Galilee Culinary Institute – Head Chef

About us:

Galilee Culinary Institute by the Jewish National Fund is a one-of-a-kind culinary institution that combines culinary education, tourism, marketing, public relations, business and operations management, partnership and fundraising as well as restaurant operations expertise, and entrepreneurship. Based in the heart of Israel's Galilee, in Kibbutz Gonen a mountainous region and micro-climate where fertile lands, mountains, and rivers create an unparalleled location for a thriving agricultural region, GCI is a total-immersion culinary institution with a goal of population growth and narrative change for the area.

Position Summary:

The Head Chef is the lead culinarian, responsible for all experiential activities related to the culinary experience, as well as operational activities such as procurement, scheduling, hiring, and proper resourcing of classrooms and kitchens. The Head Chef supervises all culinary faculty and relevant staff and fosters the relationships and practices, internal and external, that create and embrace the school's culture and core values of Discover, Engage and Create. The Head Chef is also a liaison between the institute, restaurant, tourism and all related business operations and relevant external partners, facilitating an integrated experience across the GCI for students.

Key Responsibilities:

• Responsible for all culinary aspects of the institute including educational initiatives,training, and curricula for each individual program, including hybrid educational opportunities

• Major educator of students via lectures, experiences, classes and tourism programming

• Oversees culinary implementation for all GCI programs: flagship, tourist, enthusiast and professional development

• Recruitment and management/supervision of culinary faculty and staff

• Establishes and maintains the philosophy and culture of the Institute to support its core values

• Develops, implements and oversees methods, evaluation, assessments, and competencies of courses and faculty, ensuring that all programs meet their objectives,

GCI core values, and the requirements of any relevant external entities

• Creates annual budgets, food cost control and monthly reporting system

• Coordination of all culinary learning experiences

• Works closely with all other departments to support marketing, partnerships, business development and financial objectives

• Any other tasks directed by Management

• This is a full-time position on site

Qualifications:

• Culinary industry experience to include aspects of the following:

o Previous teaching/training

o Employment in a variety of professional kitchens with demonstrated capacities from entry-level to management

o R&D for innovative recipes/menu plans, product development, etc.

• Proven experience as a Kitchen Manager in a fine dining restaurant or luxury hotel

• 5+ years of management experience

• Bachelor's degree preferred

• Excellent interpersonal and leadership skills.

• Highly organized, details-oriented and disciplined.

• Ability to work under pressure and multitask effectively.

• Solid business understanding and budget management skills.

• Knowledge of food safety, sanitation and hygiene regulation.

• Creativity, initiative and passion for gastronomy.

• Bilingual English/Hebrew required

• This is a full-time position on site (not hybrid)