Managing Chef

sifted-open-jobs; Austin (TX); On-site; USD 63,000 - 77,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health insurance (HDHP)

401(k) after 6 months

Unlimited PTO + holidays

Cell phone reimbursement

Free lunch

Mileage reimbursement

Job summary

Sifted in Austin, TX is seeking an emerging culinary leader to serve as Managing Chef for the Austin market. You will own day-to-day kitchen execution, menu quality, and team development, working closely with the District Chef to grow into broader leadership.

The role emphasizes high-end restaurant experience, production planning, cost control, and a collaborative culture. Competitive compensation and generous benefits support a sustainable career in hospitality.

Qualifications

• High-end restaurant experience with leadership potential.
• Proven ability to manage batch cooking and production for large groups.
• Strong people leadership, coaching, and accountability.
• Excellent cross-functional communication and cost-conscious decision making.

Responsibilities

• Lead day-to-day culinary operations in Austin to meet quality and client expectations.
• Design and coordinate weekly menus reflecting diverse dietary needs.
• Own ordering, inventory, and food cost performance including COGS.
• Implement standardized kitchen processes for consistency and scalability.
• Manage and develop the Austin culinary team, including staffing and PTO.
• Translate eater feedback into kitchen improvements and menu changes.
• Support rollout of new product lines and service enhancements.
• Enforce quality control, sanitation, and safety standards on-site.

Skills

Culinary leadership

Batch-cooking

Production management

Team coaching

Communication skills

Cost control

Food safety

Kitchen tech tools

Google Workspace

Tools

Google Workspace

Culinary technology

Job description

About Sifted

Sifted was founded in 2015 by Kimberly Lexow and Jess Legge with a bold vision — to reimagine office food as an experience rooted in hospitality, sustainability, and intentionality.

What began as a modern take on workplace meals quickly evolved into a nationwide food platform that supports culture, community, and carbon-conscious choices across hundreds of companies.

We’re not a caterer — we’re a workplace food partner.

Our team is our secret sauce — a mix of hospitality pros, culinary experts, technologists, and innovators redefining what it means to build meaningful, stable, and opportunity-filled careers in hospitality.

At Sifted, people stay, grow, and thrive — our team members remain with us three times longer than the industry average.

We offer flexibility, generous perks, and room to grow — hiring builders, operators, creatives, and craftspeople who care about making work (and workplaces) better.

At Sifted, our team culture mirrors the experiences we design for our clients:

• Creative Freedom: Everyone contributes ideas and shapes the future of our service.
• Hospitality-Driven: No matter your role, you’re in service to someone — and that matters.
• Career Growth: We invest in internal mobility, mentorship, and hands-on learning.
• People First: We support flexible work, celebrate wins, and lead with empathy.
• Real Impact: Every day, your work reduces waste, improves lives, and connects people through food.

If you’re passionate about great food, great people, and great purpose — we’d love to meet you.

About the role

Sifted is seeking an emerging culinary leader to serve as the Managing Chef for our Austin market. This role is built for up-and-coming talent ready to take the next step into leadership while owning day-to-day kitchen execution, menu quality, team development, and operating discipline. The Managing Chef leads the Austin culinary team, drives production excellence, partners on eater and client satisfaction, and will be closely supported by the District Chef as they grow into broader culinary leadership responsibilities.

What you'll be doing

• Lead day-to-day culinary operations in Austin, ensuring food quality, production flow, presentation, and final output meet Sifted and client expectations.
• Design, prepare, and coordinate weekly menus that reflect diverse dietary needs, strong culinary creativity, and consistent execution.
• Own ordering, inventory, order sheets, and food cost performance, including COGS oversight, portion control, and production planning.
• Implement and reinforce standardized kitchen processes, production procedures, and culinary best practices to improve consistency and scalability.
• Manage, coach, and develop the Austin culinary team, including staffing support, packout oversight, PTO coordination, discipline, time card approval, and daily accountability.
• Participate in discussions around eater satisfaction, business growth, and menu performance, helping translate feedback into kitchen improvements.
• Support the rollout of new product lines, culinary practices, service enhancements, and other initiatives that strengthen the Austin program.
• Execute and enforce strict quality control, sanitation, and safety standards while ensuring kitchen operations meet both company and facility expectations.

Our ideal candidate

• High-end restaurant experience is ideal, with comfort working across diverse cuisine types, ingredients, and service styles; catering or banquet experience is preferred.
• Demonstrated potential as up-and-coming culinary talent with the readiness to grow into stronger people leadership and business ownership.
• Strong batch-cooking and production-management capability, including the ability to organize output for larger groups and multiple dietary needs.
• Natural leadership presence, with the ability to coach, train, and hold team members accountable while fostering a supportive kitchen culture.
• Strong communication skills and comfort receiving direction, incorporating feedback, and coordinating across cross-functional teams.
• Sound business judgment, including willingness to learn and adopt operational disciplines tied to cost control, process consistency, and client satisfaction.
• Proficiency with back-of-house systems, culinary technology, Google Workspace, and basic business tools used for communication, reporting, and organization.
• Ability to think quickly and critically under pressure while maintaining calm, quality, and execution standards.

Perks + benefits

• Compensation : $70,000 with Bonus opportunities
• Company-sponsored health insurance plans, including 100% company-paid HDHP, as well as vision + dental opt-in
• 401(k) program available after six months of employment
• Unlimited paid time off; 10 paid company holidays; Paid winter break from Dec 24th - Jan 1st
• Monthly cell phone usage reimbursement
• Free lunch during meal service
• 100% mileage reimbursement

Job Type: Full Time, Exempt

Shift: Weekdays

Weekly day range: Monday - Friday

Eligibility : This position must maintain ServSafe Food Handler card (company-paid);

Work environment : This is a position based both in a commercial kitchen and on-site in client offices

Physical requirements : This position requires the ability to lift up to 50 lbs, the ability to stand for long periods of time, and the ability to bend, squat, and reach

This job advertisement is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties or responsibilities that are required of the employee. Other duties, responsibilities and activities may change or be assigned at any time with or without notice.

We are an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability status, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law. We believe that the diverse backgrounds and perspectives of our employees make us better. We strongly encourage people of color, individuals with disabilities, and lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer and non-binary candidates to apply.

Employment at Sifted is considered at will, meaning that either the company or the employee may terminate this employment relationship at any time with or without cause or notice.

Offers of employment and continued employment at Sifted are contingent upon successful completion of trust + safety checks including a criminal history check, a motor vehicle record check, identity verification, food safety certification verification, and at least two reference checks.