Executive Sous Chef

The Marketplace Executive Sous Chef serves as the second-in-command of culinary operations for The Marketplace and works in close partnership with the Marketplace Executive Chef to provide daily leadership and direction to the culinary team.

This position translates the Executive Chef's culinary direction, menus, and operational goals into consistent daily execution. The Executive Sous Chef provides visible, hands-on leadership and ensures high standards for food quality, production, service, food safety, allergen management, sanitation, sustainability, and fiscal responsibility.

The Executive Sous Chef directly supervises culinary production staff and plays a key role in staff development, production planning, menu development, food cost and waste management, and overall operational readiness.

Washington and Lee University actively promotes a dynamic and welcoming environment that allows students and employees of multiple backgrounds and perspectives to learn, work, and thrive together. Successful candidates will contribute to that environment and exhibit potential for excellence in their areas of expertise.

Essential Functions

• Provides visible, hands-on leadership during daily production and service. Sets clear expectations, delegates responsibilities, follows up on assigned work, and holds culinary team members accountable for quality, productivity, sanitation, communication, and established standards.
• Works collaboratively with the Marketplace Executive Chef to plan, develop, and execute the Marketplace menu cycle, considering student preferences, nutritional needs, seasonality, available resources, food cost, and departmental standards.
• Leads daily culinary operations and production, including production meetings, staff assignments, forecasting, batch cooking, production quantities, service readiness, leftovers and repurposing, and communication of changes or concerns.
• Ensures consistent execution across stations and meal periods, with particular attention to food quality, flavor, freshness, presentation, portioning, and the overall student dining experience.
• Provides direct supervision, coaching, training, and development to culinary staff. Provides consistent feedback, addresses performance concerns, completes employee evaluations, and promotes a positive and accountable work environment.
• Assists with employee scheduling, recruitment, interviewing, onboarding, and training while ensuring appropriate staffing and culinary leadership coverage within approved labor budgets.
• Ensures menus and production practices appropriately address food allergies, dietary restrictions, and food preferences. Oversees accurate allergen identification, recipe information, production practices, and labeling.
• Oversees the accuracy of food-production management systems and records, including recipes, yields, product linkage, production records, temperatures, production notes, nutritional information, and menu data.
• Monitors food production and waste data, including Leanpath and other departmental systems, to improve forecasting, batch cooking, portion control, yields, repurposing, and overall food-cost performance.
• Coordinates food purchasing, inventory, and product availability while working within established food and labor budgets and minimizing shortages, overproduction, and unnecessary waste.
• Maintains strong sanitation and food-safety practices throughout the operation, including HACCP documentation, temperature records, cleaning schedules, proper food storage and rotation, and routine kitchen inspections.
• Ensures kitchen equipment is operated properly and safely and communicates equipment or facility repair, maintenance, and replacement needs in a timely manner.
• Plans and manages major theme meals, special events, culinary promotions, and other Marketplace initiatives. Develops creative recipes and menus that reflect seasonal products, student interests, and current culinary trends.
• Serves as a culinary representative for The Marketplace and engages with students, student organizations, faculty, staff, and other campus constituents. Identifies opportunities to enhance the culinary program and overall student dining experience.
• Maintains effective communication between the Executive Chef, Lead Cooks, and other team members and ensures important operational information is communicated consistently across shifts.
• Assumes leadership of Marketplace culinary operations in the absence of the Marketplace Executive Chef.
• Performs other related duties as assigned.
  
  

Minimum Qualifications

• High school diploma or equivalent required.
• Associate degree in culinary arts, hospitality, foodservice management, or related culinary training preferred.
• Five or more years of progressively responsible culinary experience, including demonstrated supervisory or leadership experience in a high-volume foodservice operation, or an equivalent combination of education, training, and experience.
• Experience in college or university residential dining, healthcare, hospitality, hotel/resort, or another large-scale foodservice operation is preferred.
• Demonstrated ability to lead, coach, develop, and hold accountable a diverse culinary team.
• Must possess strong communication, organization, production-planning, problem-solving, and interpersonal skills.
• Experience with food-cost management, inventory control, purchasing, production forecasting, recipe management, waste reduction, and working within established food and labor budgets is expected.
• Must have or obtain ServSafe Manager certification within six months of hire.
  
  

Application Instructions

Review of applications will begin immediately and continue until the position is filled. Required materials include:

• Cover letter
• Resume
• Names and contact information for three professional references
  
  

Application instructions for internal and external candidates can be found at: http://www.wlu.edu/employment-opportunities

Physical Requirements

• Fingering: Picking, pinching, typing or otherwise working, primarily with fingers rather than with whole hand or arm as in handling.
• Grasping: Applying pressure to an object with the fingers and palm.
• Repetitive motions: Making substantial movements (motions) of the wrists, hands, and/or fingers.
• Stooping: Bending body downward and forward by bending spine at the waist. This factor is important if it occurs to a considerable degree and requires full use of the lower extremities and back muscles.
• Kneeling: Bending legs at knee to come to a rest on knee or knees.
• Crouching: Bending the body downward and forward by bending leg and spine.
• Standing: Remaining upright on the feet, particularly for sustained periods of time.
• Walking: Moving about on foot to accomplish tasks, particularly for long distances or moving from one work site to another.
• Pushing: Using upper extremities to press against something with steady force in order to thrust forward, downward or outward.
• Pulling: Using upper extremities to exert force in order to draw, drag, haul or tug objects in a sustained motion.
• Lifting: Raising objects from a lower to a higher position or moving objects horizontally from position to-position. This factor is important if it occurs to a considerable degree and requires the substantial use of the upper extremities and back muscles.
  
  

Working Conditions

• The worker is subject to both environmental conditions: Activities occur inside and outside.
• The worker is subject to hazards: Includes a variety of physical conditions, such as proximity to moving mechanical parts, moving vehicles, electrical current, working on scaffolding and high places, exposure to high heat or exposure to chemicals.
• The worker is subject to oils: There is air and/or skin exposure to oils and other cutting fluids.
  
  

Type of Work: Medium work: Exerting up to 50 pounds of force occasionally, and/or up to 20 pounds of force frequently, and/or up to 10 pounds of force constantly to move objects.

Position Type

Exempt, Full Time, Benefit Eligible

Compensation

The expected annual salary for this posting is between $59,000 - $68,000. Offers are based on factors such as qualifications, relevant experience, skills, internal equity, and market and organizational considerations.

Washington and Lee University also offers a generous and comprehensive benefits package designed to support the well-being of employees and their families. To learn more about working at W&L, benefits, and life in the Shenandoah Valley, visit jobs.wlu.edu.

Washington and Lee is an Equal Opportunity Employer seeking candidates committed to high standards of scholarship, performance, professionalism, and to a welcoming campus community. Job description requirements are representative, but not all‐inclusive of the knowledge, skill, and abilities needed to successfully perform this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable qualified individuals with disabilities to perform essential functions.

To apply, visit: https://wlu.wd5.myworkdayjobs.com/en-US/WLUCareers/job/Lexington-VA/Executive-Sous-Chef_R1503

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