Executive Chef (On-site)

University of California, Merced; California (MO); On-site; USD 83,000 - 96,000; Full time

Job summary

University of California, Merced is seeking an Executive Chef to lead the culinary operations across residential dining, retail food services, catering, and the commissary. You will plan, organize, direct, and manage a high-quality dining program, driving menu development, production processes, and staff performance with independent judgment and a focus on safety and efficiency.

You will supervise and train staff, manage inventory, and oversee procurement while aligning with sustainability

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in a related area.
• 5 years of related experience or 9 years equivalent related experience if no degree.
• 5 years of culinary management experience, preferably in a college or university environment with independent decision making for menu planning, customer service, staffing and financial management. (Preferred)
• Serve Safe Certification or equivalent or superior certification or to be obtained within 6 months of employment.
• CCC certification with the American Culinary Federation or equivalent. (Preferred)

Responsibilities

• Continually assess and improve processes and procedures. Plans and develops service operations while ensuring compliance with food handling, preparation, and service standards for quality assurance, safety, and security.
• Oversees and supervises food production and service delivery. Maintains a high-quality food production system. Develops and implements exceptional food production and customer service standards.
• Direct involvement in staff training programs. Creates and provides continuous training to all food production staff, supervisors, and managers in food preparation, presentation, customer service, sanitation, and safety. Develops and implements standards for food production and service delivery, including sanitation standards to meet all health codes.
• Leads menu development, creates menus for food service operations, and develops recipes for production testing and culinary evaluation.
• Supervises staff and provides excellent communication and interpersonal skills when interacting with supervisors and management. Ensures that all staff meet quality assurance standards. Oversees, mentors, and develops staff, setting team goals and performance standards. Provides guidance on complex and sensitive issues, assigns work, and monitors team progress. Manages staffing needs, including recruitment, hiring, performance evaluations, and professional development to ensure operational efficiency. Recommends actions related to compensation, promotions, reclassifications, discipline, and grievance resolutions.
• Manages budgetary responsibility within cost per meal and general cost guidelines. Oversees food procurement, receiving, and inventory control. Develops quality control programs to ensure optimal product quality.
• In collaboration with the management team, the Executive Chef plays a vital role in sustainability programs. These programs focus on areas such as recycling, utilizing organic and fresh, locally grown foods, water conservation, responsible purchasing, waste awareness, food recovery, nutrition management, and fostering student and community involvement through educational events. The Executive Chef may also serve on departmental, campus, and UC-wide sustainability committees.
• Monitors maintenance and repair needs in all kitchen and production areas to ensure that managers, supervisors, and sous chefs provide adequate levels of functionality, safety, and sanitation.

Skills

Culinary leadership

Food safety

Staff training

Menu development

Education

Bachelor's degree in related area

Serve Safe Certification

CCC certification (Preferred)

Job description

Hiring Range

The University of California, Merced is required to provide a reasonable estimate of the compensation range for this role. This range takes into account the wide range of factors that are considered in making compensation decisions including but not limited to experience, skills, knowledge, abilities, education, licensure and certifications, and other business and organizational needs. It is not typical for an individual to be offered a salary at or near the top of the range for a position. Salary offers are determined based on final candidate qualifications and experience. The salary range the University reasonably expects to pay for this position is $83,000 - $96,300.

Job Closing Date

This posting will remain open until filled with initial applicant review expected to be on or around August 26, 2026.

Remote/Hybrid eligibility

This position is fully on-site.

About UC Merced

The University of California, Merced, is the newest of the University of California system's 10 campuses and one of the youngest universities to be designated an R1 research university. With approximately 9,100 undergraduate and graduate students, UC Merced is a smaller, more intimate campus compared to its sister campuses, while equipped and staffed as a cutting edge, 21st century research institution. With bachelor's, master's and doctoral degree programs, strong research and academic partnerships and a growing community in the heart of the San Joaquin Valley, the UC Merced campus is continually evolving and requires talented, knowledgeable and dynamic educators, researchers, management and staff. Ranked in the top 30 among the best public universities in the nation by U.S. News and World Report and #1 for social mobility by the Wall Street Journal, UC Merced is uniquely equipped to provide world class educational opportunities to dynamic and enterprising students in the Valley and throughout the state. In partnership with UC San Francisco, UC Merced has launched a rigorous medical education program that will supply the Valley with culturally competent providers dedicated to improving local access to quality care. The campus enjoys a special connection with nearby Yosemite National Park, is on the cutting edge of sustainability in construction and design and is accelerating the continued economic development of the region.

About The Job

The Executive Chef, under the general direction of the Director, is responsible for overseeing one or more areas of operation, including residential dining, retail food services, catering, and the commissary. The Executive Chef will plan, organize, direct, and manage a quality dining operations program. As a technical leader in the culinary field, the Executive Chef will oversee the research, development, and implementation of menu items, corresponding recipes, production processes, structure, and strategy. This role includes selecting, training, supervising, and evaluating all operations staff in areas such as food safety, production, planning, and execution of tasks. This position requires responsibility for supervising, directing, and evaluating the work of subordinate employees, and exercising independent judgment in the administration of department policies and procedures. The Executive Chef will utilize comprehensive menu and inventory management methodologies and systems. Additionally, the Executive Chef will provide leadership by continuously monitoring and evaluating standards to ensure operational excellence.

