Executive Sous Chef

Sonesta International Hotels Corporation; San Juan (PR); On-site; USD 60,000 - 85,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical, Pharmacy, Dental, and Vision

401(k) with company match

Paid Vacation and Sick Days

Educational Assistance

Employee discounts

Parental Leave

Job summary

Sonesta International Hotels Corporation is seeking an Executive Sous Chef to oversee banquet kitchen operations, supervise a diverse culinary team, and ensure high-quality food, presentation, and cost control across events. The role requires strong leadership, menu design, and a focus on guest satisfaction within a dynamic F&B environment.

Responsibilities include planning production, maintaining inventory, coordinating with FOH, and maintaining standards while training staff and ensuring

Qualifications

• Track record of delivering exceptional guest or client experience.
• Knowledgeable and dexterous using all manner of complex kitchen equipment.
• Expert skills and experience planning, designing, and preparing meals.
• Excellent communication abilities for training and safety purposes.

Responsibilities

• Supervise a staff of chefs and cooks of diverse backgrounds and training to produce consistently superior cuisine.
• Plan and organize production, purchasing and scheduling.
• Maintain a strong positive relationship with the FOH team to ensure strong communication and teamwork.
• Delegate responsibility effectively to use the strengths of the entire culinary team.
• Demonstrate mastery of cooking techniques (sauté, braise, poach, grill, fry, steam).
• Create innovative dishes using seasonal and regional ingredients.
• Ensure food and labor costs are controlled across outlets.
• Train staff on all menu items.

Skills

Guest experience

Kitchen equipment

Menu planning

Communication

Leadership

Time management

Education

Culinary degree

ServSafe certification

3+ years supervisory experience

Job description

We’re People People. Are you? We’re Sonesta International Hotels—the 8th largest hotel company in the U.S. (and growing fast ). With a dynamic mix of full-service and focused hotels across major cities, our diverse portfolio of owned, managed, and franchised properties means we’re everywhere our guests need us to be. But here’s the thing—we’re not just in the business of hotels, we’re in the business of people. We bring service with passion, loyalty with purpose, and create experiences that genuinely connect—delivering quality, value, and memorable stays across 1,000+ properties in eight countries (and counting).

What this role is all about

The Executive Sous Chef follows and maintains the standard procedures for all banquet functions. Supervision of Banquet Kitchen. Ordering for functions, maintaining food cost and inventory. Maintain quality, presentation and consistency of food.

Key Job Functions

• Supervise a staff of chefs and cooks of diverse backgrounds and training to produce consistently superior cuisine
• Plan and organize production, purchasing and scheduling
• Maintain a strong positive relationship with the FOH team to ensure strong communication and teamwork throughout the entire F&B team
• Establish professional demeanor and standards of the management team for the outlet
• Delegate responsibility effectively to use the strengths of the entire culinary team
• Perform administrative tasks as assigned by the Executive Chef
• Demonstrate a thorough mastery of all cooking techniques: sauté, braise, poach, grill, fry, steam, etc.
• Create innovative dishes and plate presentations using seasonal and regional ingredients.
• Work quickly and efficiently to meet deadlines and demands of business
• Check staffing, uniforms, daily production sheets, etc
• Check production for all meal periods to ensure consistency
• Train staff on all menu items
• Demonstrate responsibility for food and labor costs in all outlets
• Hold and attend regular staff meetings
• Maintain a clean and safe work environment, following rules and regulations of the local health department
• Keep informed of guarantee and count for all banquet food functions and events on property.
• Check all event order sheets, breakfast, lunch, dinner, receptions and special events scheduled.
• Attend BEO, staff, pre shift, F&B meetings and any other meeting assigned by Executive Chef.
• Perform and assist with schedules, events and needs of other chefs within the property.

Deliver Passionate & Engaging Service to our Guests

• You will be passionate and truly engaged in taking care of our guests, recognizing individual guests and anticipating their unique needs in order to exceed their expectations.
• You will consistently deliver our GUEST model:
  • Greet or welcome everyone, warmly with a smile
  • Use eye and ear contact and guest’s name
  • Establish/anticipate needs
  • Solve and own all requests/complaints
  • Thank everyone
• Build solid relationship with your Colleagues
• Treat colleagues with respect and dignity
• Other duties and responsibilities may be assigned. The employee is expected to work in other areas of the hotel when needed to assist operations to perform job duties not necessarily contained in this job description.

Qualifications and Skills

• Track record of delivering exceptional guest or client experience
• Knowledgeable and dexterous using all manner of complex kitchen equipment.
• Expert skills and experience planning, designing, and preparing meals.
• Communication skills are utilized a significant amount of time for training and safety purposes, and when interacting with guests and associates.
• Strong communication skills (Effective and clear communicator).
• Excellent time management and organizational skills.
• Proven leadership and creative abilities inside the kitchen.
• Appropriate professional appearance and demeanor
• Ability to read and interpret documents such as safety rules, operating and maintenance instructions, and procedure manuals
• Ability to write routine reports and correspondence
• Must be available to work nights, week-ends and holidays as needed.
• Ability to speak effectively before groups of customers or employees of organization
• Ability to solve practical problems and deal with a variety of concrete variables in situations where only limited standardization exists
• Ability to interpret a variety of instructions furnished in written, oral, diagram, or schedule form

Education and/or Experience

The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. Three years’ experience performing a supervisory or management role in Culinary. Culinary degree or relative experience ServSafe certification.

Physical Demands

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to stand, walk, talk or hear. The employee is occasionally required to use hands, reach, stoop, kneel, crouch and crawl. The employee must occasionally lift and/or move up to 25 pounds.

Work Environment

The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. While performing the duties of this job, the employee is occasionally exposed to outside weather conditions, extreme cold and extreme heat. The noise level in the work environment is usually moderate.

Anticipated Pay Range & Additional Job Information

How we reward you At Sonesta, we know showing up for our guests starts with showing up for our people. That means supporting your health, your financial future, and everything in between.

Here’s a snapshot of what we offer:

• Medical, Pharmacy, Dental, and Vision Insurance
• 401(k) Retirement Plan with Company Match
• Paid Vacation and Sick Days
• Paid Funeral Leave
• Sonesta Hotel Discounts
• Educational Assistance
• Paid Parental Leave
• Referral Incentive
• Doctor Clinic Sick Incentive
• Development Programs
• Milestone (Years of Service) Incentive
• Employee Cafeteria Company Paid Life Insurance
• Various Employee Perks and Discounts

Our Commitment to You

Sonesta is proud to be an equal opportunity employer. We consider all qualified applicants without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law.

All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, national origin, religion, age, color, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability, or protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by local, state, or federal laws, rules, or regulations.

If you are interested in a career in some of the most impressive and beautiful surroundings in the world with generous benefits and perks, we hope you’ll get in touch with us.