Executive Chef

Executive Chef

This job is located in Kananaskis, AB. Subsidized staff housing is available. 

Rate of Pay:  Salary

The Opportunity

Set in one of Canada’s most breathtaking mountain destinations, Pomeroy Kananaskis Mountain Lodge is a premier four-diamond resort delivering elevated culinary experiences across multiple restaurants, luxury guest offerings, and a dynamic banquet and conference operation.

We are seeking an experienced and passionate Executive Chef to join our culinary leadership team. Reporting directly to the Resort Manager, this role plays a critical leadership function across a complex, high-volume resort operation.

You will be responsible for creating and executing a memorable dining experience for all guests of the resort while ensuring strong financial performance, consistent execution, and high-performing teams.

The Role

As Executive Chef, you are responsible for leading the culinary and stewarding teams, including a culinary team of 70+ team members, across six food and beverage outlets, large-scale banquet and conference facilities, employee dining, and seasonal resort programming, while ensuring effective collaboration across all kitchen and support operations.

Success in this leadership role requires:

• A strong commitment to building, training, mentoring, and coaching a high-performing culinary team, while maintaining a visible, hands-on leadership presence in all kitchen operations
• Elevating the guest experience through consistent execution, creativity, and attention to detail
• Driving profitability through disciplined management of food cost, labor cost, and operational efficiency
• Strong culinary expertise in menu creation, seasonal programming, and recipe standardization
• The ability to consistently meet or exceed revenue targets, food cost objectives, and guest satisfaction scores
• Coordinating, supervising, and assisting in the preparation, cooking, and execution of all meal periods across all outlets based on business levels and demand
• Understanding all kitchen roles in order to effectively support and perform duties in their absence when required
• Working knowledge of culinary systems including ordering, inventory management, scheduling, and payroll systems
• Strong organizational and communication skills to ensure seamless multi-outlet execution
• Champion a positive and inclusive culinary culture by fostering employee engagement, accountability, recognition, professional development, and succession planning, while creating an environment where team members feel valued, supported, and empowered to grow their careers.
• Lead by example in building a high-performance culture that prioritizes teamwork, communication, continuous improvement, and exceptional service standards across all culinary operations.
• Accountability for the overall success of culinary operations, as measured by key business indicators, financial performance, guest satisfaction, and operational standards.
• A hands-on leadership approach, including personally participating in culinary operations when required and demonstrating strong culinary standards through active involvement in the kitchens.
• The ability to thrive in a fast-paced, high-volume resort environment while effectively managing multiple priorities and operational functions.
• A self-starter mindset with a continuous focus on identifying opportunities to improve the business, culinary operations, guest experience, and financial performance.

About the Operation

The Executive Chef will provide leadership across:

• Six unique food & beverage outlets (casual, upscale, lounge, and grab-and-go concepts)
• High-volume banquet and conference facilities (26,5000 sq. ft.)
• Weddings, galas, and social event catering
• Luxury Black Diamond Club culinary offerings
• Employee dining operations
• In-room dining and resort-wide service support
• Seasonal outdoor culinary activations and pop-up experiences
• Stewarding and kitchen support operations
• Night cleaning and overnight kitchen support operations

This dynamic resort operates year-round, serving leisure guests, corporate groups, conferences, weddings, and destination events.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead daily culinary & stewarding operations across all outlets, banquet functions, and resort food service programs
• Ensure consistent execution of recipes, presentation, portioning, and quality standards across all kitchens
• Maintain a visible, hands-on leadership presence across all culinary operations
• Support menu development, seasonal programming, and culinary innovation
• Recruit, train, mentor, and develop culinary team members at all levels
• Build a culture of accountability, teamwork, respect, and continuous improvement
• Oversee execution of weddings, conferences, galas, and large-scale banquet events
• Partner with Sales and Conference Services to ensure seamless event delivery and guest satisfaction
• Manage labor efficiency, scheduling, productivity, and operational flow across outlets
• Support food cost control, inventory management, purchasing standards, and waste reduction initiatives
• Participate in budgeting, forecasting, and monthly financial performance reviews
• Ensure compliance with HACCP, sanitation, safety standards, and Marriott brand requirements
• Conduct regular kitchen inspections and implement corrective actions where required
• Collaborate with front-of-house, stewarding, and leadership teams to enhance overall guest experience
• Ensure proper training and understanding of all kitchen roles to support operational coverage when needed
• Utilize and support culinary systems including ordering, scheduling, payroll, and inventory tools
• Support sourcing initiatives, including relationships with local farms and producers where applicable
• Oversee and manage receiving operations and controls, ensuring all food deliveries are accurately received, inspected for quality and quantity, properly documented, stored promptly, and aligned with approved purchasing standards and food cost controls.

Key Requirements

• Minimum 10+ years progressive culinary leadership experience in hotels, resorts, or high-volume operations
• Previous experience as Executive Chef
• Strong multi-outlet and banquet production experience
• Proven leadership of large culinary teams
• Strong financial acumen (food cost, labor cost, inventory control)
• Excellent communication, organizational, and leadership skills
• Experience with culinary systems (ordering, scheduling, payroll, inventory tools)
• Demonstrates ability to thrive in a fast-paced, high-volume environment while effectively managing multiple priorities and operational functions.
• Demonstrates ability to lead, motivate, and develop large culinary teams while fostering a positive and collaborative team culture.
• Red Seal Certification / Culinary Degree or Diploma (preferred)

Preferred

• Experience managing $10M+ annual food revenue operations
• Knowledge of Alberta/local sourcing and seasonal cuisine
• Experience in remote or resort environments

Physical Demands:

• Requires prolonged standing and walking throughout the shift in kitchen and storage areas.
• Frequent bending, reaching, twisting, and crouching to access low shelves, ovens, refrigeration units, and storage areas.
• Repetitive hand, wrist, and arm movements (knife work, chopping, whisking, plating, sautéing).
• Ability to lift, carry, push, and pull items up to 25–50 lbs (e.g., bulk food products, stock pots, kitchen equipment).
• Flexibility to work varied shifts, including mornings, evenings, weekends and holidays based on business levels. 

Amazing Perks

• Marriott Explore program with discounted global hotel rates and F&B discounts
• Discounts across all on-site dining outlets
• One meal per day in our brand-new employee cafeteria (taxable benefit)
• Commuter and cell phone allowance
• 5 personal days per year after 90 days of full-time employment
• 15 days’ vacation entitlement
• Strong growth and development opportunities within Marriott & Pomeroy Lodging
• Comprehensive health & wellness benefits (some restrictions may apply)

Experience the Lodge

Experience the Kananaskis Mountain Lodge here:
https://vimeo.com/261927699