Executive Chef Catering Dining

Sommerville, MA, USA|

Job Overview

Compensation

Salary

Range $89,100.00 - $133,800.00

Benefits

Health Insurance

Dental Insurance

Paid Time Off

Retirement Plan

Tuition Reimbursement

Paid holidays

Employee Discounts

Job Description

Tufts Dining is a self-operated, mission-driven food service organization committed to delivering high-quality, contemporary, and innovative dining experiences at Tufts University's Medford/Somerville and SMFA/Fenway campuses. Serving a diverse community of approximately 6500 undergraduates, 2100 graduate students, 2300 staff members, and over 1000 faculty and administrators, Tufts Dining prides itself on culinary excellence, sustainability, and inclusivity. The organization supports its operations with a central kitchen and offers a progressive residential dining program that emphasizes nutrition and sustainability. Additionally, Tufts Dining provides innovative retail dining options tailored to reflect global food trends and student preferences, as well as a distinctive university catering program noted for its creativity and outstanding service.

The Executive Chef, Catering Dining, is a senior leadership role responsible for overseeing all aspects of the catering program, including food production, menu development, event execution, and overall hospitality services within the university. This role requires hands-on leadership, fostering staff development, maintaining fiscal responsibility, and ensuring strict compliance with food safety, sanitation, and regulatory standards. The Executive Chef leads a unionized culinary team, orchestrating high-volume, innovative catering experiences that support a wide range of university events such as conferences, special functions, executive hospitality, and community engagements. This position not only demands excellence in culinary skills but also strong organizational and financial acumen to achieve operational and sustainability goals.

This opportunity offers a competitive salary ranging from $89,100 to $133,800, reflective of experience, expertise, and internal equity. The role requires working in a fast-paced campus environment and involves evenings, weekends, holidays, and extended hours during the academic year, underscoring the commitment to service in a dynamic educational setting. Joining Tufts Dining means becoming part of a collaborative, mission-driven team that values innovation, inclusivity, and delivering exceptional dining experiences to a vibrant university community.

Job Requirements

Associate's degree in culinary arts or equivalent combination of education and related work experience
7-10 years of progressive culinary experience including at least 5 years managing large-scale catering, banquet, conference, hospitality, or special event operations
Demonstrated experience managing complex event logistics and multiple concurrent catering functions
Demonstrated supervisory and people-management experience
Strong culinary skills with experience in high-volume catering and banquet production
Experience creating customized menus for VIP events, conferences, donor functions, and executive hospitality
Strong understanding of event costing, revenue management, and catering profitability metrics
Experience coordinating culinary operations with event planners, clients, and campus stakeholders
Proficiency with food management/production systems and Microsoft Word, Excel, and Outlook
Excellent communication, organizational, time-management, and multitasking skills

Job Qualifications

Associate's degree in culinary arts or equivalent
7-10 years of progressive culinary experience
Minimum 5 years managing large-scale catering or banquet operations
Experience in event logistics and multi-event coordination
Prior supervisory and people-management experience
Strong culinary skills with high-volume catering expertise
Ability to create customized menus for special events
Understanding of event costing and catering profitability
Proficiency with food management and production systems
Excellent communication, organizational, and multitasking skills
Bachelor's degree in culinary arts, food service management, business, or related field (preferred)
Unionized environment experience (preferred)
ACF Certification (preferred)
Knowledge of FoodPro and Kronos or similar systems (preferred)
Demonstrated financial and human resource management skills (preferred)

Job Duties

Manage all aspects of food production for university catering programs
Develop customized menus for VIP events, conferences, donor functions, and executive hospitality
Lead and supervise a unionized culinary team
Execute event logistics and coordinate multiple concurrent catering functions
Ensure compliance with food safety, sanitation, and regulatory standards
Maintain fiscal responsibility including event costing, revenue management, and profitability
Collaborate with event planners, clients, and campus stakeholders to deliver high-quality catering