Executive Sous Chef

Gategroup Holding; Newark (NJ); On-site; USD 95,000 - 100,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Paid time off

401k with company match

Medical, dental, vision plans

Commuter benefits

Employee Discounts

Weekly pay for union employees

Job summary

Gategroup Holding is seeking an Executive Sous Chef to support the Executive Chef in a high-volume airline catering unit in the USA. You will oversee production across all areas, drive menu quality, reduce waste, and manage a team of chefs and cooks.

The role requires 7–10 years in progressive chef roles with supervisory experience, along with culinary degrees and ServSafe/AP-level credentials. Exemption status and full-time hours apply.

Qualifications

• Associate or Bachelor degree in Culinary Arts; formal culinary education required.
• CCC from ACF or ProChef II or equivalent certification.
• 7–10 years progressive Chef experience; 1–3 years supervisory in high-volume production.
• In-flight catering or high-volume food service experience required.
• Strong leadership, communication, and training abilities; HACCP knowledge.

Responsibilities

• Drive menu and product quality by overseeing food preparation and production.
• Coach and supervise Chefs, Cooks, and production staff; lead in Executive Chef's absence.
• Minimize waste, manage inventory, and ensure adherence to recipes and portions.
• Ensure HACCP and FDA safety standards; monitor sanitation and safety procedures.
• Develop staff, onboard cooks, and complete required training.

Skills

Leadership

Time management

Communication

Staff training

Problem solving

Quality control

Education

Associate/Bachelor in Culinary Arts

ACF CCC or ProChef II certification

Tools

Microsoft Office

ServSafe Certification

Job description

We’re looking for motivated, engaged people to help make everyone’s journeys better.

The Executive Sous Chef supports the Executive Chef in the responsibility for the daily monitoring of the preparation of the pre-designed meals for multi-customer accounts with culinary expertise through the management of all Chefs, Cooks and production employees in all food production areas of a Large Catering unit. The Executive Sous Chef promotes and insures quality food services to airline clients and product management/waste in hub unit or facility of high complexity due to volume and international customer mix. Reports to the Executive Chef and acts as the lead chef in the absence of the Executive Chef.

Annual Hiring Range/Hourly Rate

• $95K- $100K Per Hour/Per Year

Benefits

• Paid time off
• 401k, with company match
• Company sponsored life insurance
• Medical, dental, vision plans
• Voluntary short-term/long-term disability insurance
• Voluntary life, accident, and hospital plans
• Employee Assistance Program
• Commuter benefits
• Employee Discounts
• Weekly pay for union employees
• Free hot healthy meals for unit operations roles

Main Duties and Responsibilities

• Acts in support of the Executive Chef to drive menu and product quality in all production areas by overseeing food preparation and production, by consulting with the Buyer; Chefs, cooks, and team leaders; minimize waste through portioning, overboarding over-production, and inventory control. In the absence of the Executive Chefs as the Culinary Lead for the unit.
• Ensures Menu presentations are properly planned, set up, and specifications reviewed to ensure compliance to recipes and portion specifications as required by the customer. Understands menu and product specifications and insure menu employee training is completed.
• Insures waste is minimizes through oversight of proper portion and production management with all chefs throughout the production areas. Using a “Pull System”, ensures accurate and timely inventories are completed so requisitions are based on demand.
• Achieves culinary operational objectives by contributing information and analysis to strategic plans and reviews; preparing and completing action plans; implementing production, productivity, quality, and customer-service standards; serving as culinary resource support to Executive Chef and operations management.
• Acts to identifying and resolving problems, completes timely audits, and serves as a “Change Agent”.
• Assist as the support lead for menu presentations works with the Executive Chef to insure products, production, and costs are efficiently managed and all variances are noted.
• Responsible for coaching, counseling, and preparing corrective action for employees.
• Maintains safe, secure, and healthy work environment by establishing, following, and enforcing standards and procedures; complying with sanitation and federal, state, and local legal regulations; overseeing food preparation, safety, and security; reviewing and implementing accident and disaster plans.
• Ensures quality production standards are followed and maintained. Ensures employees adhere to HACCP, FDA and safety regulations and compliance with company policies and procedures.
• Ensures meal cycles are communicated in a timely and accurate basis. Monitor yields of products to ensure maximum usage.
• Works with management staff to improve performance of the unit.
• Maintains professional and technical knowledge by attending educational workshops; reviewing professional publications; establishing personal networks; benchmarking state-of-the-art practices; being sought for opinions as a culinary expert; contributing to professional publications; participating in professional societies and sharing this information with direct reports.
• Must ensure all cooks, and Sous Chef employees have the skills and abilities to perform all cooking and food preparation requirements of all the Airline Accounts serviced in the Unit Trains and monitors employees on proper work procedures and production of products to ensure maximum productivity with minimum labor and food expenses.
• Assists in the development and training of cooks as required.
• Responsible for culinary employee onboarding and retention.
• Completes all company required training including but not limited to ServSafe Sanitation Manager Certification.

