Manager Culinary Standards

Job Overview

This role is responsible for overseeing and managing Etihad Airways' culinary and design program, ensuring uniformity and excellence across the airline's food and beverage offerings. The position demands maintaining menu consistency, managing specifications, budgets, timelines, and deliverables throughout the network. The Manager also leads station catering tender inputs and supplier selections, guaranteeing alignment with sector trends and requirements, and upholds Etihad's commitment to outstanding guest catering service through managing a team of menu specification managers.

Key Responsibilities

• Establish, update, and disseminate menu planning frameworks, schedules, and detailed requirements for all routes and meal services, maintaining consistent Food and Beverage (F&B) offerings network-wide while adhering to development timelines and budgets.
• Lead and manage Menu Specification Managers to ensure adherence to style, standards, and budgetary guidelines and champion continuous quality improvement initiatives for Etihad’s F&B offering.
• Convert Etihad’s food and beverage vision, style, and standards into practical, actionable documentation, processes, and procedures to guarantee a coherent style and timely delivery fleet-wide.
• Monitor global product quality performance related to F&B delivery, producing detailed reports for colleagues and senior management to promote enhanced consistency.
• Drive sourcing development across markets to boost product consistency and reduce costs, actively seeking brand alliances that enhance guest experience while controlling expenses, ensuring collaboration with Delivery and Commercial teams.
• Provide culinary expertise and leadership in station catering supplier selection and other vendor recommendations with data-driven analyses supporting strong business decisions.
• Formulate and implement robust plans to maximize product development and expand new delivery opportunities to improve overall product quality and consistency.
• Review and suggest ancillary product definitions based on segmentation and class demographics.
• Conduct negotiations and support catering service agreements and global contracts management.
• Collaborate closely with key suppliers and especially the Etihad Airport Services Company (EASC) to devise food category and commodity plans, introducing a food supplier strategy that leverages both tactical and strategic relationships for guest benefits and cost reduction.
• Ensure detailed and clear communication with Delivery, Commercial teams, Product and Service Management (PandSM), General Services (GS), and suppliers to align stakeholder needs and expectations.
• Compile competitor analyses on hospitality trends within Food and Beverage, delivering quarterly reports to senior management focusing on industry changes and potential developments.

Qualifications & Experience

• Academic credentials: Graduate degree in Hotel Management, Catering, or related fields.
• Experience: Diploma holders require at least 10 years of professional experience with a minimum of 5 years in a similar role; degree holders should have 7 years total experience with at least 4 years in an equivalent function.
• Preferred background includes experience in an ancillary-driven airline environment.
• Language proficiency: Native-level English speaker or equivalent CEFR C2 qualification.
• Mandatory certifications: Advanced-level food hygiene training; halal training is advantageous.
• Strong skills in business report writing, menu development and documentation, along with excellent communication and influencing abilities in English.

Additional Information

Etihad Airways is the UAE’s flagship airline, connecting diverse cultures globally and ambitiously expanding its fleet and network under the “Journey 2030” program. Joining this team means contributing to a visionary workplace where exceptional experiences are crafted in aviation.

Recruitment Notice

Candidates are advised to remain vigilant against fraudulent job offers claiming association with Etihad. The recruitment process never requests personal financial details or payments, and interviews are conducted either face-to-face or via official video/telephone channels before any employment offer is made.