Director, Global Culinary Marketing

Are you ready to lead a culinary renaissance? We’re seeking a bold and visionary Director of Global Culinary Marketing  to breathe new life into our global culinary brands. This is more than a marketing role—it’s a movement to rebuild and amplify our culinary reputation, and bring it to life through a dynamic activation strategy that resonates from our brands to the kitchen, and to the consumer.

Sodexo is a global leader in sustainable food and valued experiences at every moment in life – where we work, learn, heal, and play.   Operating in 45 countries, our 430,000 employees serve 100 million consumers each day. The Sodexo Group stands out for its independence and it’s founding family shareholding, its responsible business model and its portfolio of activities including Food Services, Facilities Management Services and Employee Benefit Solutions.

Our Mission:  to improve the quality of life for our employees and those we serve, and contribute to the economic, social and environmental progress in the communities where we operate.

Your Mission

• Craft a compelling culinary identity that inspires chefs, delights clients, and excites consumers.
• Launch a revitalized culinary strategy that aligns internal and external messaging, and tells a consistent, irresistible brand story across our brands portfolio.
• Activate our culinary presence through chef-led events, webinars, social media campaigns, and community-building programs that turn chefs into brand ambassadors.
• Build bridges between marketing and culinary teams, ensuring our vision is not only strategic but also deeply rooted in the real-world expertise of our chefs and food platforms.

Your Superpowers

• You’re deeply connected in the food and culinary world, with the relationships and insight to penetrate key markets and spark meaningful engagement.
• You know how to translate strategy into action, creating toolkits and campaigns that energize teams and elevate brand perception.
• You’re a natural collaborator, able to rally chefs, marketers, and stakeholders around a shared culinary vision.
• You bring structure and creativity in equal measure—balancing bold ideas with the discipline to execute them flawlessly.

Why This Role Matters

Our culinary brands deserve to shine. This role is your opportunity to lead the charge, turning reputation into recognition and strategy into impact. You’ll be the heartbeat of our culinary storytelling—energizing our chef communities, engaging our audiences, and driving a new era of culinary excellence.

RESPONSIBILITIES

Culinary vision & identity

• Define and articulate the company’s culinary vision and translate it into a cohesive communication strategy.
• Build the story telling, tone of voice, ensure to be distinctive towards competition
• Craft and deliver internal and external messaging aligned with the brands objectives.
• Develop toolkits and storytelling assets to embed the culinary narrative across all levels of the organization.

Culinary Launches & Campaigns

• Support the launch of new culinary initiatives, menus, and experiences in partnership with chefs and F&B teams.
• Develop go-to-market strategies and promotional content tailored to different restaurant concepts and consumer segments.
• Coordinate with design, PR, digital, and content teams for integrated campaign rollouts.

Brands culinary signature Portfolio Implementation

• Adapt the culinary strategy and communication approach to the distinct identities of each brand in the portfolio.
• Define culinary briefs together with global chef, brand owners, culinary experts, and supply to deliver brand signature operational toolkit. Impulse new ways of working and introduce right level of methodology and process to maximize collaboration, efficiency, and alignment.
• Produce and manage brand messaging for culinary at global level /segment level and per each of the Global Priority Brands: Modern Recipe, Kitchen Works and Good Eating Company..
• Ensure consistency and creative coherence across all brands while respecting individual brand DNA and maintaining differentiation.

Managing external chef relationships for Global

• Manage contracts, Scheduling, and communication with chefs
• Facilitate collaboration between Sodexo Internal chefs and the external chefs
• Source, select, and propose Chef partnerships to support our strategy and bring it to life
• Build a framework of collaboration for regional applications

Internal Engagement & Chef Community Building

• Co-Animate the internal community of chefs through regular communications, toolkits, workshops, cook challenges and showcases. Support culinary team to develop chef recognition program, global chef challenge in particular.
• Lead internal events, newsletters, and digital initiatives that celebrate innovation and culinary excellence.

External Communication & Influence in collaboration with Global Communication Team

• Support media relations, influencer engagement, and press activations in partnership with the PR team.
• Collaborate with social media and digital teams to amplify culinary stories across platforms.

QUALIFICATIONS & REQUIREMENTS

• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Marketing, Communications, Brand Strategy, or related field.
• 10+ years’ experience in brand marketing, communications, or F&B-related roles.
• Strong affinity for gastronomy, culinary innovation, and food culture.
• Proven ability to work cross-functionally with creative, operational, and executive teams.
• Exceptional writing, presentation, and storytelling skills (bilingual fluency in French ideal but not required)
• Good connection in restaurant, gastronomy, chef eco system
• Experience working in hospitality, luxury, or lifestyle brands is a strong plus.

Minimum Education Requirement - Bachelor’s Degree or equivalent experience in Marketing, Communications, Brand Strategy, or related field.

Minimum Functional Experience - 10 years