Sous Chef

Sous Chef

Green Top Farms is a New York-based food service company specializing in farm-fresh meals for enterprise workplace dining and corporate catering. We partner with leading companies to deliver elevated daily dining and hospitality experiences, using seasonal ingredients and thoughtful operations to create consistent, high-quality service at scale.

Our mission is to build a more sustainable and equitable food system, starting by reconnecting consumers and local farmers. We believe the results of strengthening that connection are better nutrition, tastier food, greater social justice, and reduced environmental impacts. Our menus reflect this attention to bringing nutritious, delicious food to those who need it most.

Position Overview

The Sous Chef supports the Executive Chef in running daily production at the commissary. This is a volume production role, not a restaurant line role. The job is to execute the daily work order schedule on time, at spec, at yield, and in full compliance with food safety requirements.

The Sous Chef owns the floor during their shift. They set the pace, hold the standard, and make the calls that keep production moving when something breaks. They are accountable for what leaves the building.

Responsibilities

40% Production Execution

• Run the daily production schedule against released work orders. Confirm quantities, components, and due dates before production starts.
• Validate work orders against recipe specs and on-hand inventory. Escalate discrepancies to the Executive Chef and Production Manager before cooking, not after.
• Produce to the work order quantity. Do not overproduce. Flag any variance in output against the work order and record the reason.
• Sequence batches to protect equipment throughput, especially blast chill and combi capacity.
• Stage components and complete kitting so downstream assembly and pack-out are not delayed.
• Cook and finish product to recipe spec on taste, texture, portion, and appearance.

20% Shift Coverage and Handoff

• Own the floor for the assigned shift. The Sous Chef on duty is the decision maker for production sequence, station assignment, and hold or release calls.
• Complete a written end of shift handoff covering work orders closed, work orders carried over, product held or tagged, equipment issues, and staffing gaps.
• The Sunday through Thursday position owns Sunday production start and sets the week up for Monday.
• The Monday through Friday position owns Friday close out and sets the building up for the Sunday restart.
• On overlap days, split the floor by production zone or work order group as directed by the Executive Chef. Do not run two schedules against the same equipment without a plan.

15% Recipe and Yield Integrity

• Follow the approved recipe and BOM. Substitutions require approval from the Executive Chef.
• Weigh and record yields at each stage. Report yield misses with a cause, not an estimate.
• Verify portion weights and pack counts against the spec sheet before product moves to pack-out.
• Flag ingredient substitutions, spec changes, and out of stocks to Purchasing the same day.

15% Food Safety and Quality

• Food safety requirements are hard constraints. There is no production reason that overrides them.
• Enforce cooking, hot holding, cooling, and cold holding parameters.
• Enforce date coding and labeling on every container.
• Maintain allergen control and segregation. Enforce separation protocols including dedicated tools, surfaces, and scheduling sequence.
• Enforce foreign object controls. Report any foreign object find immediately and hold the affected lot.
• Support the Food Safety and QC Manager on inspections, audits, corrective actions, and CAPA follow-through.
• Hold and tag any product that does not meet spec. Escalate before release.
• Enforce clean as you go and end of shift breakdown to the master cleaning schedule. Report equipment failures immediately.

5% Team Leadership

• Assign stations and workloads at the start of shift. Run a shift huddle covering the production schedule, priorities, and any spec or allergen changes.
• Train cooks on recipes, knife work, equipment operation, sanitation, and documentation.
• Coach in the moment and correct problems directly. Escalate performance issues to the Executive Chef with specifics.
• Enforce uniform, hygiene, and PPE standards.
• Support cross-training so no single production step depends on one person.

5% Systems and Documentation

• Record production transactions in Fishbowl accurately and on time. Issue material, complete work orders, and report scrap the same day it happens.
• Maintain accurate counts on raw and WIP inventory in the production area. Support cycle counts.
• Track and log waste and scrap with a cause code.
• Keep production paperwork organized, legible, and complete for audit.

Required Qualifications

• 7 years of high volume production, commissary, catering, or institutional kitchen experience, including 5 years in a supervisory role.
• NYC Food Protection Certificate
• Working knowledge of HACCP principles, cook-chill, and cold chain management.
• Ability to read and execute a recipe, BOM, and production schedule without supervision.
• Comfortable with scales, thermometers, digital logs, and basic computer entry.
• Able to lead a team on a moving schedule and hold a standard under time pressure.
• Stand and walk for 10 hour shifts.
• Lift and carry up to 50 pounds.
• Work in refrigerated, freezer, and hot kitchen environments.
• Repetitive knife work, lifting, and reaching.

Preferred Qualifications

• Culinary degree or equivalent apprenticeship.
• Experience with an ERP or production system. Fishbowl experience is a plus.
• Experience with halal, kosher, or allergen-controlled production.
• Experience in a USDA or NYC DOHMH inspected facility.
• Conversational Spanish.

Key Competencies

• On time completion of the daily work order schedule
• Yield accuracy against recipe spec
• Food safety log completion and audit results
• Waste and scrap as a percent of production
• Inventory accuracy in the production area
• Team retention and cross-training coverage

Role Details

Title: Sous Chef

Reports to: Executive Chef

Location: Commissary Kitchen in Williamsburg, Brooklyn

Schedule: Monday–Friday 6am - 4pm, or Sunday - Thursday 6am - 4pm

Compensation: $70,000–$75,000 salaried

Benefits

• Medical insurance
• Sick leave
• Paid time off that increases with tenure
• 401(k)
• Daily family meal
• Potential for bonuses through our Green Shares employee bonus program
• Eligibility and details subject to company policy

Green Top Farms is an equal opportunity employer and is committed to fostering a diverse and inclusive workplace. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, creed, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, national origin, age, disability, marital status, citizenship status, veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state, or local law, including the New York State Human Rights Law.

We are committed to providing reasonable accommodations for qualified individuals with disabilities and for religious observances, in accordance with applicable laws.