POSITION SUMMARY

The Culinary and Lodging Manager serves as the strategic and operational leader of HCRA’s day-to-day culinary and hospitality ecosystem—overseeing lodging, farm-to-fork dining, and guest experience.

This role goes beyond traditional hospitality management. It is responsible for designing and delivering immersive, mission-aligned experiences that connect guests to regenerative agriculture while visiting HCRA.

The ideal candidate blends hospitality leadership, food systems awareness, and entrepreneurial thinking, and thrives in a dynamic environment that combines lodging, conferences, education, and agriculture.

WHAT WE ARE LOOKING FOR

We are seeking a forward-thinking Ranch Culinary and Lodging Manager to help deliver an integrated farm-to-fork dining and stay experience that reflects HCRA’s purpose: to cultivate prosperity and resilience in farming and food systems through regenerative practices.

This role bridges regenerative agriculture, culinary innovation, and guest engagement—translating what is grown on the land into meaningful, educational, and memorable dining experiences.

The ideal candidate is passionate about sustainable food systems, values storytelling through rich, immersive experiences, and thrives in a mission-driven, multi-use environment that includes lodging, conferences, and public programming.

RESPONSIBILITIES & DELIVERABLES

Farm-to-Fork Culinary Integration (20%)

Collaborate closely with farm and livestock teams to plan and execute regenerative food production for a farm to fork experience as well as contributing to hunger alleviation with HCRA partner the Arkansas Hunger Relief Alliance.
Champion whole-animal utilization, zero-waste principles, and preservation techniques
Create and adapt menus dynamically based on harvest cycles, availability, and ecological conditions
Guest & Educational Experience (20%)

Translate food into storytelling—connecting guests to the land, farmers, and regenerative practices
Support immersive dining experiences, workshops, and demonstrations tied to Ranch programming
Engage conference and retreat groups with curated food experiences that align with their themes (e.g. food is medicine, wild harvesting, etc.)
Through customer satisfaction surveys, actively seek continuous improvement on all aspects of guest interaction.
Consistently obtain a high-level rating of customer satisfaction.
Culinary & Lodging Operations (25%)

Partner with lodging and events teams to deliver cohesive, high-quality guest experiences
Deliver hospitality and culinary experiences that reinforce the HCRA’s reputation as a premier regenerative agriculture destination.
Ensure dining offerings scale effectively across daily service, special events, and large gatherings
Deeply understand, constantly analyze, and measure customer needs and how to best create and deliver lodging and farm and food experiences at the Ranch
Collaborate with the Events & Marketing Manager, and the Facilities, Livestock and Finance Departments for effective, high-quality planning and implementation of on-ranch events.
Utilize event and lodging management systems to coordinate guest accommodations, meal counts, and hospitality logistics.
Ensure the timely and accurate management of Culinary and Lodging budgets, invoicing and other relevant records in close collaboration with the Finance and Operations Department(s)
Develop pricing strategies, seasonal packages, retreat meal pricing, lodging yield optimization and food preparation / preservation educational experiences for revenue generation.
Sustainability & Innovation (15%)

Lead or support initiatives in composting, waste reduction, and circular food systems
Stay current with trends in regenerative agriculture, climate-smart cuisine, and ethical sourcing
Incorporate indigenous, regional, and culturally relevant foodways where appropriate
Develop and implement community-focused food preparation and preservation workshops
Build revenue from lodging bookings – including 6 small lodges, 8+ RV spots and camping spots.
Analyze competition to inform pricing and comparable amenities and conditions.
Continuously research and apply learnings from other successful farm experience venues in Arkansas, the US and around the world, and challenge us to innovate and pilot new things
Build, manage, and inspire culinary and lodging teams. (20%)

Supervise and build performance capacity of culinary and hospitality teams
Commitment and ability to step in and work in all aspects of housekeeping to ensure rapid turnover of lodging.
Able to flex staffing capacity to volume for each type of event, using permanent staff, temporary staff, and external vendors.
May perform other job-related duties as assigned.
Minimum Requirements:

Bachelor’s degree/certification in culinary arts or related field or equivalent combination of education and professional experience.
Minimum 8 years of professional experience, minimum three years of management experience in farm-to-table or farm-integrated culinary / hospitality environments.
Strong understanding of regenerative agriculture principles and sustainable / local sourcing
Ability to work cross-functionally with livestock, finance, communications, facilities, and hospitality teams.
Experience in event, retreat, or conference-based food service is highly desirable.
Superb culinary / kitchen management skills.
Passion for mission-driven work and experiential guest engagement.
Must live in commutable distance to Heifer’s Ranch in Perryville and have reliable transportation.
Most Critical Proficiencies:

Excellent communication and collaboration skills.
Organized and extremely detail oriented.
Creative high-quality and healthy meal preparation based on seasonal availability and local / regionally sourced products to the extent possible.
Ability to multi-task and manage several projects simultaneously to completion and work under pressure.
Ability to work on a varying schedule including nights, early mornings, weekends and holidays as needed.
Maintain valid licenses and certifications (e.g. Arkansas State Board of Health license, SERV Safe certification, liquor license, etc.).
Ensure OSHA compliance.

Please send your resume/CV