Executive Chef - Nexus in Middlesex County (NJ)

The Sports Facilities Advisory & Management; Edison (NJ); On-site; USD 95,000 - 130,000; Full time

Job summary

Nexus in Middlesex County (NJ) is seeking an Executive Chef to lead back-of-house culinary operations across our multi-outlet environment, including a full-service restaurant, concessions, café, catering, and events. You will drive menu strategy, cost controls, and guest satisfaction while mentoring a high-performance kitchen team.

Responsibilities cover menu engineering, recipe standards, and cross-functional collaboration with Front-of-House, Events, and Venue Operations to deliver exceptional

Qualifications

• 7+ years progressive BOH leadership with 3+ years as Executive Chef or Chef de Cuisine in chef-driven kitchens
• Experience overseeing multi-outlet or high-volume operations (restaurant + catering/events)
• Expert-level culinary fundamentals, menu development, and plating standards
• Proven financial acumen: food/labor cost control, inventory systems, and vendor negotiations
• Must be available on weekends, holidays, nights, and days
• Ability to work independently with minimal supervision
• Experience/education in food industry, scratch kitchens

Responsibilities

• Lead menu development, tasting, and seasonal rotations with costed dishes
• Uphold best-in-market quality for flavor, presentation, and consistency across all outlets
• Establish and enforce recipe standards, portioning guides, prep lists, and training
• Recruit, train, and mentor BOH staff
• Own culinary P&L levers: food cost, labor, waste; meet targets through inventory and planning
• Negotiate procurement, source local/seasonal products, ensure on-time deliveries
• Oversee inventory controls, par levels, cycle counts, and monthly closes with Finance
• Ensure kitchen equipment maintenance, safety, and preventive maintenance
• Ensure Health Code compliance and HACCP procedures
• Provide shift briefs, prep priorities, and cross-department communication
• Report KPIs and assist annual budgeting

Skills

BOH leadership

Executive Chef experience

Menu development

Food cost control

Inventory systems

Vendor negotiations

Weekend/holiday availability

Education

Experience in food industry and scratch kitchens

Job description

EXECUTIVE CHEF - Nexus in Middlesex County (NJ)

MCP SFM, LLC

LOCATION: Edison, NJ

DEPARTMENT: FOOD & BEVERAGE

REPORTS TO: FOOD & BEVERAGE DIRECTOR

STATUS: FULL-TIME (EXEMPT)

ABOUT THE COMPANY:

Nexus in Middlesex County (NJ) is a premier sport, recreation and entertainment destination focused on improving the health and economic vitality of Edison, NJ. You will be joining a championship level team focused on fun, fulfillment and service built to enrich the community as well as your career and personal growth.

Nexus in Middlesex County (NJ) is a managed facility by Sports Facilities Management, LLC, a Sports Facilities Companies (SFC) company. SFC is the nation's leading resource for managing and developing sports, recreation, wellness, and events facilities. We provide a highly collaborative and supportive culture that raises our team members to new levels of career growth. Together, we will carve a path in a hyper-growing industry where you will enjoy the journey and learn from the industry's best while having some fun.

SFC has been awarded national recognition as a Top Workplace and is considered a workplace of choice. Our mission-focused company is highly entrepreneurial, team-oriented with a culture centered on collaboration, accountability, excellence, and service. We are growing rapidly and looking for high performers at every level to grow with us.

POSITION SUMMARY:

The Executive Chef is the senior culinary leader responsible for all back-of-house food operations across the recreation center's multi-outlet footprint-anchored by a full-service restaurant-along with quick-service/concessions, grab-and-go, café, catering, and special events. This role sets the culinary vision, builds and develops a high-performance kitchen team, ensures consistently exceptional guest experience, and delivers business results through menu engineering, cost controls, food safety, and cross-functional partnership with Front-of-House, Events, and Venue Operations.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Lead menu development, tasting and iteration cycles, and seasonal rotations; ensure dishes are costed, scalable, and aligned with guest insights and profitability goals
• Uphold best-in-market quality for flavor, presentation, and consistency across all outlets (restaurant, concessions/QSR, café, catering, special events)
• Establish and enforce recipe standards, portioning guides, prep lists, and expo protocols; ensure accurate recipe documentation and training compliance
• Recruit, train, and mentor Sous Chefs, BOH Supervisors, Cooks, Prep, Pastry (if applicable), and Utility/Dish teams
• Own culinary P&L levers: food cost, labor cost, waste, and controllables; meet or exceed targets through disciplined inventory, purchasing, and production planning
• Maintain procurement standards: negotiate with purveyors, source high-quality local/seasonal products, and ensure on-time, in-spec deliveries
• Oversee inventory controls (par levels, cycle counts), invoice accuracy, transfers, and waste tracking; drive accurate weekly/monthly closes with Finance
• Ensure kitchen equipment is maintained, calibrated, and safe; coordinate preventive maintenance and repairs
• Ensure compliance with Health Code and state requirements; uphold policies to achieve and maintain an "A" grade
• Implement and audit HACCP-based procedures, allergen management, labeling, cooling logs, and sanitation checklists; conduct mock inspections and corrective actions
• Enforce OSHA-compliant practices, knife/hood/grease management, and safe chemical handling
• Provide clear shift briefings, prep priorities, and expo leadership; communicate proactively across departments to ensure a seamless guest experience.
• Report weekly on KPIs, wins, risks, and action plans; contribute to annual planning and budgeting
• Performs other related duties as assigned by management

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS:

• 7+ years progressive BOH leadership with 3+ years as Executive Chef or Chef de Cuisine in an elevated, chef-driven, scratch kitchen preferred
• Demonstrated success overseeing multi-outlet or high-volume operations (restaurant + catering/events; QSR/concessions a plus)
• Expert-level culinary fundamentals, menu development, and plating standards for elevated dining; strong knowledge of regional/seasonal sourcing
• Proven financial acumen: food/labor cost control, menu engineering, inventory systems, and vendor negotiations
• Must be available on weekends, holidays, nights, and days
• Must be able to work independently with minimal supervision
• Effective time management skills
• Prior experience/education in food industry, scratch kitchens (pizza, deli, food hall)

WORKING CONDITIONS AND PHYSICAL EFFORT:

• Working environment is fast paced
• Must be able to lift and/or move up to 50 pounds infrequently
• Limited exposure to physical risk
• Limited physical effort required