Executive Chef - World Expo 2027, Belgrade (US National Only)

Job Purpose

The Executive Chef owns the culinary vision and kitchen operation of the USA Pavilion, bringing the 'Iconic American Diner' concept to life for a global Expo audience and for VIP and diplomatic guests. As the culinary face of the pavilion and a US-national leadership role, the post holder is responsible for menu, quality, food safety, kitchen cost and brigade leadership, delivering authentic American food within Serbian regulatory and sourcing constraints.

Location: Belgrade, Serbia

Contract Type: Fixed-term contract — 5 months

Key Responsibilities

• Culinary and menu
• Own menu design, recipes, specifications and presentation for the American diner concept and for VIP / event menus.
• Deliver consistent quality and authenticity across every cover and every service.
• Design menus that work within Serbian sourcing realities, substituting locally or from EU-approved origins where US-origin products (notably meat and dairy) are restricted.
• Lead menu tastings and sign-off with the management team, Trivandi and the client where required.
• Kitchen operations and food safety
• Work strictly within Serbian food-safety law (HACCP mandatory) and any Expo organiser food-safety regime, including local sourcing constraints (US-origin meat and dairy are effectively restricted), cold-chain control, allergen management and Serbian-language labelling.
• Own the HACCP plan, kitchen hygiene, temperature and cold-chain control, allergen management and traceability.
• Set up and run the kitchen for high-volume Expo trading plus bespoke VIP and protocol events.
• Manage kitchen equipment, mise-en-place, and daily production planning.
• Cost and procurement
• Own food cost against budget: recipe costing, portion control, yield and waste management.
• Lead procurement and supplier relationships within import, tariff and food-safety constraints; manage ordering, receiving and storage standards.
• Brigade leadership
• Lead, roster, train and develop the kitchen brigade; set standards, discipline and pace.
• Manage kitchen labour cost and deployment across the operating period.
• Build a safe, respectful, high-performing kitchen culture.
• Expo, VIP & Protocol Responsibilities
• Design and personally oversee bespoke menus for VIP, diplomatic and national-day events, accommodating protocol, dietary, allergen and cultural requirements.
• Represent the culinary identity of the USA Pavilion to the client, media and dignitaries, including chef's-table or front-facing moments where required.
• Guarantee food safety and quality for high-profile guests, where the reputational stakes of any failure are national.
• Plan production and brigade deployment for surge days, national days and extended Expo hours.
• Maintain discretion and professionalism around VIP events and guests.

Requirements

• Required Skills, Knowledge & Abilities
• Proven executive / head-chef leadership in high-volume, quality-led kitchens; American cuisine credibility strongly preferred.
• Menu development, recipe costing and food-cost control.
• Deep food-safety and HACCP expertise.
• Ability to lead and develop a brigade under pressure.
• Adaptability to source and substitute within regulatory constraints.
• Presence and discretion for VIP-facing culinary moments.

Qualifications & Experience

• United States citizenship (mandatory for this role).
• Culinary qualification / apprenticeship; food-safety and HACCP certification.
• Minimum 8 years in professional kitchens with at least 3 as Head / Executive Chef.
• American cuisine and high-volume or events experience preferred.
• VIP / banqueting experience an advantage.
• Acknowledgement
• This job description reflects the principal duties of the role and is not exhaustive. Duties may be adjusted to meet the operational needs of the USA Pavilion at World Expo 2027. The post holder is expected to carry out reasonable additional tasks as required by the management team.