Campus Executive Chef

Campus Executive Chef

As the Campus Executive Chef, you will lead all culinary operations across a dynamic complex environment, overseeing multiple dining venues, cafs, conference services, catering programs, and large-scale special events. This highly visible leadership role is responsible for delivering exceptional food experiences while fostering a culture of culinary excellence, innovation, safety, and hospitality. The Campus Executive Chef serves as the culinary leader for the account, partnering with operations, hospitality, conference services, and client stakeholders to create memorable dining experiences that reflect current trends, diverse consumer preferences, and organizational goals. This position requires flexibility to support evenings, weekends, holidays, and high-profile events as business needs dictate.

Key Responsibilities

• Provide strategic culinary leadership for all campus dining operations, including cafs, conference services, catering, and special events.
• Lead, develop, and mentor culinary managers, sous chefs, and kitchen teams to achieve operational and service excellence.
• Create and execute innovative menus that balance guest expectations, seasonality, wellness initiatives, sustainability goals, and financial performance.
• Oversee culinary execution for large-scale events, executive functions, conferences, receptions, and VIP hospitality experiences.
• Ensure consistent food quality, presentation standards, and guest satisfaction across multiple dining locations.
• Collaborate with leadership teams to develop and implement new culinary concepts, promotions, and dining experiences.
• Manage food and labor budgets, inventory controls, purchasing programs, and cost-containment initiatives.
• Partner with conference services, catering, and operations teams to successfully plan and execute events of varying size and complexity.
• Conduct menu tastings, evaluate food presentation, and continuously improve dining offerings based on client and guest feedback.
• Maintain compliance with all food safety, sanitation, regulatory, and company standards.
• Build strong relationships with vendors and suppliers to ensure product quality, availability, and value.
• Stay informed on culinary trends, emerging ingredients, sustainability practices, and industry best practices.
• Support recruitment, training, succession planning, and professional development initiatives within the culinary team.
• Participate in account planning, client presentations, and business initiatives that enhance the overall dining program.
• Foster a collaborative, inclusive, and positive work environment focused on teamwork, engagement, and continuous improvement.

What We're Looking For

• Degree in Culinary Arts or equivalent combination of culinary training and professional experience.
• Progressive culinary leadership experience within high-volume food service, hospitality, campus dining, hotels, conference centers, corporate dining, or catering operations.
• Experience leading complex culinary programs that include cafs, conference services, catering, and special event execution.
• Demonstrated success managing large teams in fast-paced, multi-outlet environments.
• Experience developing menus and culinary programs that drive engagement and guest satisfaction.
• Strong financial acumen with knowledge of food cost management, labor planning, forecasting, and inventory controls.
• Knowledge of food safety regulations, sanitation standards, and operational compliance requirements.
• Ability to lead and inspire teams through coaching, development, and inclusive leadership practices.
• Excellent communication, organization, and relationship-building skills.
• Comfortable balancing multiple priorities while adapting to changing business needs.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office and food service management systems.
• Passion for hospitality, innovation, and delivering exceptional guest experiences.

Compass Group is an equal opportunity employer. At Compass, we are committed to treating all Applicants and Associates fairly based on their abilities, achievements, and experience without regard to race, national origin, sex, age, disability, veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity, or any other classification protected by law.

Qualified candidates must be able to perform the essential functions of this position satisfactorily with or without a reasonable accommodation. Disclaimer: this job post is not necessarily an exhaustive list of all essential responsibilities, skills, tasks, or requirements associated with this position. While this is intended to be an accurate reflection of the position posted, the Company reserves the right to modify or change the essential functions of the job based on business necessity. We will consider for employment all qualified applicants, including those with a criminal history (including relevant driving history), in a manner consistent with all applicable federal, state, and local laws, including the City of Los Angeles' Fair Chance Initiative for Hiring Ordinance, the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance, and the New York Fair Chance Act.

Compass Corporate maintains a drug-free workplace.

Applications are accepted on an ongoing basis.

Associates at Corporate are offered many fantastic benefits.

• Medical
• Dental
• Vision
• Life Insurance/ AD
• Disability Insurance
• Retirement Plan
• Paid Time Off
• Paid Parental Leave
• Holiday Time Off (varies by site/state)
• Personal Leave
• Associate Shopping Program
• Health and Wellness Programs
• Discount Marketplace
• Identity Theft Protection
• Pet Insurance
• Commuter Benefits
• Employee Assistance Program
• Flexible Spending Accounts (FSAs)

Associates may also be eligible for paid and/or unpaid time off benefits in accordance with applicable federal, state, and local laws. For positions in Washington State, Maryland, or to be performed Remotely, click here or copy/paste the link below for paid time off benefits information.

Certain positions may require Florida Level 2 background screening. Details:

Req ID: 1556102

Compass Corporate

Michael Abbey

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