Sous Chef, Operations

gategroup is a leading global provider of airline catering and hospitality services, committed to enhancing passenger experiences by delivering high-quality meals and exceptional service. With a focus on innovation and excellence, gategroup partners with numerous airline customers to provide customized catering solutions worldwide. The company prides itself on its ability to merge culinary expertise with efficient operations to meet the ever-evolving needs of the airline industry, ensuring every journey is enjoyable and memorable for travelers.

We are currently seeking a dedicated and motivated Sous Chef, Operations to join our team. This full-time position reports directly to the Executive Sous Chef or the Executive Chef of the unit. As a Sous Chef, Operations, you will play a vital role in designing and preparing meals specifically tailored for airline customers. Your culinary expertise and leadership will be essential in maintaining the quality and safety of food services. You will work closely with Food Supervisors to drive the food production effort, ensuring all food items meet company specifications and customer expectations. This role requires a hands-on approach to supervision, training, and daily operations management to guarantee consistency and excellence in meal production.

The target salary range for this position is $68,000 to $70,000 per year, reflecting the valued skill set and responsibilities involved. At gategroup, we understand the importance of work-life balance and employee well-being, which is why we offer comprehensive benefits, including paid time off, 401k with company match, company-sponsored life insurance, and medical, dental, and vision plans. Additional benefits include voluntary short-term and long-term disability insurance, voluntary life, accident, and hospital plans, an Employee Assistance Program, and employee discounts. For unit operations roles, complimentary hot healthy meals are also provided, emphasizing our commitment to nurturing our team.

In your role as Sous Chef, Operations, you will bear responsibility for ensuring food specifications and labor objectives align with both company and customer requirements. Supervision of the department is a critical function, focusing on quality and quantity control, adherence to production and dating specifications, and compliance with regulatory coding systems such as FDA, USDA, and HAACP. Your organizational skills will be crucial in managing attendance records, shift setups, and employee scheduling to optimize productivity. Ordering raw materials, preparing daily production sheets, and assigning tasks to staff based on passenger counts are some of the key operational duties.

Maintaining food safety and sanitation standards will be paramount, including training and recurrent training of employees on proper preparation procedures. You will oversee the production of hot and cold kitchen items daily, ensuring consistency and quality throughout. Compliance with company Wage & Hour policies, employee coaching, counseling, and corrective actions in line with applicable union/collective bargaining agreements will be expected. Monitoring manpower planning and controlling employee retention and turnover are also essential aspects of this role. The ability to foster a positive work environment, coach team members effectively, and handle necessary administrative tasks ensures smooth operations and continuous improvement.

This role requires physical endurance, including standing, bending, lifting, and moving intermittently during shifts often exceeding 10 hours in a kitchen environment that might experience temperature and noise discomfort. Candidates must be comfortable working in a high-paced, deadline-driven setting, demonstrating strong leadership, communication, and organizational skills. Fluency in English is required, with bilingual Spanish skills considered an advantage. The position entails up to 25% travel within the USA.

gategroup values excellence, integrity, passion, and accountability. Our ideal candidate embodies these values through respect, effective communication, teamwork, enthusiasm, and responsibility for their actions. If you are passionate about culinary arts and want to be part of a team dedicated to making travel and culinary memories, we encourage you to apply. Become part of an inclusive employer that embraces workforce diversity and is committed to providing equal employment opportunities to all qualified applicants.