Were recruiting a Culinary Lead on behalf of a leading Australian food business within the Online Meals space.

This is a senior, hands-on execution role focused on weekly delivery, consistency and commercial discipline. The successful candidate will own weekly menu planning, recipe quality and culinary standards within established brand and portfolio parameters, working closely with Supply Chain, Operations, Commercial and Finance.

The business is in a rebuild and stabilisation phase. This role is intentionally execution-led. It suits someone who enjoys detail, real constraints, and building strong foundations before scale.

Key responsibilities

• Own weekly menu planning within cost, inventory and operational constraints
• Deliver recipe edits and substitutions aligned to margin and sourcing realities
• Maintain rigorous documentation including costings, nutrition, version control and testing notes
• Edit recipes for clarity, cookability and brand consistency
• Uphold existing visual identity standards across recipe content and shoots
• Partner with studios to uplift ready-to-heat product imagery and storytelling
• Collaborate cross-functionally with Supply Chain, Operations,Commercial and Finance to ensure feasibility and margin discipline
• Assess and recommend suitable test kitchen and studio facilities
• Recruit and lead a small culinary team once foundations are established and approved

About you

• 8+ years in culinary, editorial or meal-based food roles
• Strong hands-on recipe development, testing and editing experience
• Proven ability to plan menus at scale in operational environments with weekly cadence
• Deep understanding of cost per serve, substitution logic, lead times and operational feasibility
• Comfortable working as a high-impact individual contributor in the initial phase
• Confident communicator able to influence cross-functionally without formal authority
• Motivated by stabilising, rebuilding and creating structure before scaling

Melbourne-based candidates only. This role is not open to interstate applicants.

If youre an execution-focused culinary leader who thrives in rebuilding environments and values commercial discipline as much as creativity, wed love to hear from you.