Culinary Manager, Asia (Humanitarian Aid)

World Central Kitchen is seeking a highly skilled Chef, and innovative Manager to lead Culinary Operations on the ground to ensure the service of nourishing, comforting meals to disaster-affected communities.

The ideal candidate is a committed, innovative culinary expert who thrives in fast-paced, ever-changing settings. You should have the ability to adapt quickly and lead teams under pressure. Your role includes:

• Menu Development: Craft culturally appropriate menus that cater to diverse communities.
• Inventory Management: Oversee rotating inventories and ensure efficient resource utilization.
• Cooking at Scale: Prepare meals in low-resource environments to feed large groups.
• Team Building: Train and build locally led response teams for efficient food distribution.
• Rapid Response: Ensure food aid is promptly delivered to communities, aligning with WCK’s values and ethos.
• Bi/Multilingual: leads communication, coordination, and understanding of cultural dietary needs in affected areas.

Duration: The Culinary Manager is a two (2) year contract term position with the opportunity for renewal, offering a unique chance to lead and help shape WCK's responses.

This position reports directly to the Response Director during activations, and the Senior Manager while off activation. 

Preferred Location(s): Asia - Must live within one (1) hour of an international airport.

• Seoul, South Korea
• Singapore, Singapore
• Tokyo, Japan

Key Responsibilities:

Activation Management

• Respond within four (4) hours notice to a disaster area to act as Culinary Manager, managing relief operations on the ground, or in rare cases, remotely.
• Lead and manage field teams specializing in culinary operations. Ensure strategic and streamlined implementation of relief activities on the ground, operationalizing WCK’s North Star values.
• Design and implement response strategies in the field that are adaptable and robust enough to function in high-stress, dynamic environments affected by natural disasters or conflicts.
• Recruit, onboard, train and manage culinary teams, including local hires and Corps members in the field. 
• Consult on the scope of the response, and manage or implement Culinary operations.
• Provide regular updates on operations to the Response Director to ensure ongoing, transparent information sharing across the organization. 
• Collaborate with all WCK departments on the ground, or remotely to support the needs of the activation.  
• Ensure smooth transitions and complete handovers with other Activation Managers, and between Response Corps team members when rotating field teams through phases of the activation.
• Complete the After-Action Report process immediately following activation wind-down, collating and drawing learnings for process improvement.

Culinary Operations 

• Design and manage high-volume production kitchens with locally led chef teams, ensuring the preparation of culturally appropriate meals for affected populations.  
• Direct and oversee multiple modalities of rapid food production, across many kitchens in low-resource, austere environments. 
• Create or advise on rotating menus; prepare order lists informed by local culinary partners, soliciting regular feedback from field teams and guaranteeing that all meals are culturally aligned and served with dignity and respect.
• Manage and liaise with the procurement and logistics team to predict future production capacity and timelines; maintaining daily pull lists, tight inventory, and procurement of fresh, high quality ingredients. 
• Guide and teach WCK culinary teams and vendor partners (restaurants, catering companies, food trucks etc) to adhere to high standards of food safety, temperature, quality, hygiene, and scalability. Ensure all meals are prepared in a timely manner to be ready for distribution teams. 

Budgeting and Logistics

• Work with the finance team and Response Director to share cost projections for culinary operations, focusing on meal production and logistical needs.
• Collaborate with the procurement and logistics team to source materials and supplies efficiently and ensure timely delivery to affected areas.

Personnel Management and Training

• Recruit, train, and motivate diverse culinary teams on activation, ensuring a high-performance culture aligned with WCK’s North Star. 
• Provide leadership, mentorship, training and support to team members, promoting a culture of urgency, accountability, adaptability and continuous learning within the team.
• Address personnel issues on activations in real time, and provide regular performance feedback on Corps members. 
• Support the recruitment of Corps members, and manage personnel effectively on the ground to foster growth and ensure a diverse pipeline of activation leadership.
• Identify professional development needs and gaps in culinary capabilities to arrange for appropriate training, and provide this feedback to relevant stakeholders for implementation.  