Products

• Maintains culinary equipment by following operating instructions; instructing staff in equipment use; troubleshooting breakdowns; maintaining equipment supplies; insuring preventive maintenance and repairs; evaluating the unit cooking equipment against the current needs and future expectations.

Processes

• Initiates and supports NPT and timesaving production techniques, training others in specialty techniques.
• Improves menu quality and consistency by analyzing food production records and menu expenses; promoting kitchen staff interest in quality improvement; studying, evaluating, and re-designing processes; implementing changes.
• Prepares menu and food preparation reports by collecting, analyzing, and summarizing food, dining, and customer data and trends.

Qualifications

Education

• Associate Degree or Bachelor Degree in theCulinary Arts or a related field, (formal culinary education) required.
• Certification as CCC from ACF, ProChef II or equivalent.

Work Experience

• Minimum7-10years in progressive Chef growth positions is required.
• Minimum of1-3 years supervisoryexperience working in a high volume, manufacturing, food production, and restaurant or catering environment required.
• In-flight catering experience or experience in a high-volume food service environment required.

Technical Skills

• Ability to cook meals according to detailed specifications.
• Ability to work in a fast paced, deadline driven environment.
• Must have strong and effective leadership skills, and the ability to successfully manage a staff of 2 to 3 Sous Chefs and over production employess.
• Current or previous labor relations experience is a plus, but not required.
• Candidate must be comfortable with all levels of employees and have the ability to drive positive program change.
• Ability to train others required.
• Must have the ability to give negative and positive feedback to employees on a daily basis.
• Excellent time management skills required. Ability to handle multiple tasks without losing focus on priorities.
• Strong organizational, analytical, communication and leadership skills required.
• Must be innovative and have the ability to make changes to the operation as needed to further improve the work environment and unit performance.
• Basic computer skills required. Working knowledge of Microsoft Office products preferred
• ServSafe Certified preferred.
• Ability to obtain ServSafe Certification required

Language / Communication Skills

• Must have excellent written and oral communication skills.
• Multi-linguala plus.

Job Dimensions

Geographic Responsibility: USA

Type of Employment: Full-Time

Travel %: Yes – Up to 10%

Exemption Classification: Exempt

Internal Relationships: all production areas

External Relationships: airline customers

Work Environment / Requirements of the Job:

• Regularly, stands, bends, lifts, and moves intermittently during shifts of 10+ hours.
• In a normal production kitchen facility there may be physical discomfort due to temperature and noise.
• Must be able to lift, push, pull and move product, equipment, supplies, etc., in excess of twenty-five (25) pounds.
• A rotating schedule of over 55 hours per week is typical.

Budget / Revenue Responsibility: N/A

Organization Structure

Direct Line Manager (Title): Executive Chef

Number of Direct Reports: TBD

Number of Dotted Line Reports: TBD

Estimated Total Size of Team: TBD

Gate Group Competencies Required to be Successful in the Job

• Demonstrated Values to be Successful in the Position

  Employees at gategroup are expected to live ourValues of Excellence, Passion, Responsibility and Respect. To demonstrate theseValues, we expect to observe the following from everyone:

  Excellence

• We put the customer at the forefront of everything we do, taking time to understand their needs, wishes and desires.
• We constantly learn by giving and receiving feedback, improving from our mistakes and bettering ourselves

• Respect