Pro-Performance Chef, Private Household, Middle East

• Location: Middle East. Specific country and city shared with shortlisted candidates under NDA.
• Contract: Full-time, annual contract renewed every 12 months.
• Accommodation: Fully furnished, private apartment provided.
• Travel: Some international travel with the Principal and family, often at short notice and subject to change.
• Confidentiality: Strictly confidential search. NDA required before further details are disclosed.
• Compensation: Commensurate with senior performance-chef benchmarks for elite private households.

Overview

Oplu is leading the search for a Pro-Performance Chef to join a high-profile private household based in the Middle East. This is a newly created position, sitting within a well established, discreet household team, supporting the Principals' and family's training and nutrition at the highest level.

The Pro-Performance Chef will take full ownership of nutrition delivery across the year for all family members, translating macro and periodised nutrition plans into meals that are precise, high-quality, and consistently excellent, at home and on the road.

Whether your background is as a Performance Chef to a professional athlete, a Private Chef to an elite household, a Sports Nutrition Chef within a national squad or academy programme, or a Personal Chef with formal nutrition training, this is one of the most considered private culinary appointments in the region this year.

The Opportunity

This is not a private chef role with a nutrition badge on it. It is a performance-chef position, structured around the Principals' and family's advanced training schedules and accountable for translating their plans into daily execution on the plate.

The successful candidate will own the daily menu against agreed macronutrient targets, adapt across the full training cycle, and hold standards while travelling at the same level as at home.

The compensation, travel exposure, and profile of the household reflect the seniority of the position. Compensation detail and full terms are shared with shortlisted candidates under NDA.

Who this role suits

This role is best suited to an experienced Pro-Performance Chef, Private Performance Chef, or senior Private Chef with confirmed elite private or high-performance household exposure.

The right candidate is technically excellent in the kitchen, fluent in macro and periodised nutrition, calm when travelling or with changes to plans and schedules, and comfortable operating as part of a wider team rather than as a solo lead.

This is not a personality-driven front-of-house chef role. It is not suited to a private chef who has only done some nutrition on the side.

Key Responsibilities

Daily nutrition delivery

• Design daily menus to meet macronutrient targets, including protein, carbohydrate, and fat, adjusted by training phases.
• Adapt meal plans across the full training cycle.
• Prepare recovery-focused meals supporting muscle repair, glycogen replenishment, inflammation reduction, and sleep quality.
• Maintain accurate daily food and macronutrient records.

Travel

• Travel internationally with the Principal and family, often at short notice.
• Research local sourcing and suppliers in advance of each destination.

Sourcing and supplier management

• Source high-quality proteins, complex carbohydrates, seasonal produce, and functional ingredients.
• Build and manage specialist supplier relationships in the home market and in frequent travel destinations.
• Apply cost discipline without compromising standards.

Requirements

Must-haves

• Proven experience as a Private Chef or Performance Chef in an elite-private, professional sports, or comparable high-performance household environment.
• Strong working knowledge of sports nutrition, macronutrient planning, and periodised menu delivery across training phases.
• Confirmed track record of preparing food to macronutrient targets set by a nutritionist or sports scientist, and of holding those targets on the road.
• Comfortable with a demanding, calendar-driven schedule that shifts and includes travel internationally.
• Willingness and ability to travel extensively, often at short notice.
• Exceptional discretion, professionalism, and a genuine understanding of what it means to work within a high-profile private household.
• Flexible, calm under pressure, and used to operating as part of a wider support team rather than independently.
• Excellent English, spoken and written.
• Comfortable signing a Non-Disclosure Agreement before further details of the role are shared.

Strong advantage

• Formal nutrition training or nutrition qualifications, such as a nutrition degree, sports nutrition certification, SENr registration, ISAK training, or equivalent.
• Prior travel with a high profile individual, athlete or a competing team through a full competition calendar.
• Exposure to elite-endurance, elite-strength, elite-racket, or elite-combat sport nutrition, depending on discipline.
• Additional languages relevant to the Middle East region or to international competition venues.

Preferred background

• Career Performance Chef or Private Chef with a demonstrated commitment to sports nutrition as a specialism, not a passing interest.
• Comfortable operating in a strictly confidential, high-profile household environment.
• Existing rapport with wider culinary and household teams, or a demonstrated ability to build it quickly.

Practical Information

• The role is a full-time, live-in appointment, with a contract renewable every 12 months.
• Compensation is shared with shortlisted candidates under NDA and reflects senior performance-chef benchmarks for elite private households.
• Right-to-work requirements and visa support will be confirmed with shortlisted candidates.
• Start date to be confirmed.
• Accommodation is provided and will be a fully furnished, separate apartment to the main household.
• Other package benefits include:
  • Annual flights home
  • Paid time off
  • Medical insurance
  • A 13-month salaried bonus

Application Process

Apply confidentially via the form on this page. Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted. Candidates who progress will be asked to sign a Non-Disclosure Agreement before further details of the role, location, household, and terms are disclosed. If you do not hear from us within 14 days, please consider your application unsuccessful on this occasion.