Assistant General Manager

Gate Gourmet; Schiller Park (IL); On-site; USD 150,000 - 155,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

401k with company match

Medical, dental, vision plans

Paid time off

Life insurance

Disability insurance

Employee Discounts

Weekly pay for union employees

Commuter benefits

Job summary

Gate Gourmet in Schiller Park, IL seeks a senior operations leader to manage Culinary/Hot Kitchen, Assembly and Transportation for a high-volume flight-kitchen unit.

The role requires 10+ years of management in airline catering or food manufacturing, with Lean/Six Sigma knowledge and strong leadership, communication, and labor relations skills. Competitive benefits and annual bonus opportunities are offered.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in business administration or related field.
• Minimum 10 years of management experience in in-flight catering or food manufacturing.
• Lean manufacturing and/or Six Sigma knowledge preferred.
• Experience managing a team of supervisors and managers for a single operating unit.

Responsibilities

• Leads and manages Culinary/Hot Kitchen, Assembly and Transportation departments to meet production and service standards.
• Drives to meet business objectives related to costs, sanitation, quality, and airline goals.
• Maintain key performance metrics and ensure compliance with HACCP, FDA, and security standards.
• Develops SOPs and supports Lean initiatives to achieve targets.
• Manage annual performance evaluations and labor relations within departments.

Skills

Leadership

Lean manufacturing

Six Sigma

Problem solving

Change agent

Team builder

Interpersonal skills

Communication

Education

Bachelor’s degree in business administration or related field

Tools

Microsoft Office

Job description

We’re looking for motivated, engaged people to help make everyone’s journeys better. Reporting to the Hub BU Leader, this position leads and manages the Culinary/Hot Kitchen, Assembly and Transportation departments of the airline catering unit or “flight kitchen” with gross revenues of $100+ million and direct and indirect headcount of 1,000+ employees.

Annual Hiring Range $150k to $155k /Per Year plus 20% STIP Benefits, US Commuter benefits Paid time off 401k, with company match Company sponsored life insurance Medical, dental, vision plans Voluntary short-term/long-term disability insurance Voluntary life, accident, and hospital plans Employee Assistance Program Employee Discounts Weekly pay for union employees Free hot healthy meals for unit operations roles

Main Duties and Responsibilities

• Leads and manages Culinary/Hot Kitchen, Assembly and Transportation departments to ensure production standards and customer service requirements are met.
• Drives to meet business objectives and goals set by superior related to food costs, labor costs, sanitation, quality assurance, market track goals, airline goals and objectives, and all other specific goals set thereof.
• Responsible for the maintenance of key performance metrics for the departments.
• Ensures Customer requirements/specifications and service requirements are complied with on all airline accounts; this includes production processing, on-time performance, equipment inventory, and quality assurance controls.
• Maintains customer communication with all local and corporate airline representatives to ensure all request, investigations, and/or related are concluded to the satisfaction of the customer and company.
• Supports customer audits and government audits to meet compliance.
• Monitors all menu cycles to ensure customer service and satisfaction is not interrupted.
• Ensures that all HACCP, FDA, Local Airport, Quality Assurance, and Airline Specifications are maintained at the highest level.
• Supports and assists Lean initiatives, and Quality initiatives to achieve OPEX targets.
• Ensures that proper equipment is maintained and controlled in the Unit for operation excellence.
• Ensures all Corporate Policies and Procedures are followed and maintained.
• Develops Standard Operating Procedures.
• Ensures the security of the facility by monitoring and maintaining existing programs including all TSA, local airport and corporate requirements.
• Manages operation staff on a day-to-day operation aspect to drive for exceeding set targets.
• Responsible for annual performance evaluations of direct reports in compliance with corporate initiatives.
• Monitors employee relations in each Department, ensures compliance with the National Master and Local Addendum labor agreements in the Departments.
• Assists the BU leader on projects, investigations, training, corporate goals and objectives, and airline requests.
• Completes Hazard Analysis and Risk Based Preventative Controls (HARPC) Preventative Controls for Human Food training and certification course to be a PCQI (Preventive Controls Qualified Individual) according to company policy.
• Completes all company required training including but not limited to ServSafe Sanitation Manager Certification.

