Head Chef

JCSI; Washington; On-site; USD 90,000 - 105,000; Full time

Job summary

JCSI in Seattle, WA is seeking an experienced Head Chef to serve as the second-in-command to the Executive Chef at a high-volume airline catering facility. This role leads daily production, ensures meals meet recipes and safety standards, and manages staff, costs, and schedules.

The ideal candidate has 5+ years in commercial cooking in similar settings, a culinary degree or apprenticeship, and strong HACCP knowledge, with a focus on quality and customer specifications.

Qualifications

• Minimum 5 years of commercial cooking in high-volume kitchens such as airline catering, hotels, or large production facilities.
• 3–5 years of leadership experience supervising kitchen operations and culinary teams.
• Culinary degree or completion of an accredited culinary apprenticeship.
• Strong knowledge of HACCP, food safety, sanitation, and quality standards.
• Experience managing food production, inventory, labor, and costs.
• Excellent communication, organizational, and leadership skills.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office and basic computer applications.
• Customer-focused with ability to thrive in a fast-paced production environment.

Responsibilities

• Lead daily production across hot and cold kitchen operations.
• Ensure meals are prepared according to recipes, customer specifications, and quality standards.
• Oversee food production planning, inventory management, food quality, and production schedules.
• Monitor food costs, labor costs, and kitchen efficiency while maintaining operational excellence.
• Ensure proper product rotation, storage, sanitation, and food safety procedures are followed.
• Support menu development, recipe execution, and continuous culinary improvement.
• Address customer concerns and implement corrective actions when needed.
• Serve as the Executive Chef's primary partner and assume full kitchen leadership in their absence.
• Coach, develop, and mentor kitchen employees while promoting a positive, high-performing culture.
• Train staff on recipes, food quality, safety procedures, and operational standards.
• Ensure the kitchen is properly staffed, organized, and operating efficiently.
• Maintain compliance with HACCP and all food safety, sanitation, and hygiene regulations.

Skills

Leadership

Communication

Organizational skills

Food Safety

Inventory management

Cost control

Education

Culinary degree

Culinary apprenticeship

Tools

Microsoft Office

Job description

Job Description

Head Chef

Location: Seattle, WA (Onsite)
Salary: $90,000 - $105,000 per year

About the Company

Our client is a leading provider of airline catering, onboard hospitality, and aviation logistics services, preparing and delivering thousands of chef-crafted meals each day for major airlines. Their operation combines culinary excellence with large-scale food production, requiring exceptional quality, consistency, and execution in a fast-paced environment.

About the Role

We're seeking an experienced Head Chef to serve as the second-in-command to the Executive Chef at a high-volume airline catering facility. This leadership position oversees daily kitchen production, ensuring meals are prepared safely, consistently, and according to strict customer specifications.

The Head Chef is responsible for leading both hot and cold kitchen operations, supervising kitchen staff, maintaining food quality, controlling food and labor costs, and ensuring compliance with all food safety standards. In the absence of the Executive Chef, this individual assumes responsibility for the overall operation of the kitchen.

This is an outstanding opportunity for an experienced culinary leader looking to take the next step in their career while learning from an accomplished Executive Chef and corporate culinary leadership team.

Key Responsibilities

Kitchen Operations

• Lead daily production across hot and cold kitchen operations.




• Ensure meals are prepared according to recipes, customer specifications, and quality standards.




• Oversee food production planning, inventory management, food quality, and production schedules.




• Monitor food costs, labor costs, and kitchen efficiency while maintaining operational excellence.




• Ensure proper product rotation, storage, sanitation, and food safety procedures are followed.




• Support menu development, recipe execution, and continuous culinary improvement.




• Address customer concerns and implement corrective actions when needed.

Leadership

• Serve as the Executive Chef's primary partner and assume full kitchen leadership in their absence.




• Coach, develop, and mentor kitchen employees while promoting a positive, high-performing culture.




• Train staff on recipes, food quality, safety procedures, and operational standards.




• Ensure the kitchen is properly staffed, organized, and operating efficiently.

Food Safety & Quality

• Maintain compliance with HACCP and all food safety, sanitation, and hygiene regulations.




• Conduct regular quality checks to ensure consistency and adherence to company standards.




• Ensure all products meet customer expectations before leaving the kitchen.

Qualifications

Required

• Minimum 5 years of commercial cooking experience in a high-volume kitchen such as airline catering, catering, banquet operations, hotels, commissaries, hospitality, or high-volume restaurants.




• 3-5 years of leadership experience supervising kitchen operations and culinary teams.




• Culinary degree or completion of an accredited culinary apprenticeship.




• Strong knowledge of HACCP, food safety, sanitation, and quality standards.




• Experience managing food production, inventory, labor, and food costs.




• Excellent communication, organizational, and leadership skills.




• Proficiency with Microsoft Office and basic computer applications.




• Customer-focused with the ability to thrive in a fast-paced production environment.

Ideal Background

We're especially interested in:

• Current Sous Chefs or Chef de Cuisine professionals ready to step into a larger leadership role.




• Executive Chefs who are open to serving as the second-in-command while gaining experience in a large-scale culinary operation.




• Candidates with experience in airline catering, hospitality, large-scale food manufacturing, institutional food service, hotels, banquet operations, or other high-volume production kitchens.

Preferred

• Additional culinary certifications (ACF, Diet Chef, Industrial Chef, Design Chef, or similar).




• Passion for menu innovation and staying current with culinary trends.




• Experience working in large-scale food production environments.

Schedule

• Primarily a day shift position.




• Flexibility is required based on operational needs and the Executive Chef's schedule.