Sous Chef

Compass Group • Portland, OR

10d • $72,000

About The Position

The Sous Chef partners with the Executive Chef to lead a high-volume residential dining operation serving approximately 1,000 meal plan participants across one main dining facility, two satellite dining locations, and a coffee shop. This hands-on leadership role oversees daily culinary execution, menu development, production planning, team leadership, food quality, and service standards while maintaining Bon Appétit's commitment to fresh, innovative, scratch-made cuisine.

As a key member of the culinary leadership team, the Sous Chef helps direct evening operations, supports catering execution, develops employees, and ensures consistent excellence across multiple service platforms. The role calls for strong leadership, organization, communication, attention to detail, and the ability to thrive in a fast-paced, high-volume environment. The schedule generally supports evening operations, typically 1:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m., with flexibility based on business needs and special events.

Requirements

• Progressive culinary leadership experience in residential dining, higher education, restaurants, hospitality, corporate dining, or other high-volume foodservice environments.
• Experience leading and developing culinary teams in a fast-paced operation.
• Demonstrated success supervising both lead-level and hourly employees.
• Strong menu development and menu-writing experience.
• Strong knowledge of scratch cooking, large-scale food production, production planning, ordering, inventory management, and food cost awareness.
• Comprehensive understanding of food safety, sanitation, allergen management, and workplace safety standards.
• Excellent leadership, communication, organizational, and delegation skills.
• Ability to prioritize multiple responsibilities while maintaining quality and attention to detail.
• Ability to work a schedule that generally supports evening operations, typically 1:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m., with flexibility based on business needs and special events.

Nice To Haves

• Culinary degree; equivalent professional culinary experience will be considered.
• Experience supporting catering operations and special events.
• ServSafe Certification.

Responsibilities

• Partner with the Executive Chef to oversee daily culinary operations across one main kitchen, two satellite dining locations, and a coffee shop.
• Lead evening production and service execution, ensuring food quality, presentation, consistency, and guest satisfaction.
• Supervise and develop a culinary team that includes two hourly Sous Chefs, one Lead Cook, five Cooks, and three Dishwashers.
• Support menu planning, menu writing, recipe execution, and production management while maintaining standards for fresh, scratch-made food.
• Coordinate production and service across multiple outlets to ensure seamless execution and operational consistency.
• Assign daily priorities, delegate responsibilities, monitor progress, and hold team members accountable to performance expectations.
• Coach, train, and develop culinary employees through hands-on leadership, mentorship, and continuous feedback.
• Assist with ordering, inventory management, receiving, product utilization, and waste reduction initiatives.
• Support catering operations through menu planning, production oversight, event execution, and staffing coordination as needed.
• Maintain standards of food safety, sanitation, allergen awareness, workplace safety, and regulatory compliance.
• Monitor labor deployment and staffing effectiveness while supporting a productive and positive work environment.
• Collaborate with dining operations, catering, and support teams to ensure service and operational success.
• Identify and resolve operational challenges related to staffing, production, equipment, quality, and service execution.
• Maintain a visible leadership presence and model professionalism, teamwork, accountability, and hospitality.

Benefits

• Medical insurance
• Dental insurance
• Vision insurance
• Life insurance and AD&D
• Disability insurance
• Retirement plan
• Paid time off
• Holiday time off (varies by site/state)
• Associate Shopping Program
• Health and Wellness Programs
• Discount Marketplace
• Identity Theft Protection
• Pet Insurance
• Commuter Benefits
• Employee Assistance Program
• Flexible Spending Accounts (FSAs)
• Paid Parental Leave
• Personal Leave
• Potential paid and/or unpaid time off benefits in accordance with applicable federal, state, and local laws

What This Job Offers

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