Sous Chef, District Market - Alder

University of Washington • Seattle, WA

5d • Onsite

About The Position

Housing & Food Services has an outstanding opportunity for a Sous Chef, District Market Alder to join their team. The District Market Alder Sous Chef manages and supervises the daily culinary operations of District Market Alder under the direction of the General Manager and Campus Executive Chef. This position is responsible for the successful execution of all prepared food programs including the self-service hot case, retail hot food offerings, deli counter operations, meat and seafood case, grab-and-go production, and related culinary programs. The Sous Chef provides hands-on leadership in food safety, inventory management, customer service, and staff supervision. The position maintains active managerial control of all food safety systems and serves as a working leader within the operation, spending 75% of the time in production and service areas supporting staff, ensuring product quality, and delivering an exceptional customer experience.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in hospitality, business administration or related field.
• Minimum of one year of management experience in the food service industry.
• Excellent interpersonal, organizational, analytical, communication and problem-solving skills.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office, including Word, Excel, Outlook, PowerPoint and Project.

Nice To Haves

• Experience in college or university food services.

Responsibilities

• Oversee daily culinary production and service, including the self-service hot case, retail hot food, deli, grab-and-go, specialty programs, and Meat & Seafood Case.
• Develop production schedules, staffing plans, and production pars based on customer demand and sales forecasts, adjusting production to changing business levels.
• Oversee ordering, receiving, inventory management, product utilization, and CPK ordering to ensure appropriate availability while minimizing waste.
• Maintain standards for food quality, freshness, consistency, presentation, merchandising, rotation, and inventory control.
• Support product development, menu and recipe implementation, and CBORD FSS recipe input, validation, and production testing.
• Maintain active managerial control of food safety systems and serve as the primary food safety leader for culinary operations.
• Monitor and verify critical controls including temperatures, cooling, holding, sanitation, allergen management, and safe food handling.
• Ensure compliance with HACCP principles, ServSafe standards, health regulations, University policies, and required documentation.
• Conduct routine food safety inspections, investigate concerns, and implement corrective actions.
• Train and coach staff on food safety, sanitation, allergen awareness, and safe food handling practices.
• Supervise assigned classified, contract classified, hourly, and student employees, including work assignments, productivity, attendance, and operational priorities.
• Provide hands-on leadership, training, coaching, mentorship, and support during high-volume production and service periods.
• Assist with interviewing, onboarding, performance evaluations, ongoing coaching, and corrective action processes.
• Maintain a visible leadership presence and adjust staffing assignments to meet changing operational needs.
• Respond to customer needs and maintain positive working relationships with staff, customers, vendors, and campus partners.
• Serve as an opening manager and ensure District Market Alder is operationally ready for daily business.
• Provide leadership and supervision of grocery store operations when other managers are unavailable.
• Support customer service, cashiering, merchandising, stocking, and general retail operations.
• Partner with market leadership to ensure consistent execution of operational standards throughout the store.
• Support special events, promotions, and seasonal retail initiatives.
• Maintain inventory controls and ordering systems to support efficient operations and appropriate product availability.
• Monitor food cost, waste, product utilization, and production performance to identify opportunities for improvement.
• Review production and inventory records to support accurate forecasting and ordering.
• Maintain accurate documentation of waste, spoilage, transfers, and inventory adjustments.
• Support financial objectives through inventory management, production planning, labor utilization, and corrective action when needed.

Benefits

• Benefits: For information about benefits for this position, visit https://www.washington.edu/jobs/benefits-for-uw-staff/

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Manager