Sous Chef - Residential Dining (full-time, non-CSULB student)

Sous Chef

The Sous Chef supports the Chef Manager in the day-to-day culinary and operational management of residential dining locations, with primary responsibility for evening, night, and weekend operations. This position serves as the on-site culinary and operational leader, ensuring consistent food quality, safety, sanitation, service standards, and staff supervision.

The Sous Chef is responsible for overseeing kitchen operations, executing menus, supervising and training staff, managing production and service flow, addressing operational issues in real time, and ensuring compliance with health, safety, and organizational standards. This role is highly hands-on and operational in nature, acting as the Chef Manager's designee when the Chef Manager or Dining Manager is not present.

Essential Duties And Responsibilities Include The Following. Other Duties May Be Assigned.

1. Culinary & Operational Oversight

   • Oversees evening, night, and weekend kitchen operations to ensure service continuity, food quality, portion control, and presentation standards.
   • Prepares food and works side-by-side with staff during service to ensure execution of recipes and service timelines.
   • Acts as the senior on-site culinary authority during assigned shifts, making operational decisions as needed.
   • Ensures adherence to standardized recipes, menu specifications, and production plans.
   • Monitors production levels to reduce waste and maintain cost controls.
   • Demonstrates a refined palate and strong-tasting skills to ensure food quality and consistency; contributes creative menu concepts, recipes, and culinary innovations that enhance the dining experience.

2. Safety, Sanitation & Compliance

   • Ensures compliance with all health department regulations, food safety standards, and sanitation procedures.
   • Maintains a clean, safe, and organized work environment throughout shifts.
   • Verifies proper food handling, storage, labeling, and temperature controls.
   • Ensures proper use of equipment, PPE, and company-approved uniforms.

3. Inventory & Administrative Support

   • Assists with inventory control, including monitoring product usage during assigned shifts and reporting shortages or concerns.
   • Supports accurate completion of required logs, temperature records, and operational documentation.
   • Communicates operational issues, staffing concerns, supply needs, and equipment malfunctions to the Chef Manager or Dining Manager.

4. Customer Service & Campus Engagement

   • Supports front-of-the-house operations during evening and weekend service periods, as needed.
   • Addresses guest and student concerns professionally and promptly.
   • Assists with the execution of special events, themed meals, and late-night dining services.
   • Other duties as assigned, reasonably within the scope of the job

Supervisory Responsibilities

1. Directly supervises culinary staff, including cooks, prep cooks, and utility staff.
2. Provides on-the-job coaching, training, and guidance to staff, reinforcing culinary techniques, sanitation practices, and service expectations.
3. Assists in hiring, training, and scheduling the employees.
4. Assists with employee scheduling adjustments during evenings and weekends as needed to meet business demands.
5. Coaches employees and supports performance management in alignment with company policies.

Conditions Of Position

Work Schedule

This position is primarily scheduled for evenings, nights, weekends, and peak operational periods. Occasional support for campus and organizational events is required, which will include mornings, afternoons, nights, and weekends. Work hours may vary based on business needs. The employee will work an average of 40 hours per week. The employee may be required to work hours beyond their normal schedules but is not eligible for overtime compensation.

Physical Demands

The employee must frequently be able to stand and exert well-paced mobility throughout the entire shift. The employee must frequently be able to use manual dexterity and eye-hand coordination (for use of food service equipment). The employee must frequently be able to lift and/or move a minimum of 40 - 50 pounds. There will be long periods of time standing on their feet and moving around and the employee will be occasionally required to sit, climb, balance, bend at the waist, push or pull, reach above shoulder level, stoop, and kneel.

Work Environment

The employee is regularly in a traditional dining services and kitchen environment that is frequently busy, has tight work-space, and extreme temperatures ranging from climate-controlled in the dining room, to humid/hot climate in the kitchen area. Cold temperatures are exposed in refrigeration area. The employee occasionally works at a computer in an office area. The noise level in the work environment is moderate to loud. The employee is regularly susceptible to oven, grill, knives, and other cutlery utensils. Works with chemicals used in cleaning and sanitizing equipment and all kitchen areas.

Minimum Qualifications

Education and/or experience

The employee must be 18 years of age or older. A degree from a post-secondary culinary arts training program is preferred but not required. Minimum three years of high-volume culinary experience is required, preferably in a university, institutional, or large-scale dining environment. The employee must have prior experience supervising staff during service periods. The employee must have experience preparing high-volume breakfast, lunch, dinner, and late-night service.

Certificates, Licenses, Registrations

The employee must have the Food Manager Certification OR the ability to obtain the Food Manager Certification within the first 30 days of employment.

Knowledge and Abilities

The employee must have strong working knowledge of food production, sanitation, safety, and cost control. The ability to lead teams during high-pressure service periods is essential. The employee must demonstrate strong communication and problem-solving skills. The ability to work effectively and cooperatively with a diverse population of students, staff, and coworkers is required. The ability to understand and follow University and Beach Shops policies and procedures is required. The employee must be 18 years of age or older.

Background Check A background check (including criminal records) must be completed satisfactorily before any candidate can be offered a position with the Beach Shops at the CSU. The Beach Shops will make a conditional offer of employment, which may be rescinded if the background check reveals disqualifying information, and/or it is discovered that the candidate knowingly withheld or falsified information. Failure to satisfactorily complete the background check may affect the application status of applicants or continued employment of current employees who apply for this position.

Mandated Reporter The person holding this position is considered a 'mandated reporter' under the California Child Abuse and Neglect Reporting Act and is required to comply with the requirements set forth in CSU Executive Order 1083 as a condition of employment.