Community and Stakeholder Engagement

• Build strong relationships with local communities first. 
• Ensure the teams conduct outreach and engagement activities that contribute to WCK’s reputation as an effective, compassionate, and reliable relief organization.
• Represent WCK in the field, acting as an ambassador to beneficiaries, partners, and the media, as required.

Requirements

• Ability to spend up to 70% of the time in the field. The typical duration of an activation is four (4) weeks, though timelines could be longer. 
• Must live within one (1) hour of an international airport or be willing to relocate. 
• Willingness and ability to travel frequently to remote and potentially hazardous locations within four hours notice.
• Bachelor's degree and/or equivalent is preferred, or 5+ years of experience in management roles, preferably in fast-paced, ever-changing environments, including military, emergency response, culinary, humanitarian, or event management settings.
• Experience leading, training and coaching large teams in challenging and rapidly changing environments. 
• Ability to work independently with minimal infrastructure and resources.
• Willingness to work in challenging environments with austere living conditions. For example, responders may not have  access to running water, communications, or electricity and they may have to sleep outdoors and use bucket toilets.
• Ability to work well with others and take directions to protect yourself and the team.
• Demonstrated negotiation and diplomacy skills in complex and potentially volatile situations.
• Exhibit a calm and composed demeanor during crisis situations, with the capacity to make sound decisions under pressure.
• Be physically fit and have the stamina to work long hours doing physically demanding tasks in varying and potentially extreme climates.
• Strong mental resilience and emotional intelligence to cope with the stressors associated with working in conflict environments.
• Display cultural awareness and sensitivity, recognizing and respecting diverse backgrounds that allow us to positively work with local communities.
• Fluency in English is required; proficiency in additional languages relevant to common disaster or conflict zones is highly desirable (Japanese, Korean, Mandarin Chinese, Tagalog, Vietnamese).
• Must have a valid Driver's License.
• Must have a valid Passport.

By joining us as a Culinary Manager, you will dedicate your professional expertise to make a meaningful difference in the lives of those affected by crises. Your leadership will ensure that our response efforts are prompt, strategic, and compassionate, delivering hope and essential aid at a time when it is needed most.

Application & Cover Letter Instructions
This application REQUIRES a cover letter that clearly articulates your interest in working with World Central Kitchen. We aim to understand your passion for our mission, please elaborate on how your experience aligns with the responsibilities detailed in the job description. Only applications accompanied by a cover letter will be considered for further review. We encourage you to express your genuine voice and avoid using generic cover letters.

References and Background Checks
To help ensure the safety of our communities and our teams, our selection process will include reference and background checks, subject to any legal or regulatory requirements.

Equal Opportunity
WCK is an equal opportunity employer committed to inclusion and diversity and to ensure equal opportunity for all applicants without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, veteran status, or other protected characteristics.

Applicants must be authorized to work for any employer in the country in which they reside. We are unable to sponsor or take over sponsorship of employment at this time.

No recruiters or agencies, please.

Contract Type (If based outside United States or Spain)
We are excited to offer an opportunity for this role in partnership with Pebl as an Employer of Record (EOR). If based outside of the United States or Spain, depending on location, the successful candidate will be contracted by Pebl, which will handle all HR-related processes, including payroll, benefits, and compliance, while the employee will work directly with World Central Kitchen to fulfill the job responsibilities.

As a contractor of Pebl you will receive the benefits and support of a dedicated HR team, ensuring a seamless experience while you contribute to the mission of World Central Kitchen.

Benefits

Salary Range: $85,000 - $95,000 USD and/or equivalent in local currency per year, depends on experience

Why Join Us?

Innovative Environment: Be part of a forward-thinking team that values creativity and innovation.
Global Impact: Your work will have a direct impact on building a diverse and talented global team.
Professional Growth: Opportunities for continuous learning and career development.
Dynamic Team: Work with a supportive and enthusiastic team that values collaboration and fun.

If you are ready to bring your unique talents to a role that is as challenging as it is rewarding, we would love to hear from you. Apply today and let’s build the future of World Central Kitchen together!

WCK is an equal opportunity employer. We celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees.

Join us in being a part of WCK's global talent journey!