions & Compensation

This is a remote position with travel expected up to 50% of the year, particularly during new business transitions, venue openings, and major operational initiatives. Relocation is not required. Compensation includes a competitive salary range of $140,000 - $150,000 plus bonus potential, commensurate with experience, and a generous benefits package.

Key skills/competency

• Culinary Operations Management
• Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) Development
• Food Quality Control
• Cost Control
• Inventory Management
• Food Safety (HACCP, ServSafe)
• Multi-Unit Management
• Recipe Development
• Vendor Management
• Change Management