Sous Chef/Kitchen Manager

Metz Culinary Management•Washington, DC

2d•Onsite

About The Position

Metz Culinary Management is seeking a Sous Chef/Kitchen Manager to lead high-volume daily culinary production and kitchen operations across residential dining halls, retail food courts, and campus catering events. The role delivers high-quality, diverse, nutrition-conscious meals to students, faculty, and guests while leading and mentoring professional kitchen staff and student employees. The culinary leader works in a fast-paced, multi-outlet setting and helps foster a culture of fun, creativity, growth, and strong service. The position oversees batch cooking, hot and cold production, recipe execution, and timely meal service. It leads preparation and logistics for university banquets, VIP events, and athletic catering, and collaborates with the Executive Chef on globally inspired cycle menus. The role also manages staff, inventory, food safety, equipment checks, and administrative records. It may require reporting during campus closures, inclement weather, or university holiday events.

Requirements

3–5 or more years of supervisory experience or experience as a Sous Chef; the description also specifies 3–5 years of professional culinary experience, including at least 1–2 years in a supervisory role.
High-volume culinary experience.
Active ServSafe Manager Certification or an equivalent state-approved food safety license.
Strong kitchen leadership experience and solid culinary training.
Impeccable communication and interpersonal skills to lead a diverse workforce and engage professionally with students and faculty.
Restaurant management knowledge.
Thorough knowledge of menu implementation and strong presentation ideas.
Catering experience.
Ability to understand and use multi-station kitchen equipment and commercial batch-cooking production.
Ability to work on foot for up to 8–10 hours per shift.
Ability to lift, carry, push, and pull kitchen supplies or equipment weighing up to 50 pounds.
Comfort working in high-temperature areas near ovens, grills, and steam tables.
Willingness or ability to report to work during campus closures, inclement weather, or university holiday events when required.

Nice To Haves

Associate degree in Culinary Arts, Hospitality, or a related field; alternatively, a High School Diploma/GED with equivalent technical culinary experience is identified as an education option.
Culinary degree strongly preferred.
Experience in contract dining food service, such as hospital, school, college, senior living, or corporate dining accounts.
Experience with current, trending, and diverse menus.

Responsibilities

Direct daily batch cooking, hot and cold production, and timely meal service for residential dining and retail outlets.
Ensure standardized recipes are followed, including exact portions, flavor, and presentation standards.
Implement food allergen and specialized-diet safety protocols, including cross-contamination prevention.
Lead food preparation, transport logistics, and culinary presentation for banquets, VIP events, and athletic catering.
Manage, schedule, and direct line cooks, prep cooks, dishwashers, and student workers.
Train staff in culinary techniques, knife skills, batch-cook production, and station setup.
Foster a collaborative, respectful, high-energy kitchen environment aligned with university standards and values.
Lead kitchen operations during peak dining periods, resolve operational issues, and work on the line when needed.
Enforce local health department regulations, ServSafe standards, HACCP plans, and university workplace safety protocols.
Monitor inventory, manage receiving, verify orders, and ensure FIFO product rotation.
Use portion controls and ingredient cross-utilization to reduce food costs and support campus sustainability initiatives.
Inspect kitchen equipment daily and promptly log maintenance requests.
Partner with the Executive Chef to plan globally inspired cycle menus for a diverse student body.
Use campus food service management software, including Nutritics and Metz Pantry, for production sheets, recipe scaling, and inventory tracking.
Assist with labor tracking, production logs, and incident report documentation.