Chef Manager - Medford/Somerville Campus

Tufts University; Somerville (MA); On-site; USD 64,000 - 97,000; Full time

Job summary

An established industry player in collegiate dining is seeking a dynamic Chef Manager to lead their culinary team. This role involves overseeing kitchen operations, food production, and staff training, ensuring the delivery of high-quality dining experiences. The ideal candidate will have a passion for food, strong leadership skills, and the ability to foster a creative and productive environment. With a focus on quality control, menu development, and effective communication, this position offers a unique opportunity to make a significant impact in a vibrant dining community. If you thrive in a fast-paced environment and are committed to excellence, we want to hear from you!

Qualifications

• 5+ years of leadership experience in a high-volume kitchen.
• Strong culinary skills with experience in recipe and menu creation.
• Ability to work well under pressure and lead a diverse team.

Responsibilities

• Manage kitchen operations and supervise culinary staff effectively.
• Ensure high-quality food production and presentation.
• Monitor food safety and sanitation standards.

Skills

Culinary Management

Food Production

Menu Development

Communication Skills

Leadership

Inventory Control

Food Safety

Creativity

Education

Associate's Degree in Culinary Arts

Tools

FoodPro Software

Microsoft Office

Job description

Overview

Tufts Dining is a self-operated food service provider managing a comprehensive collegiate dining program on the Tufts University Medford/Somerville and SMFA/Fenway campus, delivering high quality, contemporary and innovative food, and hospitality services to meet the various needs of students, staff, faculty, administrators, and visitors in a fiscally responsible manner. Our team provides a progressive resident dining program as well as innovative retail services, and a distinctive university catering program serving a campus community comprised of 6500 undergraduates, 2100 graduate students, and 2300 staff, faculty and administrators.

Dining Centers and Catering are open 7 days a week. Working weekends, evenings, and holidays will be expected.

What You'll Do

The Chef Manager will be responsible for the effective management of the kitchen, food production stations and culinary staff in the resident dining unit.

• The Chef Manager will provide leadership in the areas of food preparation and presentation, menu and recipe development, quality control, sanitation, food-borne illness prevention, inventory control, production forecasting and food and supplies ordering.
• Will monitor all food production procedures, directly supervise culinary staff, and provide culinary skills training to all unit staff.
• Will foster creativity and productivity in employees through positive daily interactions and on-going coaching.
• Will ensure the timely service of consistently high quality and safe foods with authentic flavors and appetizing appearance and within acceptable cost parameters.
• Will accomplish all this through effective production scheduling, ensuring proper preparation techniques, effective recipe and inventory management and successful communication with peers, staff, and customers.
• The Chef Manager will be expected to become proficient with FoodPro software.
• The Chef Manager will work closely with front-of-house service staff to ensure proper food presentation and excellent customer service.
• As a member of the unit management team the Chef Manager will be responsible for the overall supervision of Manager-on-Duty shifts as scheduled and will work cooperatively with members of the unit management team to deliver a high-quality dining experience.
• The Chef Manager must demonstrate strong food service management.
• Must possess strong and effective communication skills, verbal, and writing.
• Must have substantial experience with various food production equipment, culinary techniques, and cuisines.
• Self-motivated and creative with a positive attitude.
  be detail-oriented, organized, and able to lead and direct a culinary staff of varied experience levels and be flexible as business demands.
• Must work well under time-pressure and in a structured environment.

What We're Looking For

Basic Requirements:

• Knowledge and experience typically acquired through the completion of an Associate's
  Degree in Culinary Arts or an equivalent combination of education and related work experience
• At least 5 years of leadership experience supervising culinary staff in a high-volume kitchen required
• Training and experience in culinary and bakery production and supervision in cook chill technology
• Experience in planning production and delivery logistics
• The successful candidate will possess well-developed, mature, and professional interpersonal and organizational skills with the ability to effectively communicate verbally and in writing
• Demonstrated strong culinary skills required with additional experience creating recipes and menus and in general food service management
• Demonstrated mastery of bakery and food production equipment, culinary techniques, and cuisines
• Self-motivated and creative with a positive attitude and a passion for food
• Must be detail oriented, organized, able to lead and direct a staff of varied experience levels, and be flexible as business demands
• Must work well under pressure and in a structured environment
• Must speak and understand English fluently, with the ability to effectively communicate verbally and in writing
• Must be able to work independently and as part of a team, effectively supervise staff, and work collaboratively with employees and peers
• Computer competence including familiarity with food management/production systems and Microsoft Office

Preferred Qualifications:

• ServSafe Certification
• ACF (American Culinary Federation) Certification
• Certificate of Allergen Awareness
• Kosher Food Service Experience

Work Schedule Requirements:

• This is an on-site position
• Dining Centers and Catering are open 7 days a week. Working weekends, evenings, and holidays will be expected
• A 50 hour work week is anticipated. This schedule is typically completed in five days with two days off
• We require flexibility in scheduling which may change based on business needs
• Some travel may be required for training and seminars to advance professional development

Pay Range

Minimum $64,550.00, Midpoint $80,700.00, Maximum $96,850.00



Salary is based on related experience, expertise, and internal equity; generally, new hires can expect pay between the minimum and midpoint of the range.