Executive Chef

SSA Group; Town of Texas (WI); On-site; USD 85,000 - 120,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Monthly cell phone stipend

Flexible time off

Medical, Dental, Vision, Life

401(k) with 15% match

Parental Leave

Paid leave up to 120 hours

Job summary

SSA Group at Dallas Zoo is seeking an Executive Chef to lead culinary operations and drive exceptional guest experiences. You will hire, train, and coach a large kitchen team while maintaining top food quality and safety standards.

The role requires strong leadership, menu planning, and financial acumen to forecast sales and manage costs in a high-volume setting. This position anchors the unit’s culinary strategy under the General Manager.

Qualifications

• Five years chef experience in high-volume settings such as country clubs, catering, or cultural attractions.
• Culinary Arts Degree required or equivalent professional training.
• ServSafe certification and strong food safety knowledge.

Responsibilities

• Hire, train, evaluate, and coach kitchen staff to deliver quality food services.
• Forecast weekly/monthly sales and assist General Manager with planning.
• Develop training programs and ensure safety procedures and sanitation standards.
• Plan menus, supervise cooking and presentation, and control food costs.

Skills

Leadership

Team management

Communication

Culinary knowledge

Education

Culinary Arts Degree

ServSafe Certification

Tools

HAACP

Job description

SSA Group at Dallas Zoo is looking for a talented Executive Chef to join our team!

Who are we

At SSA, we're Unapologetically Family — it's who we are and how we show up for each other, for our 90+ cultural attraction partners, and for the more than 100 million guests we welcome each year. We laugh, we celebrate our wins, and we learn from our mistakes together.

That family mindset shapes 452 Hospitality, the heartbeat of everything we do: creating special moments of hospitality that have a lasting impact, before, during, and after every guest visit. We bring together admissions, culinary, and retail— to shape one seamless guest experience across the full Hospitality Experience Journey.

Whether you're looking for your first job, building your career, or bringing years of experience to a new role, you'll be part of a team that values your ideas, supports your growth, and encourages you to make an impact. More than 54% of our leaders are promoted from within — proof that when we say we invest in people, we mean it.

Executive Chef

Position Title: Executive Chef

Reports to: General Manager

Responsibilities

• Interview, hire, evaluate, reward, and progressively coach kitchen personnel as appropriate.
• Develop culinary training programs for food production employees and serve as a culinary resource to promote quality food services. Ensure SSAfety training(s) completed with all staff upon hire.
• Train kitchen personnel in safe operating procedures of all equipment, utensils, and machinery, as well as food production principles and practices.
• Assist General Manager with accurate forecast of weekly and monthly sales as necessary.
• Direct and coordinate the work of production and dish room staff.
• Maintains a close relationship with the client’s staff to insure a positive working relationship.
• Manage employees in accordance with State and Federal labor laws.
• Maintain a clean, safe and organized work environment.
• Uphold and demonstrate a complete understanding of company policies and procedures.
• Live out 452 Hospitality by delivering warm, welcoming, and memorable experiences for every guest and client.
• Supervise period end inventory for all food and beverage areas.
• Direct and participate in the daily preparation of standard and gourmet food items. Supervise and participate in the preparation and display of menu items for special functions
• Monitor and track proper cooking and holding temperatures.
• Establish maintenance schedules in conjunction with manufacturer's instructions for all equipment, provides safety training in lifting, carrying, hazardous material control, chemical control, and basic first aid. Facilitate the maintenance and repairs of facility and equipment.
• Ensure overall consistency and high quality across the various operations; plan menus based on such factors as market trends, customer preferences and nutritional considerations; design recipes, determine appropriate ingredients and specify individual serving portion for each recipe.
• Inspect all locations to observe quality of food preparation and service; food appearance; and cleanliness and sanitation of production and service areas, equipment and employee appearance.
• Place all food product orders and assist with shipping, receiving, and distribution, and maintain communication with vendors.
• Evaluate the quality of raw food and ensure the quality of the finished products.
• Implement and enforce sanitary practices for food handling, general cleanliness, and maintenance of kitchen and/or dining areas.
• Comply with all food safety regulations and practices. Ensure compliance with all applicable health and safety regulations.
• Process invoices to office team ensuring smooth communication so that all vendors are paid within terms.
• Manage all operational functions of the Culinary aspects within the Unit’s operation.
• Control food cost within HQ purchasing specifications, storeroom requisition systems, product storage requirements, standardization recipes and waste control procedures.
• Prepare operational reports and analyses setting forth progress, trends and make appropriate recommendations.
• Analyze sales and inventory to maximize opportunities.
• Manage payroll and controllable profit within established guidelines. Meet payroll budget percent expectations by being strategic with coverage, on-call shifts, etc.
• Schedule appropriate staff levels in accordance with budget and business forecast.
• Set precedent to achieve Sales, Per Cap & Controllable Budget.
• Incorporate sustainable resources into the culinary selections.
• Promote an inclusive & supportive approach at the Unit.
• Supports unit in being an example for Company & Client guidelines with regard to Sustainability/Conservation efforts. Displays knowledge of efforts in business application as well as giving adequate opportunity for teaching to unit staff as necessary.
• Supports SSA / Unit in driving community effort through hiring efforts, engagement activities, and focus on opportunities of giving back.
• Perform other tasks as deemed necessary.

