Culinary Development Manager – Inflight Dining (Arabic Cuisine)

Overview

Qatar Airways is known for pioneering exceptional inflight products and advancing passenger comfort, with a dedicated Product Development and Design team that collaborates globally to set new travel standards. This opportunity lets you influence airline experiences by merging innovation, technology, and customer-centric design.

Role Summary

As the Culinary Development Manager focused on Inflight Dining, you will lead the strategic creation and delivery of Qatar Airways’ premium inflight food and beverage offerings worldwide. You will champion menu design and execution reflecting the airline’s culinary vision while ensuring quality, innovation, and operational feasibility across all travel classes.

Key Responsibilities

• Craft and steer the inflight dining strategy aligned with Qatar Airways’ branding, culinary philosophy, and five-star benchmarks.
• Conceptualize, assess, enhance, and operationalize menus that harmonize taste, plating, logistics, and dietary/allergen compliance.
• Oversee and coordinate with global catering partners to guarantee standardized menu implementation, excellence in quality, and service standards.
• Partner with suppliers, guest chefs, and procurement teams to foster culinary innovation, uniformity, and optimize cost structures.
• Collaborate with compliance teams to ensure full adherence to food safety, regulatory mandates, and culinary operational protocols.
• Analyze customer feedback, industry trends, and culinary advancements to continuously evolve and future-proof the inflight dining offerings.
• Conduct audits, site inspections, and performance evaluations, delivering comprehensive reports to senior leadership.
• Lead culinary transformation efforts focusing on sustainability, change management, and ongoing operational enhancements across the network.

Candidate Profile

• Holds a Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Hotel Management, Culinary Arts, or a related discipline.
• Brings 6 to 10+ years in senior culinary roles within food and beverage, ideally in airline catering or inflight dining contexts.
• Demonstrates comprehensive knowledge of international cuisines, culinary methods, food trends, and upscale presentation.
• Proven track record designing menus that skillfully balance creativity, appeal, cost-effectiveness, and operational demand.
• Experience liaising with suppliers and catering operations ensuring compliance with airline standards, food safety, and regulatory requirements.
• Exhibits strong financial and analytical skills including budgeting, forecasting, cost management, and reporting.
• Successful leadership background with change management and stakeholder engagement capabilities in a dynamic, multicultural international environment.

Additional Information

This role embodies a highly collaborative and active leadership opportunity where creativity meets strategic execution in a fast-moving global airline business.

Qatar Airways offers an inspiring career path where your expertise and imagination can make a powerful impact, offering global exposure and the chance to contribute to a groundbreaking aviation story.