Sous Chef

Role overview

Education and experience

• High school diploma or GED plus four years of kitchen, food and beverage, or related professional experience; or a relevant two-year degree plus two years of related experience.

Kitchen operations and food standards

• Manage kitchen shifts and ensure compliance with food and beverage policies, standards, and procedures.
• Estimate preparation needs weekly and communicate daily requirements to kitchen staff; assist the executive chef with operations and preparation.
• Prepare regular and special-event dishes; help determine presentation and create decorative food displays.
• Maintain purchasing, receiving, storage, food handling, and temperature standards; ensure food hygiene and legal compliance.
• Inspect cooked and uncooked food quality; operate and maintain equipment and report malfunctions.
• Perform kitchen management and staff duties as needed.

Team leadership and guest service

• Supervise and coordinate cooks and staff, lead shifts, and personally prepare food to specifications.
• Communicate expectations, build teamwork, maintain productivity, recognize performance, and apply hotel policies fairly.
• Deliver guest service, maintain daily quality standards, gather feedback, and resolve guest issues and complaints.
• Meet performance, budget, and team goals; organize work and use labor management systems to schedule staff and track time and attendance.
• Train, coach, and develop staff; contribute to performance reviews and escalate issues when needed.

Leadership and operational capabilities

• The role calls for communication and interpersonal skills, staff leadership and development, and kitchen, food safety, budget, and labor management capabilities.
• Problem-solving includes analyzing information and evaluating results to select solutions.