Executive Chef

We’re looking for motivated, engaged people to help make everyone’s journeys better. Reporting to the General Manager of the unit, the Executive Chef, Operations is responsible for daily monitoring of the preparation of the pre‑designed meals for multiple customer accounts with culinary expertise through the management of all chefs, sous chefs and cooks at the unit, and promoting and providing quality food services to airline clients. Benefits Paid time off 401k, with company match Company sponsored life insurance Medical, dental, vision plans Voluntary short‑term/long‑term disability insurance Voluntary life, accident, and hospital plans Employee Assistance Program Employee Discounts Free hot healthy meals for unit operations roles Responsibilities Achieves culinary operational objectives by contributing information and analysis to strategic plans and reviews; preparing and completing action plans; implementing production, productivity, quality, and customer‑service standards; serving as culinary resource to operations managers; identifying and resolving problems; completing audits; determining system improvements; implementing change. Meets culinary financial objectives by estimating requirements; assisting with menu design; anticipating and evaluating response to menu presentation; scheduling expenditures; analyzing variances; initiating corrective actions; evaluating time‑saving production techniques; training others in specialty techniques. Adheres to recipes and portion specifications as required by the customer by understanding consumer tastes and nutritional needs; reviewing product specifications; evaluating ease of menu preparation; applying established procedures and budgetary constraints. Oversees food preparation by consulting with the buyer; sous chefs, cooks, and team leaders; overseeing portion size; controlling productivity; providing culinary leadership in areas of personal expertise; monitoring presentations, garnishments, and sauces. Improves menu quality and consistency by analyzing food production records and menu expenses; promoting kitchen staff interest in quality improvement; studying, evaluating, and re‑designing processes; implementing changes. Prepares menu and food preparation reports by collecting, analyzing, and summarizing food, dining, and customer data and trends. Maintains safe, secure, and healthy work environment by establishing, following, and enforcing standards and procedures; complying with sanitation and federal, state, and local legal regulations; overseeing food preparation, safety, and security; reviewing and implementing accident and disaster plans. Using menu specifications, maintains food ingredients, food preparation, and general supplies by selecting and purchasing menu ingredients; evaluating the quality of fresh food and food product deliveries; maintaining general supplies; establishing inventory levels, re‑order points, storage requirements, and cost‑controls. Maintains culinary equipment by following operating instructions; instructing staff in equipment use; troubleshooting breakdowns; maintaining equipment supplies; performing preventive maintenance; calling for repairs; evaluating new equipment; preparing administrative proposals to justify purchases. Maintains professional and technical knowledge by attending educational workshops; reviewing professional publications; establishing personal networks; benchmarking state‑of‑the‑art practices; being sought for opinions as a culinary expert; contributing to professional publications; participating in professional societies and sharing this information with direct reports. Accomplishes culinary goals by accepting ownership for accomplishing new and different requests; exploring opportunities to add value to job accomplishments. Ensures quality production standards are followed and maintained. Ensures employees adhere to HACCP, FDA and safety regulations and compliance with company policies and procedures. Trains and monitors employees on proper work procedures and production of products to ensure maximum productivity with minimum labor and food expenses. Assists in the development and training of cooks as required. Prepares administrative reports as required. Ensures maximum productivity and labor costs are maintained according to financial requirements. Monitors daily manpower planning and employee turnover. Responsible for employee retention. Ensures meal cycles are communicated in a timely and accurate basis. Works with management staff to improve performance of the unit. Ensures menu presentations are properly planned, set up, and specifications reviewed to ensure compliance. Maintains labor requirements, food costs, overtime, and all productivity requirements. Must ensure all cooks, and sous chef employees have the skill and ability to perform all cooking and food preparation requirements of all the airline accounts serviced in the unit. Ensures all products are cooked at required temperature according to airline and food safety specification, etc. Responsible for coaching, counseling and preparing corrective action for employees. Completes all company required training including but not limited to ServSafe Sanitation Manager Certification. Qualifications Education : Associate Degree or Bachelor Degree in the Culinary Arts or a related field (formal culinary education) required or at least 4 years of experience in an Executive Chef role. Work Experience : Minimum 10 years of experience as a Chef required; minimum of 4 years as an Executive Chef required; minimum of 1–3 years of supervisory experience in a high‑volume manufacturing, food production, restaurant or catering environment; in‑flight catering or high‑volume food service experience required. Technical Skills : Ability to cook meals according to detailed specifications; ability to work in a fast paced, deadline driven environment; strong and effective leadership skills; ability to manage a staff of 2 to 3 sous chefs and over 20 cooks; current or previous labor relations experience is a plus; ability to train others; ability to give negative and positive feedback daily; excellent time management; ability to handle multiple tasks without losing focus; strong organizational, analytical, communication and leadership skills; innovative and ability to make changes; experience with menu design a plus; basic computer skills required; working knowledge of Microsoft Office products preferred; ServSafe Certified preferred. Language / Communication Skills : Must have excellent written and oral communication skills; multilingual a plus. Job Dimensions Geographic Responsibility: Unit Type of Employment: Full‑Time Travel %: Yes – Up to 10% Exemption Classification: Exempt Internal Relationships: All internal departments External Relationships: Airline customers Work Environment / Requirements of the Job: Regularly stands, bends, lifts, and moves intermittently during shifts of 10+ hours; must be able to lift, push, pull and move product, equipment, supplies, etc., in excess of twenty‑five pounds; rotating schedule of over 55 hours per week is typical. Budget / Revenue Responsibility: USD (amount unspecified) Estimated Total Size of Team: TBD Gate Group Competencies Thinking – Information Search and analysis & problem resolution skills Engaging – Understanding others, team leadership and developing people Inspiring – Influencing and building relationships, motivating and inspiring, communicating effectively Achieving – Delivering business results under pressure, championing performance improvement and customer focus Values Employees are expected to live our values of Excellence, Passion, Responsibility and Respect. To demonstrate these values, we observe the following: Excellence : We put the customer at the forefront of everything we do, taking time to understand their needs, wishes and desires. We constantly learn by giving and receiving feedback, improving from our mistakes and bettering ourselves. Passion : Hospitality, in its purest form, comes down to a single, core principle: care. We do everything with thoughtfulness, attention, and care. We have a growth mindset, a resilience that makes us determined to bounce back from failures and setbacks. Responsibility : We care about what we do, and we understand the impact we have on others and the planet. We always look out for each other – creating a safe workplace environment is everyone’s responsibility. Respect : Every job matters. We each do our part to ensure our colleagues and our customers succeed in their goals. We respect each other’s voices and foster a workplace that supports inclusion and belonging. We are all one gategroup. Equal Employment Opportunity gategroup is an equal opportunity employer committed to workforce diversity. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment and will not be discriminated against on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, veteran status, disability status or other category under applicable law. For further information regarding Equal Employment Opportunity, copy and paste the following URL into your web browser: We anticipate that this job will close on: 06/01/2026 For California Residents, please view our California privacy notice. If you want to be part of a team that helps make travel and culinary memories, join us! #J-18808-Ljbffr