Executive Sous Chef | Student Dining

Company Description

The University of Notre Dame is more than a workplace; it is a vibrant, mission-driven community where every employee is valued and supported. Rooted in a tradition of excellence and inspired by our Catholic character, Notre Dame is committed to fostering an environment of care that nurtures the whole person—mind, body, and spirit. Here, you will find a deep sense of belonging, a culture that prioritizes well-being, and the opportunity to grow your career while being a force for good in the world. Whether contributing to world-class research, shaping the student experience, or supporting the University’s mission in other ways, you will be part of a dedicated team working to make a meaningful impact on campus and beyond. At Notre Dame, your work matters, and so do you!

Job Description

The Executive Sous Chef serves as a senior culinary leader within Notre Dame Dining, responsible for translating strategic culinary vision into daily operational excellence across high-volume residential dining environments. This role partners closely with the Executive Chef to elevate the student dining experience through disciplined execution, culinary innovation, and strong back-of-house leadership.

With a focus on consistency, quality, and team development, the Executive Sous Chef leads kitchen operations, ensures adherence to culinary standards, and supports the delivery of a best-in-class residential dining program that reflects the mission and community of Our Lady’s University.

Essential Duties and ResponsibilitiesCulinary Leadership and Daily Execution – 30%

• Execute the culinary vision established by the Executive Chef across all stations, meal periods, and service platforms within Notre Dame Dining.
• Ensure consistent delivery of high-quality food in a high-volume residential dining environment, with attention to flavor, freshness, presentation, portioning, and overall student experience.
• Maintain a strong leadership presence during peak service periods to monitor execution, food quality, station readiness, product levels, service flow, and team performance.
• Support menu implementation, standardized recipe adherence, production timelines, and continuous refinement of culinary offerings.
• Uphold Notre Dame Dining standards for presentation, taste, temperature, freshness, and consistency across all food production areas.
• Work directly with culinary staff to correct execution issues in real time and reinforce expectations for quality, professionalism, and operational discipline.

Back-of-House Operations and Production Management – 30%

• Oversee daily kitchen operations, including hot food production, pantry production, batch cooking, replenishment, service readiness, and closing standards.
• Direct production planning to ensure proper quantities are prepared based on meal period demand, service patterns, menu complexity, and operational needs.
• Ensure effective inventory management, ordering, receiving, storage, product rotation, and product utilization.
• Support food cost control through disciplined portioning, waste reduction, proper forecasting, cross-utilization of ingredients, and responsible production practices.
• Maintain strong organization, cleanliness, and accountability across all back-of-house areas, including prep kitchens, production areas, storage areas, coolers, freezers, and pot washing operations.
• Enforce all food safety, sanitation, HACCP, allergen awareness, labeling, and health regulation requirements.
• Identify operational issues, equipment concerns, workflow challenges, and production gaps, and communicate solutions to the Executive Chef.

Team Leadership, Training, and Development – 25%

• Lead, coach, train, and develop culinary team members, including cooks, kitchen managers, and other assigned back-of-house staff.
• Provide hands-on instruction in culinary techniques, recipe execution, station organization, food handling, knife skills, batch production, plating, and service standards.
• Support the Executive Chef in building a culture of accountability, professionalism, respect, teamwork, and continuous improvement.
• Assist with performance management by providing regular feedback, identifying training needs, supporting corrective action when appropriate, and recognizing strong performance.
• Support scheduling alignment, labor deployment, and staffing models that meet service needs while promoting efficient use of labor.
• Serve as a visible and engaged leader in the kitchen, modeling Notre Dame Dining expectations for work ethic, communication, safety, cleanliness, and student-centered service.
• Help develop culinary talent and support progression pathways for team members seeking advancement within Notr