Job Requirements

• Strong interpersonal and communication skills, including the ability to articulate to our client, Resident Area General Manager and HQ personnel.
• Proven leadership skills with an understanding of the importance of team building/development, while fostering partnerships.
• Exceptional problem solving/decision making skills combined with the ability to be organized.
• Demonstrates financial management, merchandising, analytical, planning and leadership skills.
• Demonstrates the ability to remain flexible in a fast-paced environment.
• Computer knowledge and skill level for basic office functions.
• Physical ability to stand for extended periods and to move and handle boxes (35lbs) as necessary to operation, which entails lifting, and perform all functions as set forth above.
• Ability to work varied hours/days, including nights, weekends and holidays, as needed.

IDEA + Belonging

• Promote an inclusive & supportive approach within the Brand team, with networking continuing at all units.
• Focuses on removing barriers and empowering growth and opportunity for team members at all levels.
• Leads by example through Sustainability/Conservation efforts; displays knowledge of efforts in business application as well as giving adequate opportunity for teaching to unit staff as necessary.
• Engages with SSA/Unit in driving community effort through engagement activities and focus. On opportunities of giving back.

Previous Experience

• Five years Chef experience in high volume restaurant, country club, catering or cultural attraction venue
• Culinary Arts Degree
• ServSafe Certified
• Knowledge of HAACP

This is by no means an exhaustive list of all responsibilities, skills, duties, requirements, efforts or working conditions associated with this job description. SSA Group reserves the right to revise the job description or to require that other or different tasks are performed when circumstances change (i.e. emergencies, changes in personnel, workload, rush jobs or technological developments).

SSA Group, LLC. is an equal opportunity employer. We embrace diversity and equal opportunity through our commitment to building a team that represents a variety of backgrounds, perspectives, and skills. The more inclusive we are, the better our work will be.

Compensation And Benefits

• Full-Time, Exempt
• $75 monthly cell phone stipend
• Flex Time Off: no accruals; employees are encouraged to schedule time off as needed within business scope
• Medical, Dental, Vision, Life Insurance and other voluntary benefits for you and your family; employeepremiums applicable.
• Participation in a 401(k) program with a 15% company match (must be 21 years or older, eligible after one year of employment with 1,000 hours worked, available to enroll during Open Enrollment Periods).
• Short-Term Disability and Long-Term Disability, employer sponsored; scaled-salary pay following submission and approval of leave
• Parental Leave: Birthing Parent Plan covers up to (6-8) weeks fully paid leave, based on the birthing event.
• SSA Paid Benefit: Up to 120 hours of Paid Leave for qualifying reasons, including Parental Bonding and your family’s serious medical conditions.
• Up to 5