Head Chef

Head Chef – Export Frozen Foods & Cloud Kitchen

Location: Goa

Reports To: CEO / Managing Director

Function: Operations – Culinary & Production

Employment Type: Full-time, On-Site

Role Purpose:

The Head Chef will provide strategic and operational culinary leadership for an integrated export-focused frozen foods manufacturing unit and cloud kitchen operation. The role is accountable for product excellence, international compliance, operational efficiency, and scalable execution, ensuring global quality standards while supporting domestic cloud kitchen brands.

Key Accountabilities

1. Export Frozen Foods – Product & Quality Leadership

• Lead development and standardization of export-grade frozen food products (RTE, RTC, IQF, gravies, curries, snacks, meal components).

• Ensure product consistency, shelf life, and performance across blast freezing, IQF, cold storage, and international logistics.

• Align recipes with domestic, international and private label, customer requirements, taste profiles, and regulatory standards.

2. Cloud Kitchen Operations

• Oversee cloud kitchen menu design and execution optimized for online delivery platforms.

• Integrate frozen and semi-processed components to achieve speed, consistency, and cost efficiency.

• Ensure delivery quality, portion control, order accuracy, and turnaround time benchmarks.

3. Compliance & Risk Management

• Ensure adherence to HACCP, BRC, ISO 22000, FSSAI, FDA (US), EU food safety regulations, and customer-specific export standards.

• Maintain audit readiness, traceability, allergen controls, and recall preparedness.

• Lead internal and external audits related to exports and platform quality.

4. Operational Excellence & Cost Control

• Establish SOPs covering production, freezing, packing, storage, and dispatch.

• Drive food cost control, yield optimization, and waste reduction across operations.

• Partner with procurement on ingredient specifications, vendor approvals, and export-grade sourcing.

5. People Leadership

• Build, train, and lead culinary and production teams across frozen foods and cloud kitchen operations.

• Embed a culture of quality discipline, hygiene compliance, and continuous improvement.

Key Skills & Experience

• Proven expertise in export-oriented frozen food manufacturing.

• Strong understanding of IQF, blast freezing, cold chain, and rethermalization processes.

• Hands-on experience managing cloud kitchens or central kitchens.

• Deep knowledge of international food safety standards and audits.

• Strong commercial acumen with focus on scalability and margins. Qualifications

• Degree / Diploma in Culinary Arts, Food Production, or Hotel Management.

• 10–15 years of experience, including senior leadership exposure.

• Prior experience in export-focused frozen foods is a strong advantage.

Success Measures

• Export audit scores and certification compliance

• Shelf life and product consistency benchmarks

• Food cost %, yield, and waste reduction

• Cloud kitchen delivery TAT and quality scores Approval Status:

PS