Regional Culinary Director – EMEA

Compass Group is seeking an exceptional Regional Culinary Director – EMEA to provide strategic culinary leadership across one of our most high-profile global client partnerships. This role sits at the intersection of food philosophy, operational excellence, and large-scale delivery—shaping the Food Programme experience across 13 countries in Europe.

 Reporting to the Regional Director of Operations (EMEA, APAC & India), you will act as the senior culinary authority for the region, partnering closely with client stakeholders, Compass executive leadership, and senior culinary leaders across multiple geographies.

 The Opportunity

The Food Programme exists to inspire and enable communities to thrive through food—grounded in wellbeing, sustainability, innovation, and an uncompromising focus on user experience. As Regional Culinary Director, you will be responsible for translating this vision into a consistent, world-class culinary strategy executed at scale across cafes, micro-kitchens, and diverse workplace environments.

This role carries substantial regional influence, with responsibility for mentoring and guiding Senior Culinary Leaders across EMEA and serving as the principal culinary reference for all regional stakeholders.

 Key Responsibilities

Strategic Leadership & Culinary Vision

• Define and lead the long-term EMEA culinary strategy aligned to both Compass and client brand values
• Champion regional culinary standards, including ownership of the TASTE process
• Drive innovation, efficiency, and continuous improvement across markets
• Build and lead a connected regional culinary community through forums and working groups

Stakeholder & Client Partnership

• Act as the strategic partner to Country Culinary Leads across EMEA
• Ensure consistent execution of strategy while enabling local relevance
• Collaborate with Key Account and Operations leaders to meet evolving client expectations
• Present progress, performance, and innovation to senior Compass and client stakeholders

User Experience, Sustainability & Performance

• Elevate user experience and OMNIXM scores across all culinary touchpoints
• Embed sustainability through plant-forward menus, waste reduction, and responsible sourcing
• Partner with procurement and finance to ensure quality delivery within budget

Leadership, Safety & Governance

• Coach and develop senior culinary talent across the region
• Serve as Regional Allergen Champion, ensuring full legislative compliance
• Lead a strong food safety and H&S culture across all locations

About You

• 10+ years’ senior culinary leadership experience, including multi-country or regional responsibility
• Proven success delivering culinary excellence at scale within complex, commercial environments
• Deep expertise in food safety, allergens, quality assurance, and supplier partnerships
• Commercially astute, with strong financial and operational judgement
• Exceptional stakeholder management and executive communication skills
• Fluent English essential; additional European languages advantageous
• Highly proficient in Google Workspace tools

 At Compass Ireland, our people are our business. When you join the Compass Group you will be joining a supportive network of incredible individuals, each united by their passion for going the extra mile for the organisations we partner with. We are building a team who care about providing a great customer experience and want to grow and develop as we do. We are dedicated to investing in every colleague joining us and pride ourselves on being an equal opportunity employer; we celebrate diversity and are committed to building an inclusive environment for all our colleagues. We consider qualified applicants regardless of criminal histories, consistent with legal requirements.

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 Compass Group UK&I is committed to fostering an environment where every individual can truly be themselves at work and has equal opportunities to advance in their careers. We strive to build a culture that respects and celebrates the unique talents, beliefs, backgrounds, and abilities of all our team members. We want our colleagues to feel valued, empowered to reach their full potential, and to thrive - because diversity is our strength!