Head of Food Services Jobs
Head of Food Services jobs are open across healthcare, education, hospitality, and corporate dining, from operations manager to senior director level, with specializations in menu development, food safety compliance, and large-scale catering. See the openings below and apply to the ones that match your experience.
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Austin, Texas, USA | US$80,000–$100,000 + relocation assistance + E-3 visa support
Take your culinary career to the USA 🇦🇺 🇺🇸 Experienced Australian chefs, your next chapter could be in Austin, Texas.
Are you a hands-on chef who loves creating exceptional food, leading a kitchen and bringing new ideas to life? Ready for an international move that gives you the opportunity to make a genuine impact?
Citizens Rec is looking for an experienced Head Chef / Executive Chef to join our growing team in Austin, Texas, with opportunities to support our New York locations as we continue to grow.
Founded by two Australians who wanted to bring the café and pub culture they loved back home to the US, Citizens has evolved into Citizens Rec: a modern Australian café and elevated neighbourhood pub. We bring together specialty coffee, scratch-made café favourites, elevated pub classics and globally inspired flavours in a welcoming, playful environment where food and community come together.
We're looking for a chef who shares that philosophy, someone who loves cooking, takes pride in their craft and wants to help shape what comes next.
What's on offer?
- Salary: US$80,000–$100,000 per year, depending on experience, with flexibility for exceptional candidates with broader leadership responsibilities.
- Relocation assistance
- E-3 visa support: Available for eligible Australian citizens, subject to visa requirements and approval.
- International career opportunity: Relocate to Austin, Texas, and gain experience supporting our New York restaurants.
- Creative ownership: Contribute to menu development, seasonal specials and new dish creation.
- A hands-on leadership role: Lead from the kitchen, not from behind a desk.
The opportunity
This is a role for a chef who wants to stay close to the food while taking ownership of kitchen performance, people development and culinary direction.
You'll lead daily service, develop dishes from concept to plate, build a strong kitchen team and ensure our food consistently reflects the Citizens Rec philosophy: real food, made here.
You'll also have the opportunity to help evolve our menus, introduce fresh ideas and support consistent culinary standards across Austin and New York.
What you'll be doing
Lead from the kitchen
- Take an active, hands-on role during service, maintaining food quality, consistency, speed and presentation.
- Set the standard for preparation, organisation, cleanliness and kitchen execution.
- Lead, coach and develop your team while creating a positive, accountable kitchen culture.
- Work closely with restaurant management to deliver a smooth, high-performing operation.
Create food worth coming back for
- Develop, test and refine seasonal dishes, daily specials and menu updates.
- Write recipes, standardise portions and specifications, and cost new dishes accurately.
- Bring modern Australian café culture and elevated pub classics to life through fresh ingredients and globally inspired flavours.
- Balance creativity with commercial performance, consistency and the realities of busy restaurant service.
Own kitchen performance
- Manage food costs, purchasing, inventory, waste and stock control.
- Build effective supplier relationships and maintain high ingredient standards.
- Establish practical kitchen systems, procedures and preparation plans.
- Use reporting tools, including Restaurant365, to monitor performance and support informed decisions.
Help shape a growing brand
- Work with leadership to roll out menus and culinary standards across locations.
- Support and develop kitchen leaders and team members across Austin and New York, including travel as required.
- Contribute ideas that strengthen our food offering while preserving the character and quality of the brand.
What we're looking for
We're interested in chefs who have developed their skills through real kitchen experience and are ready for their next challenge.
You'll ideally bring:
- Around 5–8 years of professional kitchen experience, including 2–3 years leading a busy, scratch-cooking kitchen.
- Proven experience leading high-volume restaurant service while maintaining quality and consistency.
- A genuine passion for cooking from scratch and working with quality ingredients.
- Demonstrated involvement in menu development, recipe writing, dish testing and food costing.
- Strong commercial understanding of food costs, purchasing, stock control and waste management.
- The ability to train, motivate and retain a kitchen team.
- A practical, hands-on leadership style and the confidence to lead by example.
- Strong organisational skills and the ability to balance culinary creativity with operational discipline.
Experience across café, brunch, modern Australian, contemporary pub or globally inspired menus would be particularly relevant.
Experience with Restaurant365 is advantageous.
Must possess a Bachelor's degree in Culinary Arts, Hospitality Management, or a related field; OR equivalent extensive, high-level professional kitchen management experience (12+ years) to meet US E-3 specialty occupation standards.
Most importantly, you're a chef who cares about the details, takes pride in what leaves the pass and enjoys helping a team get better.
Why Citizens Rec?
We believe great hospitality is about more than serving a meal. It's about creating places where people feel welcome, connect with their neighbourhood and want to return.
Our food philosophy centres on thoughtful, scratch-made cooking, quality ingredients and a fresh interpretation of Australian café and pub culture. From breakfast and specialty coffee through to elevated pub classics, dinner and drinks, we want our kitchens to deliver food with character.
