Executive Chef

Compass Group USA; Santa Clara (CA); On-site; USD 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical

Vision

Life Insurance/ AD

Disability Insurance

Retirement Plan

Paid Time Off

Holiday Time Off

Associate Shopping Program

Health and Wellness Programs

Discount Marketplace

Identity Theft Protection

Pet Insurance

Employee Assistance Program

Flexible Spending Accounts (FSAs)

Personal Leave

Job summary

Compass Group USA is seeking an Executive Chef to lead culinary operations in a high-volume corporate dining environment and report to the Culinary Director. This hands-on leadership role oversees culinary quality, menu development, purchasing, inventory, cost control, and adherence to Bon Appétit standards.

Develop Sous Chefs and teams, maintain daily operational presence, and drive proactive problem solving and financial accountability.

Qualifications

• Culinary degree preferred or equivalent professional experience.
• 3–5 years of progressive culinary-management experience.
• Experience leading Sous Chefs and culinary teams.
• High-volume, complex foodservice and catering experience strongly preferred.
• Strong experience with menu development, production planning, purchasing, inventory, food cost, safety, and sanitation.
• ServSafe certification is highly desirable.

Responsibilities

• Lead daily culinary operations and maintain high standards for food quality, flavor, presentation, production, organization, and service.
• Lead, coach, and develop Sous Chefs and culinary employees through clear expectations, training, feedback, accountability, and opportunities for growth.
• Maintain a hands-on leadership presence and proactively resolve staffing, production, equipment, ingredient, and service challenges.
• Lead menu planning, menu engineering, and execution in partnership with the Culinary Director while ensuring menus are realistic for labor, equipment, production capacity, inventory, and purchasing.
• Manage food cost, purchasing, inventory, waste, and culinary expenditures while following approved Bon Appétit sourcing standards.
• Maintain appropriate inventory levels and minimize overproduction, waste, and unnecessary stock.
• Lead and reinforce food-safety, sanitation, allergen, workplace-safety, and audit-readiness standards.
• Support appropriate staffing, scheduling, labor deployment, timekeeping, meal-period compliance, and overtime management.
• Maintain the professionalism, responsiveness, culinary quality, and hospitality expected in a high-profile corporate environment.
• Collaborate effectively with the Culinary Director, Sous Chefs, FOH, catering, executive dining, pantry, and other campus teams.

Skills

Culinary management

Menu development

Food safety

Sanitation

Staff development

Education

Culinary degree or equivalent

Job description

Select how often (in days) to receive an alert:

Our Passion is Food! At Bon Appetit Management Company we are committed to two things, great food and outstanding service! At Bon Appetit you won't find our managers referring to a corporate recipe book or our chefs microwaving the lunch special. We do not have standardized recipes or central commissaries, instead, our chefs and managers are expected to stay abreast of current culinary trends and bring cutting edge food into their cafes. We are a restaurant company that operates in contract food service. That means you will have the freedom to be creative, take risks, and truly shine. We are committed to our staff growing, trying new things, and learning all that they can. Our rapid growth and breadth of accounts translates into exciting opportunities for our people!

Bon Appetit is a member of Compass Group USA.

Job Summary

The Executive Chef leads culinary operations in a high-volume, fast-paced, multi-kitchen corporate dining environment and reports to the Culinary Director.

This is a hands‑on leadership role responsible for culinary quality, menu development, team development, food safety and sanitation, purchasing, inventory, cost control, and consistent execution of Bon Appétit standards.

The Executive Chef is expected to develop Sous Chefs and culinary teams, maintain a strong presence in daily operations, solve problems proactively, plan ahead, and ensure the operation is organized, financially responsible, safe, and service‑ready.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead daily culinary operations and maintain high standards for food quality, flavor, presentation, production, organization, and service.
• Lead, coach, and develop Sous Chefs and culinary employees through clear expectations, training, feedback, accountability, and opportunities for growth.
• Maintain a hands‑on leadership presence and proactively resolve staffing, production, equipment, ingredient, and service challenges.
• Lead menu planning, menu engineering, and execution in partnership with the Culinary Director while ensuring menus are realistic for labor, equipment, production capacity, inventory, and purchasing.
• Manage food cost, purchasing, inventory, waste, and culinary expenditures while following approved Bon Appétit sourcing standards.
• Maintain appropriate inventory levels and minimize overproduction, waste, and unnecessary stock.
• Lead and reinforce food‑safety, sanitation, allergen, workplace‑safety, and audit‑readiness standards.
• Support appropriate staffing, scheduling, labor deployment, timekeeping, meal‑period compliance, and overtime management.
• Maintain the professionalism, responsiveness, culinary quality, and hospitality expected in a high‑profile corporate environment.
• Collaborate effectively with the Culinary Director, Sous Chefs, FOH, catering, executive dining, pantry, and other campus teams.

The Executive Chef should demonstrate excellent culinary skills, hands‑on leadership, ownership, accountability, self‑motivation, strong organization, problem‑solving, planning, teamwork, financial awareness, and the ability to operate effectively with limited direct supervision.

Preferred Qualifications

• Culinary degree preferred or equivalent professional experience.
• Three to five years of progressive culinary‑management experience.
• Experience leading Sous Chefs and culinary teams.
• High‑volume, complex foodservice and catering experience strongly preferred.
• Strong experience with menu development, production planning, purchasing, inventory, food cost, safety, and sanitation.
• ServSafe certification is highly desirable.

Operational Expectations

• Must be comfortable working in an active, high‑volume, multi‑kitchen culinary environment.
• Must be prepared to work the hours necessary to successfully lead the operation and meet Bon Appétit management standards, business demands, and leadership responsibilities.
• Schedule flexibility may be required based on staffing, business volume, special events, and operational needs.

Associates at Bon Appetit are offered many fantastic benefits.

• Medical
• Vision
• Life Insurance/ AD
• 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
• Employee Assistance Program
• Flexible Spending Accounts (FSAs)
• Personal Leave

https://www.compass-usa.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/2023_WageTransparency_BAMCO.pdf

Compass Group is an equal opportunity employer. At Compass, we are committed to treating all Applicants and Associates fairly based on their abilities, achievements, and experience without regard to race, national origin, sex, age, disability, veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity, or any other classification protected by law.

Qualified candidates must be able to perform the essential functions of this position satisfactorily with or without a reasonable accommodation. Disclaimer: this job post is not necessarily an exhaustive list of all essential responsibilities, skills, tasks, or requirements associated with this position. While this is intended to be an accurate reflection of the position posted, the Company reserves the right to modify or change the essential functions of the job based on business necessity. We will consider for employment all qualified applicants, including those with a criminal history (including relevant driving history), in a manner consistent with all applicable federal, state, and local laws, including the City of Los Angeles' Fair Chance Initiative for Hiring Ordinance, the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance, and the New York Fair Chance Act.

Applications are accepted on an ongoing basis.

Bon Appetit maintains a drug‑free workplace.