Make & Pack Sous Chef, Operations

gategroup•Los Angeles, CA

15d•$68,000 - $73,000

About The Position

The Sous Chef, Operations assists the Executive Sous Chef or Executive Chef for the unit in designing and preparing meals for airline customers. The role provides culinary expertise and leadership, promotes quality food service, ensures food safety and sanitation requirements are followed, and drives food production with the assistance of Food Supervisors. This position oversees daily hot and/or cold kitchen production for quality and consistency, manages staff and production schedules, and ensures food specifications, labor objectives, and company and customer requirements are met. It is responsible for employee training, performance, retention, compliance, and the proper handling and production of food. The role involves working in a production kitchen, standing and moving during shifts of 10 or more hours, and a rotating schedule typically exceeding 55 hours per week. Travel may be required up to 25%.

Requirements

Minimum 1–3 years of experience as a Chef and/or Sous Chef.
Minimum 7 years of experience as a cook.
Ability to cook meals according to detailed specifications.
Ability to work in a fast-paced, deadline-driven environment.
Strong leadership skills and ability to manage a team of cooks.
Ability to train others and provide positive and negative employee feedback.
Excellent time management skills and ability to handle multiple tasks while maintaining priorities.
Strong organizational, analytical, communication, and leadership skills.
Ability to make operational changes to improve the work environment and unit performance.
Basic computer skills.
Excellent written and oral communication skills.
Ability to stand, bend, lift, and move intermittently during shifts of 10 or more hours.
Ability to lift, push, pull, and move products, equipment, and supplies weighing more than 25 pounds.

Nice To Haves

Associate degree in Culinary Arts or a Culinary Arts certification.
Previous supervisory experience in a high-volume, manufacturing, food production, restaurant, or catering environment.
In-flight catering experience or experience in a high-volume food service environment.
Current or previous labor relations experience.
Experience with menu design.
Working knowledge of Microsoft Office products.
ServSafe certification.
Bilingual Spanish language skills.

Responsibilities

Ensure food specifications and labor objectives meet company and customer requirements.
Supervise the department for food quality and quantity; ensure items are produced and dated according to specifications and applicable coding systems and regulations, including FDA, USDA, and HACCP requirements.
Track attendance, prepare paperwork, set up each shift, and assign employees to sections while optimizing schedules.
Order raw materials from the storeroom and produce extra meals at the last minute as needed.
Prepare daily production sheets and assign tasks; direct employees using production sheets and passenger counts.
Manage food items after requisitioning them from the storeroom and provide initial and recurrent training on proper preparation procedures.
Ensure safety procedures are followed and cleanliness is maintained throughout the shift.
Manage daily hot and/or cold kitchen production to ensure quality and consistency.
Ensure compliance with company Wage & Hour policy, including required rest and meal breaks, and follow company processes.
Train and monitor employees on work procedures to maximize productivity while minimizing labor and food expenses.
Monitor manpower planning and schedule employees.
Support employee retention and reduce turnover.
Coach and counsel employees and prepare corrective actions in compliance with applicable union or collective bargaining agreements.
Ensure employees in the chain of command are assigned to the correct cost centers and job titles.
Verify pay rates for union-represented employees against wage scales and seniority.
Complete all company-required training, including ServSafe, and comply with company policies, procedures, and processes.