Healthcare Executive Chef

About the Role

We are seeking an experienced Executive Chef to lead culinary operations at a large acute care hospital in Washington, DC. This leadership position oversees patient dining, retail food service, and catering while driving food quality, operational excellence, food safety, and team development across a high-volume healthcare environment.

The ideal candidate has a strong background in healthcare or other large institutional foodservice operations and enjoys leading teams, improving processes, and delivering exceptional dining experiences.

Key Responsibilities

• Direct daily culinary operations for patient dining, retail, and catering services.
• Lead menu planning, production, purchasing, inventory management, and food quality initiatives.
• Standardize culinary systems, recipes, production processes, puree standards, and presentation guidelines.
• Ensure compliance with HACCP, food safety, sanitation, quality assurance, SoSafe, EcoSure, and applicable regulatory standards.
• Manage kitchen staffing, scheduling, training, performance, and annual food and safety education.
• Supervise and develop a leadership team, including multiple salaried managers.
• Drive operational improvements, sustainability initiatives, and cost management.
• Monitor audits, implement new menu rollouts, and maintain consistent culinary standards.
• Build strong partnerships with hospital leadership and clients to support outstanding service and patient satisfaction.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree or equivalent professional experience.
• Minimum 5 years of foodservice management experience.
• Minimum 3 years of culinary leadership experience.
• Experience leading culinary operations in a high-volume healthcare, hospital, senior living, or university dining environment.
• Experience supervising 5 or more salaried managers.
• Strong knowledge of food safety, HACCP, sanitation, inventory management, purchasing, and production planning.
• Excellent leadership, communication, organizational, and problem-solving skills.
• Proficiency with standard computer applications.

Preferred Qualifications

• Acute care hospital foodservice leadership experience.
• Experience working in a unionized environment.
• Knowledge of patient meal services, clinical food safety standards, puree standardization, and healthcare compliance programs.
• Experience managing financial performance, labor, and operational budgets.

Benefits

• Competitive salary
• $10,000 sign-on bonus
• Relocation assistance
• Career growth opportunities
• Comprehensive benefits package
• Opportunity to lead culinary operations at a nationally recognized healthcare facility

If you have a passion for culinary leadership, operational excellence, and delivering high-quality foodservice in a healthcare setting, we encourage you to apply.