Key Responsibilities

• Continually assess and improve processes and procedures. Plans and develops service operations while ensuring compliance with food handling, preparation, and service standards for quality assurance, safety, and security.
• Oversees and supervises food production and service delivery. Maintains a high-quality food production system. Develops and implements exceptional food production and customer service standards.
• Direct involvement in staff training programs. Creates and provides continuous training to all food production staff, supervisors, and managers in food preparation, presentation, customer service, sanitation, and safety. Develops and implements standards for food production and service delivery, including sanitation standards to meet all health codes.
• Leads menu development, creates menus for food service operations, and develops recipes for production testing and culinary evaluation.
• Supervises staff and provides excellent communication and interpersonal skills when interacting with supervisors and management. Ensures that all staff meet quality assurance standards. Oversees, mentors, and develops staff, setting team goals and performance standards. Provides guidance on complex and sensitive issues, assigns work, and monitors team progress. Manages staffing needs, including recruitment, hiring, performance evaluations, and professional development to ensure operational efficiency. Recommends actions related to compensation, promotions, reclassifications, discipline, and grievance resolutions.
• Manages budgetary responsibility within cost per meal and general cost guidelines. Oversees food procurement, receiving, and inventory control. Develops quality control programs to ensure optimal product quality.
• In collaboration with the management team, the Executive Chef plays a vital role in sustainability programs. These programs focus on areas such as recycling, utilizing organic and fresh, locally grown foods, water conservation, responsible purchasing, waste awareness, food recovery, nutrition management, and fostering student and community involvement through educational events. The Executive Chef may also serve on departmental, campus, and UC-wide sustainability committees.
• Monitors maintenance and repair needs in all kitchen and production areas to ensure that managers, supervisors, and sous chefs provide adequate levels of functionality, safety, and sanitation.

Qualifications

EDUCATION and REQUIREMENTS

• Bachelor's degree in a related area.
• 5 years of related experience or 9 years equivalent related experience if no degree.
• 5 years of culinary management experience, preferably in a college or university environment with independent decision making for menu planning, customer service, staffing and financial management. (Preferred)
• Serve Safe Certification or equivalent or superior certification or to be obtained within 6 months of employment.
• CCC certification with the American Culinary Federation or equivalent. (Preferred)

Critical Knowledge And Skills

• Advanced knowledge in food preparation, nutrition, special needs and sanitation regulations.
• Advanced verbal and written communication in the English language, and active listening, dynamic flexibility, critical thinking, and ability to multi-task and ensure effective time management.
• Advanced decision making and reasoning skills, and ability to develop original ideas to solve problems, and perform operations analysis and quality control analysis.
• Intermediate computer application skills.
• Advanced skill in effective interpersonal and work leadership skills to provide guidance to all levels of personnel.
• Experience sufficient to effectively utilize online scheduling and time and attendance software.
• Demonstrated ability to maintain the accuracy of recipe files in an automated menu management system.
• Proven culinary and management performance in high volume food services accounts.
• Demonstrated culinary experience sufficient to direct the total culinary operation of multiple retain and residential food facilities that range in size and complexity from small to large.
• Demonstrated experience in managing and completing staffing tables and scheduling procedures.
• Ability to communicate ideas and direction clearly and effectively verbally and in writing.
• Organizational skills sufficient to direct and organize the culinary training of supervisors, students, and staff.
• Ability to be proactive, foresee any potential problems and act quickly to remedy them.
• Skill sufficient to provide ongoing training in support of delivering excellence in customer service.
• Ability to maintain and promote positive customer and employee relations.
• Ability to recognize and appropriately deal with sensitive or confidential information and situations.
• Ability to maintain strict confidentiality in personnel and departmental matters.
• Skill to effectively and cooperatively work with a diverse group in a team setting.
• Ability to conduct business in a professional manner that is respectful, diplomatic and positive.
• Demonstrated experience and skill in specifying, ordering, receiving, storing, securing and distributing food, supplies and equipment generally associated with large, complex retail and residential operations.
• Demonstrated experience and skill in managing multiple inventories and ability to audit and identify potential programs and solutions.
• Demonstrated experience in forecasting of inventory, production, ordering, menu management, inventory management, access control, point-of-sale systems.
• Demonstrated experience in developing cycle menus with input from staff, student groups, surveys, industry trends and related data.
• Demonstrated experience in producing diverse, cost effective and current trend menus for food programs in catering, retail, and residential operations using the highest quality foods at the lowest possible price.
• Ability to effectively conduct focus groups and preview tasting of any and all new menu items to gain feedback.
• Demonstrated experience in developing specialized catering menus and customized menus based on customer request.
• Demonstrated experience in accurately writing recipes, records, reports and letters.

Background Check

Background check required.

Equal Employment Opportunity

The University of California is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, age, protected veteran status, or other protected categories covered by the UC Anti-Discrimination Policy.

Smoke And Tobacco Free Policy

The University of California, Merced is a smoke and tobacco free workplace. Information and the Smoke and Tobacco Free policy is available at http://smokefree.ucmerced.edu.

E-Verify

All employers who receive Federal contracts and grants are required to comply with E-Verify, an Internet-based system operated by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) in partnership with the Social Security Administration (SSA). E-Verify electronically verifies employment eligibility by comparing information provided on the I-9 form to records in the DHS and SSA databases. Certain positions funded by federal contracts/subcontracts requires UC Merced to notify job applicants that an E-Verify check will be conducted and the successful candidate must pass the E-Verify check.

Pay, Benefits & Work Schedule

For information on the comprehensive benefits package offered by the University of California visit: http://ucnet.universityofcalifornia.edu/compensation-and-benefits/