Production Head Chef (Culinary Operations Lead)
Sydney – Botany NSW
$100,000–$130,000 + Super + Performance Bonus (up to $50,000 OTE)
Fresh Meal Manufacturing | Full-Time | Leadership + Real Upside
About the Company
We're one of Australia's fastest-growing fresh-meal companies, producing premium ready meals for customers across the country.
We're scaling fast — bigger production, new systems, better tech — and we're looking for someone who can take full ownership of the kitchen and build it for the next stage.
What Needs to Be Achieved (Mandatory)
These are the non-negotiables. Your performance — and your bonus — are tied directly to how well you deliver them.
1. Control quality to current level (no variances)
2. Build process, systems, and SOPs to scale from 15 k → 50 k units per week
3. Standardise everything
4. Extend shelf life from 1 week → 3 weeks
5. Launch winning products
6. Componentisation / Batch cooking
7. Reduce wage and ingredient cost per unit
8. Improve existing lines
9. Improve other lines ready to scale
Day to Day
Your first job every day is simple: make sure prep is 100 % right — every batch, every time.
Once that's tight, you'll move straight into the objectives above: system-building, scaling, cost-cutting, and line improvement.
You'll be leading a hands-on team, driving results through data, discipline, and training — not talk.
What We Need
• Proven experience running large-scale food production (central kitchen, airline catering, or meal-prep operation)
• Leadership under pressure — you've run real teams, real volume, real accountability
• Mastery of yield, cost control, and batch scheduling
• Deep knowledge of cook-chill, sous-vide, and component-based production
• Strong understanding of food safety and HACCP — you know the standards and you enforce them
• Goal-oriented, growth-driven, and obsessed with results
What We Offer
• Base: $100 k–$130 k + super (depending on experience)
• Bonus: Up to $50 k per year (≈ $15 k per quarter) — the more you deliver on targets, the more you earn
• Schedule: We'll work together to build a schedule that works — balanced, stable, and built around production readiness
• Authority: A blank canvas — you'll shape menus, systems, and process improvements as we grow
• Career Ceiling: This is a path to the top — prove it and you move toward Head of Culinary Operations / National Production Director
• Support: Established facility, strong team, and leadership that backs you if you can deliver
• Paid Trials: 4-hour on-site test + 7-day pilot — paid and performance-based
Who We're After
Hungry operators who want to leave their mark on the industry.
People who can walk into a system, tighten it, scale it, and make it profitable.
If you've already done this before and want to build something real — not just another kitchen — this is the seat.
How to Apply
Apply through SEEK with a short summary and proof of delivery on the core objectives above:
1. An example of how you've maintained or improved quality at scale (no variances).
2. A brief outline of a process or system you built that helped scale output or reduce errors.
3. One example of shelf-life or yield improvement you've personally delivered.
4. A case where you cut labour or ingredient CPU without hurting quality.
5. Any example of a product line you helped improve or scale successfully.
Short-listed candidates will complete a paid 4-hour trial, then a *7–10 day pilot* to prove fit and execution.
Work Rights
Full Australian work rights required.
Exceptional international candidates may be considered for Subclass 482 sponsorship.
Quick Summary (for SEEK preview)
Production Head Chef (Culinary Ops Lead) – Sydney Botany
$100 – 130 k + super + up to $50 k bonus based on performance.
Lead and scale a ready-meal kitchen from 15 k → 50 k units per week.
Own quality, systems, cost, and growth with full authority and real upside.