
We’re looking for motivated, engaged people to help make everyone’s journeys better.
The Senior Process Owner – CRA/APTs owns the end to end standards, workflows, performance, and capability development for CRA (Central Recipe Assembly) and APTs (Advanced Production Techniques) across North America. This role provides expert level leadership in operational excellence for culinary production processes, ensuring consistent adherence to recipe standards, safety, quality, and efficiency.
The SPO serves as the regional authority for CRA/APTs, leading training, implementation, stabilization, and continuous improvement efforts while coaching kitchen leaders and partnering with Change Enablement, QA, and Production Planning teams.
Annual Hiring Range/Hourly Rate:
Benefits
Main Duties and Responsibilities
1. Training, Onboarding & Capability Building
(in partnership with Change Enablement)
Lead training and onboarding of new chefs, sous chefs, specialists, and culinary teams across regions in CRA/APTs processes.
Teach company standards, recipe specifications, menu compliance, and culinary production best practices.
Build a strong internal pipeline of CRA/APTs subject matter experts and future culinary leaders.
Develop and maintain training materials, job aids, and SOPs specific to CRA/APTs workflows.
2. Operational Support & Task Force Deployment
Deploy as needed to units requiring immediate operational support in CRA/APTs.
Diagnose workflow issues, stabilize kitchens, and reinforce end to end CRA/APTs SOPs.
Coach teams to improve speed, accuracy, safety, and recipe consistency.
Support urgent recovery situations and post implementation ramp up.
3. CRA/APTs Implementation & Process Governance
Lead regional CRA/APTs rollout activities, including training, workflow setup, and operational readiness.
Oversee process validation, gap analysis, and the alignment of production steps to standards.
Partner with QA to ensure compliance with Bio testing, HACCP, and CCP1/CCP2 requirements.
Monitor post implementation performance, meeting weekly with sites regarding tracking, productivity, and adherence.
4. Cross Functional Alignment & Food Cost Optimization
Work with Production Planning teams to align CRA/APTs workflows with demand, capacity, and operational constraints.
Ensure correct recipe quantities are produced to reduce food cost, prevent overproduction, and minimize waste.
Provide continuous feedback to Core Processes, CI, and Ops leadership to improve workflows and templates.
5. Leadership Development & Culture
(in partnership with Change Enablement)
Coach chefs, sous chefs, and supervisors to build strong operational leadership with deep CRA/APTs expertise.
Foster a culture of accountability, collaboration, and continuous improvement.
Support behavior change and adoption of new culinary and production practices.
6.Performs special projects and other duties as assigned by department management in support of operations.
Core Competencies and Requirements
Education
Bachelor’s degree in Business, Engineering, Operations, or related field.
Lean/6-Sigma certification preferred.
Work Experience
At least seven (7) years of progressively responsible professional experience in culinary operations, food production leadership, or high volume kitchen operation.
Experience implementing recipe driven production systems (CRA/APTs or similar).
Strong knowledge of HACCP, QA compliance, and food safety standards.
gategroup Competencies Required to be Successful in the Job:
Demonstrated Values to be Successful in the Position
Employees at gategroup are expected to live our Values of Excellence, Passion, Responsibility and Respect. To demonstrate these Values, we expect to observe the following from everyone:
Excellence
We put the customer at the forefront of everything we do, taking time to understand their needs, wishes and desires.
We constantly learn by giving and receiving feedback, improving from our mistakes and bettering ourselves.
Passion
Hospitality, in its purest form, comes down to a single, core principle: care. We do everything with thoughtfulness, attention, and care.
We have a growth mindset, a resilience that makes us determined to bounce back from failures and setbacks.
Responsibility
We care about what we do, and we understand the impact we have on others and the planet.
We always look out for each other –creating a safe workplace environment is everyone’s responsibility.
Respect
Every job matters. We each do our part to ensure our colleagues and our customers succeed in their goals.
We respect each other’s voices and foster a workplace that supports inclusion and belonging. We are all one gategroup.
The above statements are intended to describe the general nature and level of work being performed by the individual(s) assigned to this position. They are not intended to be an exhaustive list of all duties, responsibilities, and skills required. Management reserves the right to modify, add, or remove duties and to assign other duties as necessary. In addition, reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions of this position.
gategroup is an equal opportunity employer committed to workforce diversity. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment and will not be discriminated against on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, veteran status, disability status or other category under applicable law.
For further information regarding Equal Employment Opportunity, copy and paste the following URL into your web browser: http://www.dol.gov/ofccp/regs/compliance/posters/pdf/eeopost.pdf
We anticipate that this job will close on:
09/13/2026
If you want to be part of a team that helps make travel and culinary memories, join us!

Shaping the future of Inflight Hospitality.
At gategroup, we are the global leader in airline catering, retail-on-board, and hospitality services, enhancing the passenger experience at 35,000 feet and beyond.
Headquartered in Zurich, Switzerland, our footprint spans over 200 operating units across 60+ countries and territories, making us the most extensive catering network in the aviation industry. Every day, we proudly serve millions of travelers, partnering with the world’s top airlines to deliver memorable culinary moments and seamless retail experiences.
Driven by innovation, advanced technology, and operational excellence, our teams design and deliver premium food and service solutions tailored to the dynamic needs of modern air travel.
From gourmet meals to intelligent retail programs, our mission is simple:
To elevate every journey.