About this opportunity
Experience Senior Living LLC. lists this Vice President, Culinary opportunity in denver, Colorado. Review the employer’s description below for duties, qualifications and application requirements.
Job description
Position Overview
The Vice President, Culinary is responsible for leading the culinary vision, strategy, and execution across Experience Senior Living's portfolio of senior living communities. This role sets the standard for an exceptional, hospitality-driven dining experience while ensuring culinary operations are scalable, financially responsible, operationally consistent, and aligned with the needs and preferences of residents. Position Overview
The Vice President, Culinary is responsible for leading the culinary vision, strategy, and execution across Experience Senior Living's portfolio of senior living communities. This role sets the standard for an exceptional, hospitality-driven dining experience while ensuring culinary operations are scalable, financially responsible, operationally consistent, and aligned with the needs and preferences of residents.
The Vice President, Culinary will provide strategic and functional leadership to community culinary teams and divisional culinary resources. This individual will establish companywide standards, develop culinary talent, drive menu and concept innovation, optimize food and labor costs, and partner closely with Operations, Health & Wellness, Development, and other functional leaders to continually elevate the resident dining experience.
The ideal candidate combines a passion for food and hospitality with strong business and operational leadership. They are equally comfortable developing a culinary vision, coaching senior culinary leaders, evaluating community performance, and using financial and operational data to drive improvement.
Key Responsibilities
Culinary Strategy & Resident Experience
Develop and lead the organization's culinary and dining strategy, ensuring alignment with Experience Senior Living's brands, hospitality philosophy, and resident experience standards
Establish a differentiated culinary vision that reflects resident preferences, evolving dining trends, and the expectations of a high-quality senior living experience
Create and maintain companywide culinary standards while allowing appropriate flexibility for local markets, resident preferences, and community needs
Drive continuous innovation across menus, dining venues, service models, special events, and culinary programming
Regularly evaluate the resident dining experience and identify opportunities to improve food quality, presentation, variety, service, and overall satisfaction
Partner with community and operational leadership to respond to resident feedback and develop sustainable solutions to dining-related opportunities
Operational & Financial Leadership
Provide strategic oversight of culinary operations across the portfolio, including food production, dining services, staffing models, purchasing, inventory, sanitation, and kitchen operations
Establish and monitor key culinary performance indicators related to food cost, labor, resident satisfaction, quality, productivity, and operational execution
Partner with community and divisional leadership to develop annual culinary budgets and ensure performance against established financial targets
Identify opportunities to improve purchasing, food utilization, inventory management, labor efficiency, and overall culinary profitability without compromising quality or resident experience
Lead initiatives to standardize and streamline culinary processes, systems, tools, and operating procedures across the portfolio
Evaluate community culinary performance and develop action plans for locations requiring additional operational support or improvement
Menu Development & Culinary Innovation
Provide leadership and direction for menu development, recipe standards, seasonal offerings, and culinary programming across all levels of care
Ensure menus provide variety, quality, nutritional balance, appropriate choice, and an elevated dining experience
Partner with Health & Wellness leadership to ensure culinary programs appropriately support residents with specialized dietary, nutritional, or clinical needs
Maintain awareness of hospitality, restaurant, foodservice, and senior living dining trends and identify opportunities to incorporate relevant innovations into the organization
Support the development of new dining concepts, venues, and service offerings as the portfolio evolves
Talent & Team Development
Build a strong culinary leadership pipeline across the organization through coaching, development, succession planning, and performance management
Partner with People and Operations teams to attract, develop, engage, and retain high-performing culinary talent
Provide mentorship and functional leadership to Executive Chefs, Culinary Directors, divisional culinary leaders, and other culinary team members
Identify training and development needs and create programs that strengthen culinary execution, leadership capability, hospitality, and operational knowledge
Foster a culture of accountability, collaboration, creativity, hospitality, and continuous improvement
Vendor & Supply Chain Management
Provide strategic oversight of food, beverage, equipment, and culinary vendor relationships
Partner with procurement and operational leaders to negotiate and manage vendor programs that balance quality, availability, consistency, and cost
Evaluate product specifications, purchasing practices, and supplier performance to identify opportunities for improved quality and financial efficiency
Support communities in addressing significant vendor, supply chain, or product availability challenges
New Development & Community Openings
Serve as the culinary subject matter expert for new developments, acquisitions, renovations, and community openings
Partner with Development, Design, Operations, and other stakeholders on kitchen design, dining venue concepts, equipment selection, workflows, and operational functionality
Develop culinary opening plans, including staffing, training, menu development, vendor setup, operating standards, and readiness assessments
Support pre-opening and post-opening activities to ensure new communities successfully launch the intended culinary and dining experience
Quality, Safety & Compliance
Establish and maintain standards for food safety, sanitation, kitchen cleanliness, regulatory compliance, and culinary risk management
Ensure culinary operations comply with applicable federal, state, and local foodservice and senior living requirements
Develop audit and quality assurance processes to evaluate adherence to culinary and food safety standards
Partner with Operations and Health & Wellness leadership to address identified compliance, safety, or quality concerns
Requirements
Qualifications
Bachelor's degree in Culinary Arts, Hospitality Management, Foodservice Management, Business, or a related field preferred; equivalent combination of education and relevant experience considered
10+ years of progressive culinary, hospitality, or foodservice leadership experience, including significant multi-site leadership responsibility
Senior living, hospitality, restaurant, resort, healthcare, or other service-intensive multi-unit experience strongly preferred
Demonstrated success developing and executing culinary strategy across multiple locations or markets
Strong understanding of food and labor cost management, budgeting, purchasing, inventory management, and operational performance
Proven ability to build, lead, coach, and develop high-performing culinary leaders and teams
Experience with new openings, culinary concept development, or large-scale operational implementation strongly preferred
Strong knowledge of food safety, sanitation, and applicable regulatory requirements
Ability and willingness to travel regularly to communities across the Experience Senior Living portfolio
Leadership Attributes
Hospitality-driven leader with a genuine passion for creating exceptional resident experiences
Strategic thinker who can translate a culinary vision into scalable operating practices
Collaborative leader who builds strong relationships across Operations, Health & Wellness, People, Development, and community teams
Hands-on and approachable, with the ability to engage effectively from the executive level to the community kitchen
Financially disciplined and comfortable holding teams accountable to operational and business objectives
Innovative and curious, with a strong awareness of evolving culinary and hospitality trends
Skilled at leading through growth and change while creating consistency across a geographically dispersed portfolio
Benefits
We offer a full benefits package that includes medical, dental, vision, STD/LTD, life and voluntary life, 401k with employer matching, paid holidays, and up to 20 days PTO in the first three years. Application Deadline
We anticipate reviewing applications through November 27th, 2026. Compensation
Compensation: $175,000 - $200,000 annual salary, 30% annual bonus target #J-18808-Ljbffr
Worksite address
denver, CO, 80285, US
Who can apply
Review the original listing for work authorization, qualifications and employer requirements.