Sous Chef

Job Description

Sous Chef – Airline Catering Production

Location: Portland, OR 97218 (Onsite)

Salary: $65,491.77 - $81,864.70 per year + bonus potential

About the Company

Our client is a leading provider of airline catering, onboard hospitality, and aviation logistics services, preparing and delivering millions of chef-crafted meals each year across dozens of sites throughout the United States. Their operation combines culinary excellence with large-scale food production, requiring exceptional quality, consistency, and execution in a fast-paced environment.

About the Role

We're seeking a Sous Chef to lead daily meal preparation and kitchen operations in a high-volume commercial kitchen supporting major airline partners. Reporting directly to the Executive Chef, this role works closely with the culinary leadership team and is responsible for ensuring meals are prepared safely, consistently, and according to strict menu specifications and production schedules.

This is a hands-on leadership role. You'll oversee kitchen staff in daily production, drive quality and food safety standards, manage inventory and ordering, and step in to lead the kitchen when the Executive Chef is unavailable — including representing the kitchen during customer menu presentations. This kitchen operates at true production scale, preparing and plating thousands of meals daily to exact specifications, so comfort leading high-volume, high-throughput operations is essential.

Key Responsibilities

Food Production

• Execute and supervise daily food production activities, including cleaning, cutting, marinating, seasoning, and cooking.
• Assume responsibility for the kitchen when the Executive Chef is unavailable (vacation, off-days, customer menu presentations, etc.).
• Supervise and coordinate kitchen staff in proper food storage practices, including first-in, first-out rotation.
• Conduct, coordinate, and oversee inventories.
• Monitor material consumption and order food and equipment daily to meet the production plan.
• Contribute to the development of food products and menus for customer presentations.
• Stay current on catering manual standards and help drive updates when needed.
• Execute countermeasures in production in response to customer complaints.
• Support the training and development of kitchen staff.

Leadership

• Ensure the kitchen is properly organized, staffed, and directed at all times.
• Guide, motivate, and develop kitchen staff within company HR policy.
• Reinforce company values and management principles throughout the department.
• Manage cost budgets for the area of responsibility, identifying and correcting deviations.
• Support company-wide initiatives such as Global Quality Standards (GQS), HACCP, and Lean Manufacturing.

Food Safety & Quality

• Maintain and monitor hygiene, health, and safety standards, ensuring full compliance with HACCP regulations.
• Conduct quality control checks in line with HACCP standards.
• Inspect and verify the quality of incoming goods.
• Monitor and enforce compliance with recipe specifications.

Qualifications

Required

• Professional culinary training (culinary degree, certification, or formal apprenticeship).
• 3–5+ years of culinary leadership experience in a commercial kitchen environment.
• Experience working with fixed menu programs, maintaining consistent execution of menu standards, refined plating, and attention to detail.
• Demonstrated experience leading in the kitchen, overseeing the quality of work produced by cooks and kitchen staff.
• Ability to execute and oversee multiple concurrent menus and cuisine types (e.G., Halal, American, and other cultural cuisines) within the same production day, and train others to do the same.
• Proven success leading diverse teams and collaborating across cross-functional departments.
• Strong knowledge of HACCP, food safety regulations, and global food safety standards.
• Ability to drive operational excellence while maintaining exceptional quality and guest experience standards.
• Strong communication and organizational skills.
• Good knowledge of Microsoft Office and Windows-based applications.

Preferred backgrounds include:

• High-volume catering environments (Sodexo, campus dining, etc.)
• Fine dining restaurants
• Luxury hotels and resorts
• High-end country clubs
• Chef-driven restaurant concepts
• Upscale hospitality and catering operations
• Retirement communities, assisted living, or hospital food service with strict dietary requirements

Preferred

• Experience working in multicultural environments or with international clientele, with an understanding of diverse culinary traditions.
• Proficiency with inventory management systems and data analytics to forecast demand, control costs, and manage stock levels.
• Specialized knowledge of high-volume catering operations.
• Experience managing food costs, labor productivity, and inventory while maintaining fine dining standards.
• Background in fine dining, luxury hospitality, upscale restaurants, resorts, hotels, or chef-driven concepts.

Schedule

This is a 24/7 production operation, and flexibility is required. Must be available to work day, evening, weekend, holiday, and other shifts as operational needs require. Schedule may vary based on production demands.

Why Join?

• Competitive salary of $65,491.77–$81,864.70 with bonus potential
• Step into a high-impact leadership role with real ownership over daily kitchen operations and a clear path to stand in for the Executive Chef
• Join a company with a decades-long legacy of culinary and operational excellence, backed by the stability of a nationwide, multi-site operation
• Sharpen your craft in a fast-paced, precision-driven environment where consistency, plating, and execution are taken seriously
• Be part of a team-driven culture that invests in developing its people and promoting culinary leaders from within
• Opportunity to grow into senior culinary leadership within a large, established organization

Important Requirements

Candidates without professional culinary training, hands-on leadership experience in a commercial kitchen, or a strong grasp of HACCP and food safety standards are unlikely to be successful in this role. We're looking for a leader who thrives on consistency, precision, and coaching a team in a high-volume, production-focused kitchen — not primarily a quick-service, fast-food, or casual dining background, and not someone with limited tenure (under a year) in recent roles.

Our client is an EEO and Affirmative Action Employer of Women/Minorities/Veterans/Individuals with Disabilities.