Culinary Excellence Lead

Perth-based | Monthly site travel

Position Overview

Civeo is seeking an experienced Culinary Specialist to help shape the food experience across our Integrated Services Villages. Combining hands-on culinary expertise with strong operational and commercial thinking, you’ll partner with site catering leaders to drive excellence across food quality, menu development, safety, compliance, cost control and the overall guest experience.

This is an opportunity to influence more than one kitchen. You’ll review catering operations, identify opportunities for improvement, introduce new ideas and help build greater quality and consistency across our villages. Food plays an important role in the wellbeing and experience of our guests, and your expertise will help our teams continue to deliver safe, nutritious and consistently high-quality meals.

Based in Perth, with travel to site approximately once a month, you’ll enjoy the best of both worlds: the opportunity to work with a collaborative corporate team while staying connected to our kitchens, people and frontline operations. Your ideas, experience and passion for great food will have a visible impact across the business.

Key Responsibilities

• Conduct planned and targeted audits across village catering operations, identifying risks, improvement opportunities and operational efficiencies.
• Guide and influence Catering Managers, Head Chefs and site-based kitchen leaders through workshops, coaching and operational meetings.
• Support the implementation of standard menus, seasonal produce and new food concepts across Civeo villages.
• Review food production, presentation, ordering, storage, stock rotation and meal-service processes.
• Monitor food quality, hygiene standards and the overall guest dining experience.
• Support catering teams to achieve customer satisfaction targets and maintain a professional, service-focused hospitality culture.
• Ensure compliance with workplace health, safety, quality and environmental requirements, including HACCP and relevant ISO standards.
• Assist with workforce capability initiatives, including training frameworks and structured development programs for catering teams and apprentices.
• Review kitchen labour, food and consumables costs, identifying opportunities to reduce waste and improve financial performance.
• Support budgeting, forecasting, stock control, reporting and variance analysis.
• Partner with Village Managers and catering leaders to introduce continuous improvement initiatives and operational best practice.
• Provide hands-on culinary and operational support when required.

Qualifications

• Certificate III in Commercial Cookery or a higher relevant qualification.
• International qualifications must be formally recognised by an Australian training or trade authority.
• Current Australian driver’s licence
• Relevant food safety, HACCP or workplace health and safety training will be highly regarded.

Experience

• Demonstratable experience as a Catering Manager, Head Chef or in a comparable senior catering position.
• Demonstrated experience supervising, developing and managing kitchen or hospitality teams.
• Strong experience in high-volume, bulk or batch catering environments.
• Experience managing menus, production planning, food quality, stock control and kitchen operations.
• Sound knowledge of workplace health and safety requirements within the hospitality or catering industry.
• Experience working with HACCP and ISO-based safety, quality or environmental systems.
• Previous experience in remote-site catering, accommodation villages, mining services or large-scale institutional catering will be highly regarded.

Skills

• Extensive knowledge of bulk catering methods and a variety of cuisines.
• Strong understanding of food ordering, storage, preparation, production and service delivery.
• Ability to influence and build strong working relationships with operational and site-based leaders.
• Strong analytical capability, including kitchen budgets, labour costs, food costs, stock levels and operational reporting.
• Excellent planning, organisation and problem-solving skills.
• Confidence identifying improvement opportunities and implementing practical solutions.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to tailor information to different audiences.
• Customer-focused approach with a commitment to food quality and service excellence.
• Ability to remain composed, accountable and effective in a fast-paced operational environment.
• Competency using Microsoft Office and computer-based menu, costing or production-planning systems.

Why Civeo

• Stay Well, Work Well focus
• The Civeo Hive, Rewards & Recognition
• Collaborative & supportive leadership team
• Growth team / Growth Mindset
• Corporate office location, 3 days in the office, 2 days' work from home

About Us

Civeo Australia, a division of Civeo Corporation, provides workforce accommodation services globally. In Australia, Civeo has a national footprint of approximately 10,000 rooms across twelve villages in Queensland, New South Wales, and Western Australia. In addition, Civeo also operates approximately 16,500 rooms in client-owned properties in remote regions of Western Australia, South Australia and Queensland. With more than 40 years of experience, Civeo supports individuals who live and work away from home.

We're committed to fostering sustainable partnerships and inclusive opportunities in all the communities we operate in. By actively engaging with Traditional Owners and First Nations Businesses, we're not just operating accommodation villages, we're nurturing relationships that honour the rich cultural heritage of the land.

We're safe, welcoming, and proud to encourage Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander people to join us.

Apply now and help shape the future of food and hospitality at Civeo.