Executive Sous Chef

Fairmont New Orleans; New Orleans (LA); On-site; USD 120,000 - 170,000; Full time

Job summary

Fairmont New Orleans is seeking an Executive Chef to lead the culinary operations for a luxury downtown property. You will guide the culinary team, drive menu engineering, control costs and ensure exceptional guest experiences across all outlets.

Reporting to the Executive Chef, you will champion brand standards, safety, and collaboration with other departments to deliver memorable dining experiences in a premier hotel setting.

Qualifications

• 8+ years of progressive culinary leadership in luxury hotel or high-volume kitchen.
• Proven ability to lead with influence, foster trust and accountability.
• Experience recruiting, mentoring and retaining top culinary talent.
• Strategic and operational expertise in labor management and food cost control.

Responsibilities

• Provide strategic culinary leadership in partnership with the Executive Chef and lead operations in absence of the Executive Chef.
• Develop and inspire a high-performing culinary brigade through recruitment, onboarding, coaching and performance management.
• Oversee food and labor costs, budgeting, forecasting, yield analysis, inventory, procurement (Birchstreet), scheduling (Watson LMS), and waste reduction.
• Ensure exceptional culinary execution, menu engineering, costed recipes, daily QA and adherence to quality and dietary standards.
• Uphold Fairmont brand standards and health, safety, sanitation and regulatory requirements.
• Collaborate across Food & Beverage and other departments to deliver guest experiences and drive innovation.

Skills

Culinary leadership

Recruitment & mentoring

Operational excellence

Food cost control

Labor management

Strategic planning

Team development

Tools

Birchstreet

Watson LMS

Job description

Fairmont Hotels & Resorts is a renowned luxury hotel brand with a global presence and a commitment to creating lasting memories for our guests. With over 30,000 colleagues worldwide, we are dedicated to delivering exceptional service, fostering a culture of excellence, and making special happen.

Located in the heart of downtown Fairmont New Orleans will be an impressive new addition to Fairmont’s luxury portfolio, offering 250 luxury guest rooms, four food & drink venues, a rooftop pool with expansive views of the city, more than 19,000 square feet of function space, and a 10,000 square-foot spa.

This property is destined to become an illustrious destination in the Central Business District, nearby the city’s renowned and historic French Quarter.

Job Description

Reporting to the Executive Chef, responsibilities and essential job functions include but are not limited to the following:

• Provide strategic culinary leadership in partnership with the Executive Chef, aligning the culinary leadership team around culture, accountability, operational excellence, and the philosophy of “Make It Count”. Assume full operational responsibility for culinary operations in the Executive Chef’s absence
• Lead, develop, and inspire a high-performing culinary brigade through recruitment, onboarding, coaching, succession planning, and performance management, fostering an engaged, inclusive, and collaborative culture across all culinary operations
• Drive financial performance and operational excellence by overseeing food and labor costs, budgeting and forecasting, yield analysis, inventory management, procurement (Birchstreet), workforce scheduling (Watson LMS), and initiatives that reduce waste and support sustainability
• Ensure exceptional culinary execution and elevated guest experience through menu engineering, disciplined recipe costing, daily quality assurance, real-time coaching, and strict adherence to food quality, presentation, consistency, and dietary requirements
• Champion and uphold Fairmont brand standards, as well as all health, safety, and regulatory requirements, including food safety, sanitation, grooming and hygiene standards, equipment maintenance, and compliance with the hotel’s Culinary Cultural Manual
• Foster collaboration across Food & Beverage and other hotel departments to deliver exceptional guest experiences, drive innovation across restaurants, bars, banquets, Fairmont Gold and in-room dining, and leverage operational and financial performance data to identify opportunities for continuous improvement

Qualifications

• Minimum 8 years of progressive culinary leadership experience within a luxury hotel or high-volume kitchen environment
• Proven ability to lead with influence, foster trust, accountability, and a culture of excellence
• Demonstrated success in recruiting, mentoring, and retaining top-tier culinary talent, with a focus on long-term succession planning
• Strategic and operational expertise in labor management, food cost control, and productivity optimization