Executive Chef

Pontoque Resort at Punta de Mita

Opening in early 2027, Omni Hotels & Resorts has officially broken ground and construction is well underway on Omni Pontoque Resort at Punta de Mita, the brand’s first luxury resort in Mexico. Staying true to the brand’s mission of creating elevated places and spaces that are inspired by a destination, the resort’s exterior and interiors will pay homage to the local culture with a contemporary twist. This beachfront resort will feature 244 guest rooms and suites and two 4-bedroom villas with sweeping views of the Bay of Banderas. Complementing the local area’s many attractions and activities, the resort will offer three original restaurant concepts, a destination spa with 14 treatment rooms, two retail shops, multiple pools including adult-only and family-friendly options, a state-of-the-art indoor and outdoor fitness center, and a kids club. Boasting over 27,000 square feet of meeting and event space, the Omni Pontoque will feature a 6,000 square foot ballroom, an open-air pavilion, multiple event lawns and dedicated meeting rooms, all of which provide breathtaking ocean views.

Purpose of the Position

The Executive Chef embraces the local Punta de Mita and Nayarit food scene and creates a memorable dining experience for guests of the Omni Pontoque Resort — Omni Hotels & Resorts’ first owned-and-operated property in Mexico. As the leader of the culinary programming across the resort’s full ultra-luxury Food & Beverage portfolio of five to six outlets, the Executive Chef is responsible for managing all aspects of the kitchen for multiple unique dining venues, including signature restaurants, the beach club/pool bar, bars, banquets and events, and in-room dining. This hands-on culinary leadership role balances creativity, quality, and financial discipline to deliver a distinctive gastronomic identity from the resort’s pre-opening phase forward.

Essential Functions

Culinary Vision & Menu Development

• Embrace the local Punta de Mita and Nayarit food scene, creating a memorable and distinctive dining experience across all resort outlets.
• In conjunction with the Director of Food & Beverage and General Manager, plan and implement menu design, creating suitable dishes and passing standardized recipes to the Food & Beverage Controller for costing.
• Maintain up-to-date knowledge of local and international culinary market trends in order to create food products that satisfy guest needs, maximizing sales opportunities across food outlets, as well as awareness of competitors’ offerings.
• Assist in the promotion of in-house culinary activities, such as culinary festivals, chef specialties, and culinary competitions.
• Test and evaluate products for quality, paying particular attention to yield, holding qualities, market price, and wastage/usage of leftovers.

Kitchen Operations & Quality Control

• Manage all aspects of the kitchen for multiple unique dining outlets, ensuring guest satisfaction through the smooth and effective running of day-to-day operations.
• Constantly inspect all food service sections during service time to ensure that correct standards are maintained.
• Oversee control of kitchen equipment and scheduling of preventive and corrective maintenance.
• Establish effective and efficient office procedures for handling daily menus, banquet menus, purchase requirements, general correspondence, filing, and records.
• Oversee Stewarding operations, ensuring kitchen sanitation, cleanliness, and equipment-care standards meet resort and regulatory requirements.

Financial Performance & Cost Control

• Assist the Director of Food & Beverage and, at times, the General Manager, in budgeting for food cost, payroll, and related overhead.
• Control all overheads and achieve the food cost budget throughout the year, reporting all variances from actual budget with the reasons and recommendations for remedial action.
• Control requisitioning of food quantities by forecasting volume, to achieve maximum profitability by avoiding over-or under-production.
• Work closely with the Purchasing Manager and Finance team to establish and maintain control of purchasing and receiving standards.
• Collaborate with other Food & Beverage department managers on the market potential for food outlets relative to market competitors and product availability.

Team Leadership & Talent Development

• Plan, organize, and control the efficient and effective utilization of all food production staff, especially in scheduling and controlling overtime.
• Interview and recruit suitable kitchen staff for the operation, in conjunction with the Director of Operations, Human Resources, and the General Manager.
• Oversee the training and development of all kitchen staff, ensuring that e