Executive Chef - High-Volume Campus Catering & Events

Tufts University; Somerville (MA); On-site; USD 89,100 - 133,800; Full time

Job summary

Tufts University is seeking an Executive Chef Catering Dining to lead all facets of food production, menu development, event execution, and hospitality services within Tufts' comprehensive catering program. This senior role drives culinary excellence, cost discipline, staff development, and adherence to safety standards in a fast‑paced, high‑volume environment.

You will manage a unionized culinary team, work closely with campus stakeholders and event planners, and oversee activities for

Qualifications

• Associate’s degree in culinary arts or equivalent combination of education and related work experience.
• 7–10 years of progressive culinary experience, including at least 5 years managing large-scale catering, banquet, conference, hospitality, or special event operations in a university, hotel, convention center, corporate dining, or comparable environment.
• Demonstrated experience managing complex event logistics and multiple concurrent catering functions.
• Demonstrated supervisory and people-management experience.
• Strong culinary skills with experience in high-volume catering, banquet production, and event hospitality operations.
• Experience creating customized menus for VIP events, conferences, donor functions, and executive hospitality.
• Strong understanding of event costing, revenue management, and catering profitability metrics.
• Experience coordinating culinary operations with event planners, clients, and campus stakeholders.
• Proficiency with food management/production systems and Microsoft Word, Excel, and Outlook
• Excellent communication, organizational, time-management, and multi-tasking skill

Responsibilities

• The Executive Chef Catering Dining is the senior culinary leader responsible for managing all aspects of food production, menu development, event execution, and hospitality services within Tufts University's comprehensive catering program.
• This role executes the vision, mission, and standards of Tufts Dining through hands‑on leadership, staff development, fiscal responsibility, and strict adherence to food safety, sanitation, and regulatory requirements.
• The Executive Chef leads a unionized culinary team to deliver high‑quality, innovative, and client‑focused catering experiences that support university events, conferences, special functions, executive hospitality, and community engagement while achieving operational, financial, and sustainability goals.

Skills

Communication

Organizational skills

Time management

Multi-tasking

Education

Associate’s degree in culinary arts

Bachelor’s degree in culinary arts or related field

Tools

Microsoft Word

Microsoft Excel

Microsoft Outlook

Job description

Tufts University is seeking an Executive Chef Catering Dining to lead all facets of food production, menu development, event execution, and hospitality services within Tufts' comprehensive catering program. This senior role drives culinary excellence, cost discipline, staff development, and adherence to safety standards in a fast‑paced, high‑volume environment.

You will manage a unionized culinary team, work closely with campus stakeholders and event planners, and oversee activities for