Corporate Chef, Restaurant Associates Canada

The salary range for this position is $115,000 to $130,000. Final compensation will be determined based on relevant skills, experience, qualifications, and internal equity. In addition to base salary, eligible employees may be entitled to other elements of total compensation, which may include group benefits, employer RRSP contributions, and discretionary bonus or incentive programs, where applicable to the role. We are committed to offering competitive compensation and comply with all applicable pay transparency legislation. Further details regarding our total rewards program will be shared by the Talent Acquisition team during the hiring process. Canadian work experience is not a requirement for this role. Please note that artificial intelligence–based tools may be used at certain stages of the recruitment and applicant screening process.

This is a posting for an existing vacancy.

The Corporate Chef provides national culinary leadership for Restaurant Associates Canada, translating RA’s premium hospitality vision into memorable, consistent and commercially successful dining experiences. The role leads culinary strategy across workplace dining, executive hospitality, catering, events and venues, while developing chefs, strengthening operations and partnering across the Envision Group and Compass Group Canada.

The successful candidate embeds hospitality into everything they do by connecting with teams and clients, anticipating needs, respecting people and the planet, and exceeding expectations. Through chef-inspired cuisine, personalized service and thoughtful care, this role helps fuel client success and strengthen the RA brand.

Now, if you were to come on board as one of our Corporate Chefs, we’d ask you to do the following for us:  

Culinary strategy and standards  

• Set and communicate the national culinary direction for RA Canada, ensuring food and hospitality experiences reflect premium quality, seasonality, local sourcing, sustainability and diverse guest preferences. 
• Establish and maintain standards for menu quality, flavour, presentation, portioning, service, consistency and execution across the portfolio. 
• Develop, test, cost and govern scalable menus, recipes, promotions, culinary concepts and operating playbooks that balance guest experience, creativity, labour, food cost and profitability. 
• Use guest feedback, client priorities, market trends and operational insight to identify opportunities for continuous improvement and relevant innovation. 

Operations, performance and growth  

• Partner with Operations and unit leaders to improve guest satisfaction, client retention, food and labour cost awareness, purchasing compliance, waste reduction and overall account performance. 
• Create a disciplined culinary operating rhythm that includes menu reviews, field assessments, performance reporting, action plans, ownership and follow-through. 
• Support mobilizations, new openings, account recoveries and major activations by ensuring culinary readiness, procurement alignment, inventory and production controls, training and stabilization. 
• Lead culinary contributions to RFPs, tastings, client presentations, retention strategies, executive dining and strategic hospitality events. 

People leadership and capability building  

• Coach and develop Executive Chefs, Regional Chefs and unit culinary leaders through field support, structured training, succession planning and the sharing of best practices. 
• Build a strong, inclusive culinary culture where people feel safe to share, listen, learn, experiment and perform at their best. 
• Identify talent, strengthen bench depth and create clear development pathways for culinary leaders across RA Canada. 

Partnership and governance  

• Act as the senior culinary liaison among RA leadership, clients, Envision partners, Foodbuy, suppliers, Marketing, Growth and Retention, HSQA, Finance and culinary teams. 
• Advance adoption of approved culinary systems, menu-management tools, recipes, SOPs, reporting practices and compliance processes. 
• Champion Compass HSQA, HACCP, allergen management, sanitation, workplace safety, food quality and audit readiness across the sector. 
• Maintain a visible field presence and communicate clearly, promptly and respectfully with stakeholders at every level. 

Think you have what it takes to be our Corporate Chef? We’re committed to hiring the best talent for the role. Here’s how we’ll know you’ll be successful in the role. 

• Post-secondary culinary education, Culinary Arts Diploma or equivalent professional training. Interprovincial Red Seal certification is preferred and may be required based on the final posting requirements. 
• Progressive senior culinary leadership experience in premium workplace hospitality, restaurants, hotels, catering, executive dining or multi-unit foodservice. 
• Demonstrated success leading menu development, premium catering, high-volume production, culinary innovation, new openings and client-facing presentations. 
• Strong financial and commercial acumen, including menu costing, food and labour cost awareness, forecasting, purchasing, waste control and operational budgeting. 
• Working knowledge of food safety, HACCP, allergen controls, occupational health and safety, sanitation and quality-assurance practices. 
• Exceptional leadership, coaching, collaboration and communication skills, with the ability to influence across operations and cross-functional teams. 
• Comfort working independently, managing competing priorities and delivering to deadlines in a fast-paced, national environment. 
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office and the ability to learn enterprise culinary, compliance and reporting platforms.