Kitchen Manager (Culinary Manager)

Reports to: General Manager

Direct reports: Cooks, dietary aides, servers and assigned culinary staff

Position Summary

Leads culinary operations to deliver safe, nutritious and enjoyable dining experiences while maintaining team performance and financial discipline.

Key Responsibilities

Food service and resident experience

 Lead preparation and delivery of nutritious, appealing meals and snacks consistent with resident preferences and documented dietary requirements.

 Maintain menus, recipes, portion standards, food presentation and reliable dining service.

 Gather resident feedback and respond to service concerns in partnership with the GM and care team.

Food safety and compliance

 Ensure protected receiving, storage, preparation, holding, service and disposal of food in accordance with public health requirements.

 Maintain sanitation, temperature, cleaning, allergen and other required food safety records.

 Ensure only authorized, appropriately trained and equipped personnel access food preparation areas.

 Coordinate inspections, corrective actions, equipment maintenance and emergency food service plans.

Staffing and leadership

 Build master schedules and daily routines, assign work, manage coverage and minimize unnecessary overtime and agency use.

 Hire, orient, train, coach and evaluate culinary employees, including safe food handling practices.

 Maintain respectful service standards and clear communication between kitchen and dining teams.

Budget and inventory

 Manage food,



labour and supply costs within approved budgets without compromising required service quality.

 Control ordering, inventory rotation, waste, vendor deliveries and invoice accuracy.

 Report meal satisfaction, food cost, labour hours, waste, incidents and improvement actions to the GM.

Qualifications and Competencies

 Relevant culinary or food-service leadership experience and food-handler certification as required by applicable rules.

 Strong knowledge of safe food handling, menu planning, dietary coordination, scheduling and cost control.

 Strong communication, integrity, planning, problem-solving, coaching, delegation and commitment to resident dignity and inclusion.

Performance and Reporting

Resident dining satisfaction; food safety audit results; food and labour budget variance; food waste; menu execution; service reliability.

Maintain accurate records and provide routine updates, exceptions and action plans to the reporting leader. Targets and reporting cadence are set by the organisation and may change with operational needs.

General Requirements

Follow applicable legislation, Company policies, confidentiality requirements, occupational health and safety procedures, infection prevention practices, fire and emergency procedures, and assigned training. Report incidents and unsafe conditions promptly. Perform other reasonable duties consistent with the role.

Job Type: Full-time

Pay: $50,000.00-$70,000.00 per year

Experience

- Culinary or food-service leadership: 1 year (preferred)

Work Location: In person

📌 Kitchen Manager (Culinary Manager) (Ottawa)
🏢 FirstLight Home Care
📍 Ottawa