Sous Chef II

Sunrise Senior Living•Albuquerque, NM

About The Position

When you join Sunrise Senior Living, you will be able to use your unique skills to empower residents to live longer, healthier, and happier lives. Not only will you build meaningful relationships with residents, their families, and team members alike, you will also gain joy in serving others and deep fulfillment in your work. Explore how you can follow your passions and shed light on meaningful ways to serve, grow, and shine together. Sunrise Senior Living was again certified as a Great Place to Work® by Activated Insights. This is the 8th time Sunrise has received this top culture and workplace designation, highlighting the special place Sunrise is to be a part of. Job ID 2026-237847 JOB OVERVIEW The Sous Chef II plays a critical role in maintaining the high standards of food quality, presentation, and resident satisfaction. This position is directly responsible for overseeing daily food preparation and ensuring that all meals meet Sunrise’s exacting standards for both taste and visual appeal. In addition to supporting the Executive Chef III, the Sous Chef II will actively engage with residents during meal service, ensuring positive dining experiences through table touches and addressing any concerns related to food. High expectations for culinary excellence, service, and resident interaction are central to this position. The Sous Chef II will also assist in managing kitchen operations, including food production, cost control, and staff supervision.

Requirements

Ability to handle multiple priorities
Possess written and verbal skills for effective communication and the ability to facilitate small group presentations
Competent in organizational and time management skills
Demonstrates good judgment, problem solving, and decision-making skills
Minimum three (3) years’ experience as a Chef
Maintains current Food Services Sanitation certificate; ServeSafe certified
Demonstration of proficiency in computer skills, Microsoft Office (Windows, Outlook, Excel) and Sunrise applications with the ability to learn new applications
As applicable, all Sunrise team members who drive a Sunrise vehicle must review and sign the Driver job description and understand the key essential duties for safety and regulatory compliance
Ability to work weekends, evenings and flexible hours, available for our customers at peak service delivery days and times
Employment with Sunrise is contingent upon completing and passing a drug test (which does not include marijuana) and Tuberculosis Test, and a physical evaluation and a background check where required.
Covid-19 and Influenza vaccination may be required if mandated by applicable federal, state, and local laws and authorities.

Nice To Haves

Certification and/or College Degree in Culinary Arts preferred

Responsibilities

Lead daily food production and preparation and ensure that all meals are made in accordance with Sunrise’s quality standards.
Responsible for food presentation and ensure that each dish is not only high in quality but also visually appealing, with an emphasis on creativity and proper plating.
Maintain close attention to portion control and utilize techniques to ensure consistency and cost-effectiveness without compromising quality while maintaining budgeted per resident day (PRD).
Engage actively with residents during mealtime to gauge satisfaction, address concerns, and enhance dining experiences with table touches.
Provide leadership and fill in when Executive Chef III is not present in direction of food preparation, ensuring high standards of hygiene, sanitation, and presentation are consistently met across all dining services.
Support the Executive Chef III in managing the overall kitchen operations, including overseeing kitchen staff, managing inventory, and ordering supplies.
Collaborate with the dining team to organize and facilitate special events, banquets, and other community activities that involve food service.
Support and adhere to product order guide and primary vendor program as outlined in Sunrise Menu Programming and Purchasing.
Champion community goals of food quality achievement by monitoring and evaluating for peak timing, cooking methods, plating, garnishing, and service delivery.
Ensure the industry standard Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point (HACCP) is in place.
Support and oversee all special events food production and food presentation actively with an emphasis on marketing events.
Assist in the oversight of the Bistro.
Review to ensure all records regarding food and equipment temperature recordings are complete and filed per Sunrise quality service standards and regulatory compliance.
Review to ensure all side-work and assigned cleaning checklists are completed and filed according to policy and regulatory compliance.
Review to ensure the rotation (First In / First Out (FIFO) and security of such foods and supplies are maintained per Sunrise quality standards and regulatory compliance.
Responsible for maintaining all past production sheets.
Responsible for maintaining all HACCP records.
Promote customer engagement and resident interaction during mealtimes and maintain a visible presence in the dining area to ensure satisfaction and respond to resident feedback.
Implement SkyActive by Sunrise strategies to ensure residents have positive dining experiences, including handling special occasions and community events.
Maintain and protect the confidentiality of resident information always.
Partner with community team to ensure community is following national/provincial regulations pertaining to occupational health and safety requirements, promotion of Risk Management programs and policies, and adherence to safety rules and regulations.
Ensure and practice safety procedures always including Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), fire extinguishers, Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS), and Lockout Tagout procedures.
Ensure all work areas are maintained in a healthful and safe condition, HACCP applications.
Ensure food is protected from contamination and safe food handling is always practiced preventing an outbreak of food borne illness.
Assist the Executive Chef III in managing food costs, waste reduction, and maximizing the efficiency of kitchen staff to meet budgetary goals.
Provide support in labor/labour management and cost control to ensure the dining department operates within budget while maintaining the highest standards of service.
Provide guidance and mentoring to kitchen staff and assist with training in food preparation techniques, quality standards, and safety procedures.
Help in creating a culture of excellence and continuous improvement within the dining team and ensure a focus on both culinary skills and resident satisfaction.
Partner in the delivery and participation in Sunrise University Training and self-study programs during the required timeframe
Develop a working knowledge of state/provincial regulations and ensure compliance through supervising and coaching team members.
Achieves the Team Member Engagement goals and actively leads in the Engagement Improvement Planning sessions.
Maintain compliance in assigned required training and all training required by state/province or other regulating authorities as applicable to this role to ensure that Sunrise standards are always met.
Perform other duties as assigned.