Sous Chef/Kitchen Manager

Metz Culinary Management•Washington, DC

2d•Onsite

About The Position

Metz Culinary Management is seeking a culinary leader to manage high-volume daily culinary production, recipe execution, and kitchen operations across residential dining halls, retail food courts, and campus catering events. The role delivers high-quality, diverse, and nutrition-conscious meals to students, faculty, and guests while leading and mentoring professional kitchen staff and student employees. The Sous Chef oversees batch cooking, hot and cold production, and meal service; ensures standardized recipes, portion sizes, flavor, and presentation; and implements food-allergen, specialized-diet, and cross-contamination safety protocols. The role leads preparation, transport logistics, and presentation for banquets, VIP events, and athletic catering. The position supervises and schedules kitchen staff, provides hands-on culinary coaching, leads operations during peak service, and fosters a collaborative kitchen environment. It also enforces sanitation and safety requirements, manages inventory and receiving, minimizes waste, checks equipment, collaborates with the Executive Chef on menus, uses food-service software for production and inventory tasks, and assists with labor tracking and operational documentation.

Requirements

3–5 years of professional culinary experience in a high-volume setting; the posting also lists 3–5+ years of supervisory experience or experience as a Sous Chef.
At least 1–2 years in a supervisory role, as stated in the qualifications section.
Experience in high-volume food service; experience in contract dining settings such as hospitals, schools, colleges, senior living, or corporate dining is desired.
Active ServSafe Manager Certification or an equivalent state-approved food safety license.
Strong kitchen leadership experience and solid culinary training.
Thorough knowledge of menu implementation and presentation.
Catering experience.
Knowledge of restaurant management.
Strong communication and interpersonal skills to direct a diverse workforce and engage professionally with students and faculty.
Understanding of multi-station kitchen equipment, commercial batch-cooking production, and diverse global cuisines.
Ability to stand and walk for prolonged periods, 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 environments near ovens, grills, and steam tables.
May be required to report to work during campus closures, inclement weather, or university holiday events.

Nice To Haves

Associate degree in Culinary Arts, Hospitality, or a related field preferred; a high school diploma or GED with equivalent technical culinary experience is also accepted.
Culinary degree strongly preferred.
Experience in contract dining food service, such as hospital, school, college, senior living, or corporate dining accounts, is desired.
A strong supervisor with solid culinary training who is ready for the next step is considered ideal.

Responsibilities

Direct daily batch cooking, hot and cold production, and timely meal service for residential dining and retail outlets.
Ensure adherence to standardized recipes, portion sizes, flavor standards, and presentation requirements.
Implement food-allergen and specialized-diet safety protocols and prevent cross-contamination.
Lead food preparation, transport logistics, and culinary presentation for university 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, and high-energy kitchen environment aligned with university standards and values.
Lead the kitchen floor during peak dining periods, resolve operational barriers, and work on the line when necessary.
Enforce local health department regulations, ServSafe standards, HACCP plans, and university workplace safety protocols.
Monitor inventory, manage receiving, verify orders, and optimize product rotation using FIFO.
Use portion controls and ingredient cross-utilization to reduce food costs and support campus sustainability initiatives.
Inspect kitchen equipment and promptly log maintenance requests.
Collaborate with the Executive Chef on innovative, 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 employee labor tracking, production logs, and incident report sheets.
Implement menus with strong presentation and support restaurant management operations.