Head Chef

Village Ice Cream is on an exciting journey to find our next Head Chef (1 year fixed-term contract) As a recognized member of, and advocate for the communities we serve, we’re looking for someone with strong people leadership skills who is collaborative, detail-oriented, and of course passionate about food, baking, and pastry arts. As Head Chef you will work closely with Billy (our founder) and the Leadership Team to lead the vision and execution of an exceptional flavour menu, while ensuring efficient and consistent production across our 5 (soon to be 6) locations. On any given day, you will split your time between being an inspiring leader of leaders - coaching our Kitchen Managers, Bakery Manager, and Sous Chef - and collaborating with the Leadership Team to strengthen our systems, products, and culture. You’re amazing at this role if the people in your life would describe you as a leader who inspires excellence through coaching, clear communication, and accountability. If this sounds like you, we’d love to meet you (over an ice cream of course)

This is a 1-year fixed-term contract covering a maternity leave.

**As Head Chef with Village Ice Cream, you will**:

- Lead and inspire a high-performing Back of House team through coaching, communication, and accountability.
- Champion collaboration across departments to ensure seamless communication and execution between our kitchens and the rest of the organization.
- Maintain a deep understanding of everything made in our kitchens and uphold the highest standards of quality and consistency across all locations.
- Train new Back of House hires on products, ingredients, skills, and effective management techniques.
- Support your Sous Chef in seasonal flavour creation and development.
- Drive innovation in flavours, product development, and processes.
- Oversee back of house budgets, COGS targets, and sourcing strategies, ensuring financial targets are met without compromising product quality.
- Work collaboratively with the Leadership team to support the Company vision and actively contribute to company-wide discussions, decision-making, and strategic initiatives.
- Model and enforce Company policies as well as high standards of food health, safety, and sanitation guidelines.
- Embody and promote Village’s brand, purpose and values in everything you do.

**You are a great fit for this role if you**:

- Have 5+ years of kitchen experience and 2+ years of proven leadership experience in a management role - you’re confident leading leaders.
- Are passionate about developing people including coaching, mentorship, and holding others accountable with empathy and clarity.
- Thrive on collaboration and have a love for working cross-functionally with other leaders to align kitchen operations with Company goals and brand vision.
- Bring culinary creativity and curiosity in pastries and desserts, with a drive to innovate and improve.
- Are highly organized and process-minded, with a knack for building and refining systems to keep things running smoothly.
- Are motivated by purpose, not just performance and want to be part of something meaningful where your leadership makes a lasting impact.
- Have a keen eye for detail and strong business acumen.
- Can deal with issues on the fly and adapt to change.
- Lead with positive energy.
- Take pride in your work.
- Prioritize the greater good.

**Our compensation offer for this role includes**:

- Full-time, salaried position
- Annual performance reviews
- 100% company subsidized health & wellness spending account
- Company subsidized mental health benefits from your first day
- 3 weeks paid vacation
- Participation in the Village Mini Business Program and other professional development opportunities
- All the free ice cream you can eat while on shift & two free pints to take home per week
- Employee discount to be used on product & merchandise

**If we reach out, please expect an interview process which includes**:

- An initial screening interview with our Head of People and Culture.
- More comprehensive interview(s) with our Leadership Team.
- A 1-2 hour unpaid stage.
- Reference chats with past employers or other contacts.

While we’d love to meet everyone who applies, we unfortunately don’t have the capacity to do that, so only those who are short-listed will be contacted.

Thank you for taking the time to apply

**-**
- Village Ice Cream is an independently owned, local, premium small-batch ice cream producer and retailer in the heart of Calgary. Founded in 2012, Village has grown into five scoop shops in Calgary’s most energetic neighbourhoods, from University District to Bridgeland, Victoria Park, Marda Loop and Britannia Plaza._
- Our mission is to turn our scoop shops into vibrant neighbourhood hubs, and we won’t rest until we do. We are also focused on ‘doing good in our ‘hood’, and we’re committed to making a valuable impact in our city by pursuing partnerships with incredible community partners like Kids Cancer