Sous Chef

Gate Gourmet; Fort Lauderdale (FL); On-site; USD 52,000 - 75,000; Full time

Job summary

Gate Gourmet is seeking a Sous Chef, Operations in Fort Lauderdale, FL, to assist the Executive Sous Chef Operations or Executive Chef in planning and preparing meals for airline customers. You will lead a team, ensure food safety, and drive production in a fast-paced setting.

You will oversee shifts, manage labor and materials, and train staff to maintain quality and cost targets while adhering to regulatory requirements.

Qualifications

• Associates degree in the Culinary Arts or a Culinary Arts certification preferred.
• 1-3 years of experience as a Chef and/or Sous Chef required.
• Minimum 7 years of experience as a cook required.
• Previous supervisory experience in a high-volume food production, manufacturing, restaurant, or catering environment preferred.
• In-flight catering experience or high-volume food service experience preferred.

Responsibilities

• Ensures food specifications and labor objectives meet company and customer requirements.
• Supervises department for quality and quantity; ensures items are produced and dated according to specification and coding systems.
• Sets up shifts, assigns employees to sections, and optimizes scheduling.
• Orders raw materials and prepares extra meals as needed.
• Prepares daily production sheets and directs staff using the production sheet and passenger counts.
• Trains and monitors employees on proper procedures to maximize productivity and minimize costs.
• Maintains safety, cleanliness, and product quality across shifts.
• Manages daily production of hot and cold kitchens for consistency.
• Ensures compliance with wage and hour policies and worker breaks.
• Reviews pay rates and cost centers to align with union agreements.

Skills

Leadership

Food safety

Communication

Time management

Bilingual Spanish

Education

Associate degree in Culinary Arts

Tools

ServSafe

Microsoft Office

Job description

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

• Reporting to the Executive Sous Chef or the Executive Chef for the unit, the Sous Chef, Operations assists the Executive Sous Chef Operations or the Executive Chef in designing and preparing meals for airline customers.
• Provides culinary expertise and leadership; promotes quality food services and ensures food safety and sanitation requirements are followed.
• Drives the food production effort with the assistance of Food Supervisors

Main Duties and Responsibilities

Responsible for ensuring food specifications and labor objectives meet all Company and customer requirements

Supervises department for quality and quantity; ensures items are produced and dated according to specification, and coding system is adhered to correctly (i.e. - FDA, USDA, HAACP and other governmental regulations)

Keeps account of attendance, sets up paperwork, sets up each shift and assigns employees to specified sections (schedule optimization)

Orders raw material from storeroom and produces extra meals at last minute as needed

Prepares daily production sheet and assigns tasks to employees; works with and directs employees through the use of the production sheet and passenger counts

Responsible for all food items after requisitioning them from the storeroom; training and recurrent training of all employees on proper procedures of preparation

Ensures safety procedures are adhered to; maintain cleanliness through shift to ensure quality product

Manages daily production of hot and/or cold kitchens for quality and consistency

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

• Associates degree in the Culinary Arts or a Culinary Arts certification preferred.

Work Experience

• Minimum 1-3 years of experience as a Chef and/or Sous Chef required.
• Minimum 7 years of experience as a cook required.
• Previous supervisory experience working in a high volume, manufacturing, food production, restaurant or catering environment preferred.
• In-flight catering experience or experience in a high-volume food service environment preferred.

Job Skills

• Ability to cook meals according to detailed specifications.
• Ability to work in a fast paced, deadline driven environment.
• Must have strong and effective leadership skills, and the ability to successfully manage a team of cooks.
• Current or previous labor relations experience is a plus, but not required.
• Candidate must be comfortable with all levels of employees and have the ability to drive positive program change.
• Ability to train others required.
• Must have the ability to give negative and positive feedback to employees on a daily basis.
• 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.

Technical Skills

ServSafe Certified is preferred.

Language / Communication Skills

Must have excellent written and oral communication skills. Bi-lingual in Spanish is a plus.

Job Dimensions

Geographic Responsibility: USA Type of Employment: Full-Time Travel %: Yes – Up to 25% Exemption Classification: Exempt Internal Relationships: all production areas External Relationships: airline customers 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: N/A

Organization Structure Direct Line Manager (Title): Executive Sous Chef, Operations or Executive Chef, Operations Number of Direct Reports: Up to 40, varies by unit (Head Cook, Specialty Cook, Assistant Cook in Hot Kitchen) Number of Dotted Line Reports: N/A Estimated Total Size of Team: Up to 40, varies by unit

Gate Group 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

We treat each other with respect and we act with integrity.

We communicate and keep each other informed.

We put our heads together to problem solve and deliver excellence as a team.

We have passion for our work and we pay attention to the little details.

We foster an environment of accountability, take responsibility for our actions and learn from our mistakes.

We do what we say we will do, when we say we are going to do it.

We care about our coworkers, always taking an opportunity to make someone’s day better.

The above statements are intended to describe the general nature and level of work being performed by the individual(s) assigned to this position. They are not intended to be an exhaustive list of all duties, responsibilities, and skills required. Management reserves the right to modify, add, or remove duties and to assign other duties as necessary.

In addition, reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions of this position.

gategroup is an equal opportunity employer committed to workforce diversity. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment and will not be discriminated against on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, veteran status, disability status or other category under applicable law. For further information regarding Equal Employment Opportunity, copy and paste the following URL into your web browser: http://www.dol.gov/ofccp/regs/compliance/posters/pdf/eeopost.pdf

We anticipate that this job will close on: 11/30/2026

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.