Sous Chef

Duke PA; Durham, Northern (NC, KY); Hybrid; USD 50,000 - 79,000; Full time

Job summary

Duke University in Durham, NC, invites a skilled Sous Chef to lead culinary operations within Duke Dining. This limited-term role focuses on ensuring high-quality food, staff development, and efficient kitchen processes for a dynamic residential dining program.

The position emphasizes recipe execution, food safety, cost controls, and collaboration with the Executive Chef to deliver exceptional dining experiences for students, faculty, and guests.

Qualifications

• Associate's degree in hospitality management, food service management, or a related culinary degree.
• Minimum of 3 years of progressive culinary management experience.
• Experience in a bargaining unit setting preferred or equivalent experience.

Responsibilities

• Lead culinary operations across kitchen stations and ensure recipe, portion, and presentation standards.
• Develop and mentor culinary teams; schedule and direct daily work and production timelines.
• Champion food safety and HACCP compliance; monitor temperatures and sanitation practices.
• Drive operational excellence: manage inventory, costs, labor efficiency, and productivity goals.
• Support Duke Dining initiatives and collaborate with chef leadership to ensure excellent dining experiences.

Skills

Leadership

Food safety

Communication

Menu planning

Production scheduling

Education

Associate's degree in hospitality management / culinary

Job description

Duke University was created in 1924 through an indenture of trust by James Buchanan Duke. Today, Duke is regarded as one of America’s leading research universities. Located in Durham, North Carolina, Duke is positioned in the heart of the Research Triangle, which is ranked annually as one of the best places in the country to work and live. Duke has more than 15,000 students who study and conduct research in its 10 undergraduate, graduate and professional schools. With about 40,000 employees, Duke is the third largest private employer in North Carolina, and it now has international programs in more than 150 countries.

Be You.

At Duke, we celebrate individuality, creativity, and the unique perspectives that each member of our community brings. As a Sous Chef within Duke Dining, you'll play a critical leadership role in creating exceptional dining experiences for our students, faculty, staff, and guests. You'll join a collaborative culinary team that values innovation, professional growth, operational excellence, and a commitment to delivering high-quality food in a dynamic residential dining environment.

Whether you're mentoring culinary talent, driving food quality, or ensuring operational excellence, you'll have the opportunity to make a meaningful impact every day. This is a limited term position.

Be Bold.

What You'll Do

Lead Culinary Operations

• Supervise and actively participate in food preparation and production across all kitchen stations.
• Ensure consistent execution of recipes, portion standards, presentation, and food quality expectations.
• Monitor food appearance, flavor profiles, and overall guest satisfaction.
• Collaborate with the Executive Chef and Executive Sous Chef to forecast production needs and support menu planning.
• Identify opportunities to improve culinary processes, recipes, and production methods.

Develop and Inspire Teams

• Schedule, assign, and direct daily work for culinary team members.
• Create and manage production schedules and break schedules.
• Provide leadership, coaching, mentoring, and performance feedback to employees.
• Support onboarding and culinary skills training for new and existing staff.
• Assist with workforce planning to ensure proper staffing levels based on operational demands.
• Contribute to a positive, respectful, and inclusive work environment.

Champion Food Safety and Compliance

• Ensure adherence to HACCP standards and safe food handling practices.
• Maintain compliance with health, safety, sanitation, and operational regulations.
• Ensure proper equipment operation and compliance with chemical safety procedures.
• Monitor and document cooler and freezer temperatures.

Drive Operational Excellence

• Monitor inventory usage and support purchasing and product forecasting activities.
• Help manage food costs, labor efficiency, waste reduction, and productivity goals.
• Assist with inventory management across dining operations.
• Maintain accurate production logs, checklists, and operational documentation.
• Support communication and coordination across culinary teams to ensure seamless operations.

Contribute to the Success of Duke Dining

• Support special projects and departmental initiatives.
• Perform additional responsibilities as assigned to support departmental, divisional, and university objectives.
• Serve as a trusted partner in maintaining Duke Dining's reputation for excellence.

What We're Looking For

Required Qualifications

Education

Work requires communication, analytical and organizational skills generally acquired through completion of an Associate's degree in hospitality management, food service management, or a related culinary degree.

Experience

Work requires a minimum of 3 years of progressive culinary management experience. Prior experience working in a bargaining unit setting preferred. Or and equivalent combination of relevant education and /or experience.

Preferred Skills

• Strong leadership and team development abilities.
• Knowledge of HACCP principles and food safety regulations.
• Excellent communication and organizational skills.
• Ability to manage multiple priorities in a fast-paced environment.
• Strong understanding of food production, inventory management, labor management, and cost controls.

Why Duke Dining?

At Duke, you'll find more than a career, you'll discover an opportunity to grow, lead, and make a difference. We invest in our team members by providing opportunities for professional development, collaboration, and advancement while fostering an inclusive environment where everyone can thrive.

Join a team dedicated to culinary excellence, innovation, and creating memorable dining experiences for the Duke community.

Choose Duke.

Duke aspires to create a community built on collaboration, innovation, creativity, and belonging. Our collective success depends on the robust exchange of ideas—an exchange that is best when the rich diversity of our perspectives, backgrounds, and experiences flourishes. To achieve this exchange, it is essential that all members of the community feel secure and welcome, that the contributions of all individuals are respected, and that all voices are heard. All members of our community have a responsibility to uphold these values.

Anticipated Pay Range:

Duke University provides an annual base salary range for this position as USD $49,939.00 to USD $79,487.00. Duke University considers factors such as (but not limited to) scope and responsibilities of the position; candidate's work experience, education/training, and key skills; internal peer equity; as well as market and organizational considerations when extending an offer.

Your total compensation goes beyond the dollars on your paycheck. Duke provides comprehensive and competitive medical and dental care programs, generous retirement benefits, and a wide array of family-friendly and cultural programs to eligible team members. Learn more at: https://hr.duke.edu/benefits/

Equal Opportunity Employer:

Duke is an Equal Opportunity Employer committed to providing employment opportunity without regard to an individual's age, color, disability, gender, gender expression, gender identity, genetic information, national origin, race, religion, sex (including pregnancy and pregnancy- related conditions), sexual orientation, or military status.

Nearest Major Market: Durham
Nearest Secondary Market: Raleigh

Essential Physical Job Functions:

Certain jobs at Duke University and Duke University Health System may include essential job functions that require specific physical and/or mental abilities. Additional information and reasonable accommodation(s) can be requested with Duke Access and Accommodations Services (email: [e-mail]; phone: [phone]).

Read more about Duke’s commitment to affirmative action and nondiscrimination at hr.duke.edu/eeo.