Food Manager

Gate Gourmet; Schiller Park (IL); On-site; USD 71,000 - 95,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

401k with company match

Medical, dental, vision plans

Life insurance

Disability insurance

Weekly pay

Free hot meals for unit roles

Employee Assistance Program

Employee Discounts

Job summary

Gate Gourmet in Schiller Park, IL is seeking an experienced supervisor to lead food production teams in a unionized setting. You will ensure HACCP, FDA compliance, and quality standards while controlling labor and food costs, overtime, and productivity targets.

The role requires strong leadership, training abilities, and the capacity to manage 100+ hourly employees across a busy production unit. A ServSafe pathway is preferred for this position.

Qualifications

• Requires 5+ years supervisory experience in high-volume food production.
• Must ensure HACCP and FDA compliance and safety regulations.
• Experience managing labor and food cost controls.
• Strong leadership and ability to train 100+ hourly staff.

Responsibilities

• Supervise food production employees in a unionized environment.
• Ensure quality production standards and regulatory compliance.
• Control food and other controllable costs; manage productivity and overtime.
• Prepare administrative and performance reports; review wage and hour adherence.

Skills

Leadership

HACCP

FDA compliance

Labor cost controls

ServSafe Certification

Bilingual Spanish

Education

High School Diploma or GED

Associates degree preferred

Tools

Microsoft Office

ServSafe Training

Job description

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

The position is responsible for supervising food production employees in a unionized environment to ensure food specifications, quality assurance of products, sanitation, HACCP and FDA regulations are followed and is responsible for labor and food cost controls.

Annual Hiring Range/Hourly Rate: $83,300.99 /Per Year

• US 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
• Employee Discounts
• Weekly pay for union employees
• Free hot healthy meals for unit operations roles

Main Duties and Responsibilities

• Ensures quality production standards are followed and maintained.
• Ensures employees adhere to HACCP, FDA and safety regulations and compliance with company policies and procedures.
• Controls food cost and other controllable costs.
• Maintains all financial goals related to productivity, overtime, labor goals and meals per hour.
• Works with management staff to improve performance of the unit.
• Prepares administrative reports as required.
• Responsible for safety, quality and compliance with customer specifications.
• Ensures specifications, airline diagrams, and sample meals are accurate according to the airline specifications.
• Ensures that all products are coded and dated according to Gate Gourmet procedures.
• Conducts inventory of products to ensure proper usage and minimization of waste.
• Completes required requisitions for the Storeroom to ensure adequate supply is maintained.
• Responsible for maintaining daily temperature logs and other logs and reports as required.
• Supervises and supports lower level managers/supervisors on daily operations including: Conducts performance evaluations for employees providing specific and detailed feedback on their management and leadership skills and the attainment of their respective goals and objectives
• Ensures compliance with company Wage & Hour policy, including ensuring employees get the rest & meal breaks and ensuring company processes are followed.
• Trains and monitors employees on proper work procedures to ensure maximum productivity with minimum labor and food expenses.
• Monitors daily manpower planning and schedules employees.
• Responsible for employee retention and reducing employee turnover.
• Responsible for coaching, counseling and preparing corrective actions for employees in compliance with the applicable union/collective bargaining agreement(s).
• Reviews and ensures employees in chain of command are in correct cost centers and correct job titles.
• Reviews and ensures union represented employees’ pay rates are correct based on wage scales and seniority.
• Employee must complete all company required training including but not limited to ServSafe Compliance with all company required policies, procedures and processes including but not limited to required training

Qualifications

• Education: High School Diploma or GED required.
• Associates degree or degree from a 4 year university or college preferred.
• Work Experience: Minimum of 5 years supervisory experience working in a high volume, manufacturing, food production, and restaurant or catering environment required.
• Minimum of 5 years cook or food production or preparation experience required.
• Current or previous labor relations experience is a plus, but not required.
• Technical Skills: Must have strong and effective leadership skills, and the ability to successfully manage a staff of 100+ hourly employees.
• Must be comfortable with all levels of employees and have the ability to drive positive program change.
• Ability to train others required.
• 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.
• Experience with menu design a plus.
• Basic computer skills required.
• Working knowledge of Microsoft Office products preferred.
• ServSafe Certified preferred.
• Ability to obtain ServSafe Certification required.
• Language / Communication Skills: Must be able to communicate effectively with management team and staff.
• Bi-lingual in Spanish is a plus.
• Must have the ability to give negative and positive feedback to employees on a daily basis.

Job Dimensions

• Geographic Responsibility: Hub Unit (gross revenues of $50M+ and direct and indirect headcount of 500+ employees.)
• Type of Employment: Full-time
• Travel %: None
• Exemption Classification: Exempt
• Internal Relationships: all internal departments
• External Relationships: customers, suppliers

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: (Local Currency) N/A

Organization Structure Direct Line Manager (Title): Dir, Assembly Process, Hub

Dotted Line Manager (Title, if applicable): N/A

Number of Direct Reports: 3-10

Number of Dotted Line Reports: N/A

Estimated Total Size of Team: 100+ gategroup

Competencies Required to be Successful in the Job

• Thinking – Information Search and analysis & problem resolution skills
• Engaging – Understanding others, Team Leadership and Developing People
• Inspiring – Influencing and building relationships, Motivating and Inspiring, Communicating effectively
• Achieving – Delivering business results under pressure, Championing Performance Improvement and Customer Focus

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. Passion Hospitality, in its purest form, comes down to a single, core principle: care. We do everything with thoughtfulness, attention, and care. We have a growth mindset, a resilience that makes us determined to bounce back from failures and setbacks. Responsibility We care about what we do, and we understand the impact we have on others and the planet. We always look out for each other –creating a safe workplace environment is everyone’s responsibility. Respect Every job matters. We each do our part to ensure our colleagues and our customers succeed in their goals. We respect each other’s voices and foster a workplace that supports inclusion and belonging. We are all one gategroup.

We anticipate that this job will close on: 11/08/2026

If you want to be part of a team that helps make travel and culinary memories, join us!

gategroup is the global leader in airline catering, retail-on-board and hospitality products and services. gategroup provides passengers with superior culinary and retail experiences, leveraging innovation and advanced technology solutions. Headquartered in Zurich, Switzerland, gategroup delivers operational excellence through the most extensive catering network in the aviation industry, serving passengers from over 200 operating units in over 60 countries/territories across all continents. We work in an exciting industry – fast-paced and ever-changing. Industry trends and customer expectations are constantly evolving and it is critical that we are agile, innovative and ready for change - and our people are our driving force. We offer attractive opportunities to be part of this fast-paced and truly international working environment. For further information, please visit www.gategroup.com.

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