Sous Chef - Level II

Life Alive Café • Cambridge, MA

1d • Hybrid

About The Position

The Sous Chef Level II is responsible for overseeing daily prep and production of a high-volume, scratch-made menu, ensuring consistent quality through hands-on involvement. This role involves monitoring freshness, maintaining consistency in various food items, and upholding Life Alive’s commitment to whole food and vitality. Additionally, the Sous Chef II will participate in onboarding and developing prep team members, fostering a collaborative culture, providing coaching, and training on systems, standards, and culinary techniques. The position requires leading shifts with positivity, clarity, and strong communication. The Sous Chef II will also manage prep and purchasing operations to ensure proper product levels and minimal waste, using forecasting tools to align prep with sales volume and ensuring efficient execution of prep systems. Financial accountability includes executing purchasing within budget, maintaining inventory levels, and using sales forecasting and labor tools to drive efficiency and maintain margins. Upholding strict cleanliness and organization standards, enforcing "clean as you go" practices, and leading cleaning routines are crucial. The role also involves ensuring compliance with food safety and sanitation guidelines and partnering with the General Manager for facility audits.

Requirements

• Successful completion and mastery of Sous Chef Level I responsibilities.
• Completion and validation of the Sous Chef Level II Training Plan.
• Ability to lift up to 50 lbs and work 9+ hours on your feet multiple days a week.

Nice To Haves

• Independently motivated
• Able to manage through ambiguity
• Growth mindset orientated
• Capable of running shifts without supervision
• Cool and Calm Demeanor under pressure
• Able to troubleshoot and solve problems in the moment
• Able to communicate clearly and concisely, both orally and in writing
• Knowledgeable of customer service techniques
• Able to lead Team-building skills
• A strong leadership skills, with the ability to coach and mentor others
• Ability to plan and prioritize workload
• Eager to learn systems and take ownership
• Able to complete tasks, sometimes unsupervised

Responsibilities

• Oversee daily prep and production of a high-volume, scratch-made menu
• Ensure consistent quality through hands-on involvement—tasting, adjusting, and course-correcting
• Monitor freshness and quality of all incoming products
• Maintain consistency across sauces, soups, broths, and prepared ingredients
• Uphold standards that reflect Life Alive’s commitment to whole food and vitality
• Participate in the onboarding, and develop prep team members
• Foster a collaborative, mission-driven team culture
• Provide consistent coaching, feedback, and performance development
• Train team members on systems, standards, and culinary techniques
• Lead shifts with positivity, clarity, and strong communication
• Own the prep and purchasing operation to ensure proper product levels and minimal waste
• Use forecasting tools to align prep with sales volume
• Ensure efficient execution of prep systems and workflows
• Maintain full operational readiness for each shift
• Execute purchasing within budget and maintain proper inventory levels
• Use sales forecasting and labor tools to drive efficiency
• Develop team capabilities to improve productivity and maintain margins
• Uphold strict cleanliness and organization standards—“clean is clean, no exceptions”
• Train and enforce “clean as you go” practices
• Lead daily and deep cleaning routines with the team
• Ensure compliance with all food safety and sanitation guidelines
• Partner with the General Manager to regularly audit the facility

Benefits

• Plentiful Food Discounts & Yoga Perks
• Flexible work schedule with the ability to split time working from home and in our cafés
• 401k and IRA, Life Alive matches 401k contributions at 100%, up to 3%
• Medical, Dental & Vision coverage
• Life Insurance, MetLaw, TeleDoc, Short Term & Long Term Disability, Mental Health Support via My Strength
• Parking and Transportation Reimbursement

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Mid Level
• Education Level: No Education Listed