Qualifications

• Education: Bachelor’s degree in business administration or related field required
• Work Experience: Successful track record as a Manager or Assistant Manager in airline catering required.
• Minimum 10 years of management experience in in-flight catering or food manufacturing environment required.
• Proven experience successfully managing a team of supervisors and managers for a single operating unit required
• Demonstrated knowledge of Lean manufacturing principles and/or six sigma and continuous improvement methodologies preferred.
• Previous customer service and/or account management experience required.
• Strong track record of innovation and making changes to the operation to further improve the work environment and unit performance
• Labor relations experience is required
• Technical Skills: (Certification, Licenses and Registration) Must have strong and effective leadership skills
• Must be comfortable with all levels of employees and have the ability to drive positive program change.
• Must be a Team builder with the ability to lead and motivate a diverse management and hourly staff
• Excellent problem solving skills, planning and scheduling capabilities managing multiple account requirements
• Ability to effectively manage multiple operations while maintaining compliance in a heavy regulated environment e.g. FDA, HACCP and security
• Advanced Microsoft office tool skills (excel, word)
• Knowledge of quality auditing, inspection methods
• Detail oriented and excellent project management skills
• Strong organizational skills, able to prioritize responsibilities and multi-task
• Change Agent
• Able to obtain an AOA badge and customs seal.
• Language / Communication Skills: Strong interpersonal skills and the ability to interact effectively with multiple departments and customers
• Excellent written and oral communication skills.

Job Dimensions

Geographic Responsibility: Hub Unit Type of Employment: Full-time Travel %: Up to 25% as required to attend management or leadership team meetings Exemption Classification: Exempt Internal Relationships: all levels of employees External Relationships: customers, government agencies

Work Environment / Requirements of the Job: production kitchen facility (there may be physical discomfort due to temperature and noise)

Budget / Revenue Responsibility: (Local Currency): $100+ million

Organization Structure

• Direct Line Manager (Title): Hub BU Leader
• Dotted Line Manager (Title, if applicable): N/A
• Number of Direct Reports: 3
• Number of Dotted Line Reports: N/A
• Estimated Total Size of Team: 600+ gategroup

Competencies Required to be Successful in the Job

• Thinking – Information Search and analysis & problem resolution skills
• Engaging – Understanding others, Team Leadership and Developing People
• Inspiring – Influencing and building relationships, Motivating and Inspiring, Communicating effectively
• Achieving – Delivering business results under pressure, Championing Performance Improvement and Customer Focus

Demonstrated Values to be Successful in the Position

Employees at gategroup are expected to live ourValues of Excellence, Passion, Responsibility and Respect. To demonstrate theseValues, we expect to observe the following from everyone:

• Excellence We put the customer at the forefront of everything we do, taking time to understand their needs, wishes and desires. We constantly learn by giving and receiving feedback, improving from our mistakes and bettering ourselves.
• Passion Hospitality, in its purest form, comes down to a single, core principle: care. We do everything with thoughtfulness, attention, and care. We have a growth mindset, a resilience that makes us determined to bounce back from failures and setbacks.
• Responsibility We care about what we do, and we understand the impact we have on others and the planet. We always look out for each other –creating a safe workplace environment is everyone’s responsibility.
• Respect Every job matters. We each do our part to ensure our colleagues and our customers succeed in their goals. We respect each other’s voices and foster a workplace that supports inclusion and belonging. We are all one gategroup.

We are all one gategroup.

gategroup is an equal opportunity employer committed to workforce diversity. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment and will not be discriminated against on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, veteran status, disability status or other category under applicable law.

For further information regarding Equal Employment Opportunity, copy and paste the following URL into your web browser: http://www.dol.gov/ofccp/regs/compliance/posters/pdf/eeopost.pdf

We anticipate that this job will close on: 10/04/2026

gategroup is the global leader in airline catering, retail-on-board and hospitality products and services. gategroup provides passengers with superior culinary and retail experiences, leveraging innovation and advanced technology solutions. Headquartered in Zurich, Switzerland, gategroup delivers operational excellence through the most extensive catering network in the aviation industry, serving passengers from over 200 operating units in over 60 countries/territories across all continents. We work in an exciting industry – fast-paced and ever-changing. Industry trends and customer expectations are constantly evolving and it is critical that we are agile, innovative and ready for change - and our people are our driving force. We offer attractive opportunities to be part of this fast-paced and truly international working environment.