Sous Chef

Job Purpose

The Sous Chef serves as second-in-command of the kitchen, partnering with the Executive Chef to lead daily culinary operations and ensure every dish reflects Executive Branch's white-glove standard of excellence. This role provides hands-on leadership to the cook and steward team, drives consistency in food quality, presentation, and sanitation, and steps in as kitchen leader-in-charge whenever the Executive Chef is unavailable.

Principal (Essential) Duties

●      Lead daily kitchen operations in the Executive Chef's absence, directing cooks and stewards across à la carte service, private events, and special functions.

●      Execute and enforce recipes, plating standards, and portion specifications to ensure consistency across all dayparts and dining outlets.

●      Supervise, train, mentor, and schedule cooks and stewards, reinforcing station responsibilities and upholding the club's culinary and service standards.

●      Oversee food preparation, quality control, temperature logs, and sanitation practices, ensuring full compliance with D.C. food safety regulations.

●      Manage kitchen inventory, ordering, receiving, and waste control in partnership with the Executive Chef, supporting cost and quality objectives.

●      Collaborate with the Executive Chef, Pastry Chef, and Sushi Chef to coordinate timing, staffing, and execution for daily service and private events.

●      Conduct pre-shift lineups to communicate menu changes, 86'd items, and service priorities to the culinary team.

●      Uphold discretion, professionalism, and confidentiality in all interactions involving members, guests, and staff.

Secondary Duties

●      Performs other duties and special projects as required or assigned.

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities

●      Advanced culinary technique across multiple cooking methods, cuisines, and kitchen stations.

●      Proven leadership and team management ability, including training, coaching, and performance accountability.

●      Thorough knowledge of food safety, sanitation, and D.C. health code requirements.

●      Strong organizational and time-management skills; ability to execute flawlessly under pressure.

●      Ability to read, scale, and standardize recipes for consistent execution.

●      Professional, discreet communication style appropriate to a private club environment.

●      Flexible, proactive, and dependable, with the ability to anticipate needs and elevate the member experience.

Experience/ Education Requirements

●      Culinary degree or equivalent professional training required.

●      Minimum of 5-7 years of progressive culinary experience, including at least 2 years in a sous chef or equivalent supervisory role, preferably in fine dining, luxury hospitality, or a private club.

●      Current or ability to obtain D.C. Certified Food Protection Manager (CFPM) certification.

●      Demonstrated experience training and supervising kitchen staff.

Working Conditions/ Physical Demands

While performing the duties of this job, the employee must be able to:

●      Travel up to 5% to sites beyond the primary kitchen.

●      Indomitable work ethic and willingness to work additional hours, evenings, weekends, and holidays as needed.

●      Ability to stand for extended periods, up to 12 hours in a shift, in a hot, humid, and high-noise kitchen environment.

●      Perform heavy work, exerting up to 50 lbs of force occasionally and lesser force frequently, to lift, carry, push, or pull kitchen equipment and supplies.

●      See, hear, talk, and perform tasks requiring manual dexterity and visual acuity; kneel, sit, stand, walk, crouch, stoop, bend, stretch, twist, reach, pull, push, and other similar repetitive physical tasks.