About The Role

In this role, you will be responsible for ensuring that all menu planning—across both food and beverage elements—meets Qatar Airways’ high-quality standards. This includes leading the development and integration of authentic Arabic cuisine across multiple regional styles (Levantine, Gulf, North African, and Middle Eastern) to elevate the inflight dining experience.

You will manage the process and delivery of Qatar Airways’ culinary standards across Doha-based catering and the global network of catering partners, ensuring consistency, authenticity, and quality across all routes. You will maintain a global perspective on food and beverage trends, with a strong focus on the evolution of Arabic culinary traditions and modern interpretations, ensuring all suppliers possess the capability to deliver these standards.

As part of your role, your responsibilities will be inclusive of, but not limited to the following:

• Lead the formulation of the company’s product development strategy, ensuring alignment with business goals, customer expectations, and feedback—while embedding authentic Arabic culinary identity into menu concepts and offerings
• Develop new sourcing opportunities, including suppliers specializing in Arabic ingredients and products, to enhance product consistency, authenticity, and cost efficiency across the network.
• Build and deliver robust Food and Beverage Plans, maximizing product development with a focus on integrating Arabic and international cuisines, and elevating inflight fine dining experiences through authentic flavors adapted for high-altitude performance.
• Maintain and communicate menu planning structures and timelines, ensuring consistency in food and beverage services system wide—particularly in the representation of Arabic culinary elements across routes.
• Provide creative direction for the overall culinary program, leading new menu development, concept refinement, and sourcing—especially for modern Arabic culinary concepts and regionally inspired dining experiences.
• Develop, test, and evaluate products based on industry best practices, ensuring Arabic dishes meet high operational, sensory, and quality standards suitable for inflight service.
• Create, implement, and uphold Culinary SOPs, including food safety, storage, recipe development, production procedures, and execution standards—ensuring that authentic Arabic dishes adhere to halal, safety, and airline regulatory requirements.

Qualifications About You

• Bachelor’s degree in Hotel Management, Culinary Arts, or equivalent, with at least 8 years of hands on culinary experience, including demonstrable expertise in Arabic cuisine across multiple regional styles (Levantine, Gulf, North African, and Middle Eastern).
• Deep knowledge of global cuisines, Arabic culinary traditions, techniques, and food trends, preferably within the airline catering industry, with the ability to apply authentic flavors while adapting dishes for high altitude food performance.
• Proven ability to design and develop inflight menus that integrate Arabic and international cuisines, balancing taste, presentation, and operational feasibility, while ensuring special dietary requirements, cultural sensitivities, and food allergen management are fully considered.
• Ability to collaborate with suppliers—particularly those specializing in Arabic ingredients and products—to ensure full compliance with airline, halal, and regulatory standards. Strong skills in cost control, budgeting, forecasting, and reporting.
• A change management champion with the capability to drive culinary transformation, leading the evolution of inflight dining by introducing modern Arabic culinary concepts, sustainable practices, and passenger driven innovation.
• Excellent spoken and written English skills, with strong negotiation, presentation, and influencing capabilities; Arabic language skills are an added advantage.
• Leadership and strategic thinking abilities, with a proven track record of leading cross functional and multicultural teams in a fast paced, high volume catering or hospitality environment.