Kitchen Manager

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From fine dining restaurants to residential dining, USC Hospitality serves over 65,000 students, athletes, faculty, and staff, as well as our many visitors. Hospitality is one of the six core business units that comprise USC Auxiliary Services and one of the largest employers on campus. The team at USC Hospitality is led by innovative executive chefs and directors who strive every day to craft nourishing and wholesome alternatives for our hungry Trojan Family and our guests. We are driven to succeed by our commitment to uphold our six unifying values in Integrity, Excellence, Well-Being, Open Communication, Accountability, and Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion.

We are seeking a Kitchen Manager to join our rapidly growing team.

The Opportunity:

We look forward to serving our guests each and every day with a smile as we work to provide an exceptional guest experience. The Kitchen Manager will oversee all of our culinary operations and ensure that the University’s high standards are met. You will support, motivate, and educate our team while creating a friendly, positive, and welcoming environment for our students, athletes, faculty, staff, and visitors. As an innovative and analytical person, you will develop systems to increase our team’s efficiency, facilitate volume growth, improve our facility, and manage our budget. Your passion and enthusiasm for your work will be contagious in all of your interactions!

The Accountabilities:

• Responsible for the flow of all food production for general service and private events. Supervise the set-up and food production areas within the kitchen to maximize productivity and minimize waste. Supervise and coordinate food preparation. Ensure products are being stocked properly. Develop and create new menu items and plate presentations.

• Schedule employees for mandatory trainings, complete employee reviews, and provide resources for employees’ interpersonal needs while abiding by the Collective Bargaining Agreement and USC Hospitality Standard Operating Procedures. Attend culinary tastings to recruit and hire new staff.

• Manage and monitor employees’ hours and breaks to control labor. Determine and post schedules. Ensure all wage and hours standards are being followed. Ensure all direct reports maintain a safe work environment.

• Provide all management and staff with day-to-day expectations, as well as daily, monthly, and yearly goals. Communicate with management to ensure all staffing issues, repairs, and daily operational logs are complete and accurate.

• Ensure direct reports have properly completed all assigned tasks that fit their job description. Direct, guide, and motivate staff to meet the production and/or sales goals. Supervise staff to ensure they are following the standards set by USC Hospitality and the Health Department.

• Work closely with the Health Department to maintain compliance. Ensure overall facility cleanliness at all times. Check equipment daily and make arrangements for repairs, if necessary.

• Ensure stellar working relationships with vendors. Respond to all customer comments, questions, and/or concerns.

• Facilitate and attend meetings with upper management, supervisors, assistant managers, and managers. Work closely with Associate Director to develop new ideas for future growth. Communicate changes to direct reports and execute a plan for implementation.

• Oversee the operational and financial goals of the kitchen. Develop new recipes, daily specials, and private event menus that are in line with food cost and current market trends.  Prepare annual budget and ensure fiscal responsibilities are met. Cost out all specials and menu items to ensure proper budgeted food cost.

• Take inventory on a daily, weekly, and/or monthly basis.

• Create logs, order guides, and checklists to monitor temperatures, cleanliness, and ordering. Enter data and invoices into appropriate computer programs.

• Perform other related duties as assigned or requested. The university reserves the right to add or change duties at any time.

The Qualifiers:

• Education: Specialized or technical training.

• Experience: 3 years.

• Expertise:

  • Experience in leadership role in high-volume, full-service kitchen environment.

  • Strong track record of success in previous assignments, demonstrated by upward career mobility.

  • Demonstrated knowledge of pertinent local, federal, and state health and safety laws and regulations.

  • Ability to supervise and train other workers.

  • Must be able to communicate effectively in English.

  • Ability to lift up to 50 pounds.

  • Valid CA driver's license required. Position will participate in the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) Pull Notice System. A copy of DMV record will be required as a final condition of employment. For more information, please visit the policy website.

  • In addition, the successful candidate must also demonstrate, through ideas, words and actions, a strong commitment to USC’s Unifying Values of integrity, excellence, diversity, equity and inclusion, well-being, open communication and accountability.

What We Prefer:

• Bachelor’s Degree.

• 4 years of experience.

• Budgeting experience.

• Knowledge of kitchen equipment and procedures.

• Customer service and maintenance experience.

The Trojan Family Rewards:

We pride ourselves in creating the BEST USC EXPERIENCE, and that begins with our employees! We offer a wide variety of benefits and programs that support our staff and their families. For more information please visit http://benefits.usc.edu.

This support advocates work-life balance and employee well-being. As members of the Trojan family, employees are connected by the traditions and history that make us proud to be Trojans!

As an equal opportunity employer, USC values and promotes diversity and inclusion in the workplace. The work culture thrives on mutual respect, trust, and synergy amongst all of its members.

USC has great minds that transform the world with their talents and research. Will you be one? Join us!

FIGHT ON!

The annual base salary range for this position is $75,446.72 - $82,000.00. When extending an offer of employment, the University of Southern California considers factors such as (but not limited to) the scope and responsibilities of the position, the candidate’s work experience, education/training, key skills, internal peer equity, federal, state, and local laws, contractual stipulations, grant funding, as well as external market and organizational considerations.

Minimum Education: Specialized/technical training Minimum Experience: 3 years Minimum Field of Expertise: Three plus years experience in a leadership role within a high-volume, full service kitchen environment. Strong track record of success in previous assignments demonstrating upward career mobility. Demonstrated knowledge of pertinent local, federal and state health and safety laws and regulations.