You'll be joining a brand built by Australians, with the opportunity to bring your own experience and ideas to a growing business operating across Texas and New York.
If you're ready to take on a new market, develop your leadership and make a meaningful contribution to a growing hospitality brand, we'd love to hear from you.
Ready for your next adventure?
Location: Austin, Texas, USA, with travel to New York as required
Salary: US$80,000–$100,000 per year, depending on experience
Visa: E-3 visa support available for eligible Australian citizens
To apply, please submit your CV and a brief introduction outlining your kitchen leadership experience, menu development background and interest in relocating to the United States.
Bring your experience. Bring your ideas. Help us bring a little more Australia to America.
Head of Food Services Jobs by Experience Level
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Find Head of Food Services JobsHead of Food Services Job Market
Who's Hiring
- Wolfoods158
- Cavender's61
- Lowe's Home Improvement55
- Broward County Public Schools49
- Orangetheory Fitness43
Top Industries Hiring
- Education128
- Banking & Financial Services37
- Technology & Software30
- Healthcare & Medical Services30
- Biotechnology & Pharmaceuticals18
What Employers Look For
The qualifications that appear most often in head of food services jobs.
- Five or more years of progressive food service management or operations experience
- Demonstrated experience managing large teams and high-volume kitchen or dining operations
- Active ServSafe Manager certification or equivalent food safety credential
- Proven ability to develop menus, control food costs, and manage vendor relationships
- Experience with institutional or contract food service environments such as healthcare, education, or corporate
- Bachelor's degree in food service management, nutrition, hospitality management, or a related field
Tips for Your Head of Food Services Job Search
Quantify cost savings and food waste reductions
Hiring managers for food services leadership roles want to see numbers. Rewrite your resume bullets to include food cost percentages you managed, budget sizes you oversaw, and measurable reductions in waste or vendor spend you delivered.
Get your ServSafe Manager certification current
Many postings require an active ServSafe Manager certification, not just familiarity with food safety protocols. If yours has lapsed or you don't have one, renew or earn it before applying so you clear the automatic screening filters.
Apply early to roles that fit
Migrate Mate lists head of food services openings from across the United States in one place, so you can find roles that match and apply directly to each listing.
Target postings by service setting not just title
A head of food services role in a hospital system looks very different from one at a university or a corporate campus. Filter your search by industry segment so your application speaks directly to the regulatory environment, volume, and population that employer serves.
Prepare a scenario answer for a budget crisis
Interviewers for food services leadership roles almost always ask how you handled a sudden budget cut or commodity price spike. Prepare a specific story that walks through the problem, your decision process, and the financial outcome you achieved.
Negotiate start date around seasonal peak periods
Food services operations run on predictable cycles like back-to-school, fiscal year-end, and contract renewal seasons. Knowing when your prospective employer's busiest period starts lets you negotiate a start date that gives you enough ramp time before the pressure peaks.
Head of Food Services Jobs: Frequently Asked Questions
Which companies are hiring the most head of food servicess?
The most active employers for head of food servicess right now are Wolfoods, Cavender's, and Lowe's Home Improvement, and the most openings are in California, New York, and Florida, based on current listings on Migrate Mate as of November 2026. Contract food service management companies and large health systems tend to post these roles most frequently.
How many head of food services jobs are remote?
About 45% of head of food services openings are fully remote or hybrid as of November 2026, reflecting the hands-on nature of most roles in this field. Administrative functions like menu planning, vendor negotiations, and compliance reporting are the sub-areas most likely to allow remote flexibility within otherwise on-site positions.
How do you become a head of food services?
Start by building several years of supervisory experience in a high-volume food service setting such as a hospital cafeteria, university dining hall, or large corporate campus. Earn a food safety certification and, if possible, a degree in hospitality management or a related field. Progress through roles like food service supervisor and food service manager to build the budget oversight and team leadership experience that head-level positions require.
Can you get hired as a head of food services with little experience?
Candidates with limited experience can get traction by targeting smaller operations, such as a single-site corporate cafeteria or a small school district, where the scope is more manageable. Demonstrating hands-on kitchen and scheduling experience, a current food safety certification, and clear examples of cost or efficiency improvements can offset a shorter resume when applying to entry-level director roles.
What does the head of food services interview process look like?
The process typically begins with a phone screen from HR, followed by a panel interview with operations leadership and sometimes a facilities or finance representative. Candidates are often asked to present a sample operational plan or walk through a past budget challenge. Final-round interviews may include a site tour and a conversation with the executive to whom the role reports.
Where can I find and apply to head of food services jobs?
You can find and apply to head of food services jobs on Migrate Mate, which lists current openings from across the United States. Search for roles that match your experience level and industry background, then apply directly to each listing that fits.
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