Executive Chef

Department: Food & Beverage
Supervisor: Director of Operations

General overview of position:

The Executive Chef is an experienced leader responsible for overseeing all food and beverage activities, including catering and snack bar services of TASIS, The American School in Switzerland SA. Founded in 1956, TASIS is the oldest American boarding school in Europe, with a long tradition of inspiring young people to become the best versions of themselves and a guiding philosophy that seeks to promote intellectual curiosity, civility, kindness, compassion, and ethical behavior.

The Executive Chef is responsible for the consistent preparation of innovative and creative cuisine of the highest quality, with a focus on presentation and flavor, served in the dining rooms, and other food facilities. This commitment results in outstanding satisfaction of students, faculty, and staff while providing a variety of culinary experiences that cater to diverse tastes and dietary needs. Additionally, he/she is responsible for the smooth running of the kitchen and catering service, and manages areas of profit, stock, wastage control, hygiene practices, and training within the kitchen and the catering department.

The Executive Chef reports to the Operations Director and works closely with the Headmaster, Directors, Managers, and the Senior Leadership Administrators and other key departments by leading the development of food and beverage strategy required to support TASIS's educational aims and overall mission.

The school looks for leaders who proactively seek improvements in their areas, work collaboratively with others, proactively plan for the future while attending to the day-to-day needs of the school, anticipate needs and address them, think “big picture” while attending to the necessary details, coordinate with and among departments as necessary, and work diligently with high ethical standards.

Specific Responsibilities

Menu Development:

• Develops appealing menus that accommodate a diverse range of tastes, dietary preferences, and nutritional needs. Regularly update menus to keep offering fresh and appealing;
• Maintains updated and accurate costing of all menu dishes;

Kitchen Management:

• Controls and directs the food preparation process and any other related activities;
• Ensures all products are prepared in a consistent manner and meet departmental appearance/quality standards;
• Provides direction for all day-to-day operations in the kitchen and catering areas;
• Ensures all equipment in the kitchen and in the catering area is properly maintained and in working order in accordance with local health department and school standards;
• Ensures all buffet equipment and related machinery is functioning optimally for meal service;
• Understands employee positions well enough to perform duties in employees' absence or determine appropriate replacement to fill gaps;
• Is responsible for implementing and maintaining departmental procedures and best practices, and introduces new ones when and if necessary upon discussion with the Operations Director and approval of the Headmaster;

Staff Training and Supervision:

• Hires, trains, guides, develops, motivates, and evaluates culinary and catering staff to meet and exceed established food preparation standards on a consistent basis;
• Identifies the developmental needs of kitchen and catering staff and provides coaching and mentoring
• Trains kitchen and catering staff members on the fundamentals of good cooking and excellent food presentations;
• Teaches preparation according to well-defined recipes and follows up and discusses ways of constantly improving the cuisine at the school;
• Is actively involved in interviews, hiring, and induction processes of new kitchen and catering staff members;
• Ensures proper grooming, hygiene standards, and punctuality of all kitchen and catering staff members and makes sure they wear the proper uniform and name tag at all times;
• Displays exceptional leadership by providing a positive work environment, counseling employees as appropriate, and demonstrating a dedicated and professional approach to management;
• Sets performance standards and monitors performance of kitchen and catering employees;
• Delegates as appropriate to develop supervisors and subordinates to accept responsibility and meet clearly defined goals and objectives;
• Creates and manages shift schedules for all employees as well as absences and vacations, ensuring sufficient staffing levels to accommodate business demands;
• Works closely with the Human Resources department for HR-related questions and situations;
• Requests and manages personnel from external agencies;

Quality Assurance:

• Determines how food should be presented and creates decorative food displays;
• Frequently reviews finished products for quality and presentation;
• Recognizes superior quality products, presentations, and flavor;
• Proactively works with all constituents to seek feedback on food services, including forming committees and other forms of interaction;
• Interacts with students, faculty, staff, administration, and parents to obtain feedback on food quality, presentation, and service levels;
• Reviews school surveys and other forms of feedback for guest satisfaction results and other data to identify areas of improvement;
• Actively responds to and handles problems and complaints;
• Improves service by communicating and assisting individuals to understand students, faculty, and staff needs, providing guidance, feedback, and individual coaching when needed;
• Remains updated on industry trends and brings innovative culinary concepts to the table;

Inventory & Procurement:

• Maintains quality levels of receiving, storage, production, and presentation of food;
• Coordinates with delegated persons for acquisition of needed goods and services;
• Ensures proper purchasing, receiving, and food storage standards in the kitchen;
• Works with all outside vendors regarding sourcing of food and materials;

Budget Management:

• Reviews staffing levels to ensure that service, operational needs, and financial objectives are met;
• Discusses daily food cost reports with key kitchen and catering team members, in conjunction with the Director of Operations;
• Works closely with the Financial Director, Director of Operations, and other key departments to manage efficient costs while delivering highest quality, including managing daily and annual OpEx and CapEx budgets;
• Reviews weekly and monthly schedules to meet forecast and budget;

Event Planning:

• Liaises with school leadership as necessary, including banqueting, special events, and food needs for special activities such as trips and residential life events;
• Works closely with the TASIS Parents Association and other event managers and stakeholders to ensure proper event management and related needs are met;
• Organizes event staff and catering requests for annual events, such as but not limited to the following events: Faculty Orientation, Orientation and School Year Opening Days for MS and HS Family Weekend, Parent Coffees, ES Parent Conferences, MS Parent Conferences, Events at Casa Fleming, Activities organized by each division, theater, and residential life, Senior Banquet, Graduation, MS/ES Moving Up Ceremonies, Arts Festival and Musicals, Halloween and Carnival, Refreshments for meetings, Sports events, Alumni events, College Counseling events, Advisor events, Ski Week, Community-building activities, Academic Travel weeks, Special dinners for faculty and staff, International Week, HS & MS Family-Style Dinners, Sport Banquets, TASIS Parents Association (TPA) events, Summer Programs: varies from the end of June to middle of August. Opening and Closing events each session, talent show, camping, Wednesday barbecues for everyone and other special events.

Sustainability Initiatives:

• Implements and oversees sustainable practices in the Food & Beverage operations, including sourcing local and organic ingredients, reducing food waste, and implementing eco-friendly packaging options;
• Strives to minimize the environmental footprint of the Food & Beverage department;

Collaboration:

• Serves as direct contact for the nurses for all student allergy needs;
• Contact person to support construction or refurbishment projects related to the Food & Beverage Department
• Maintains a good rapport and working relationship with employees of own and all other departments;
• Attends departmental meetings and other administrative sessions;
• Arranges and attendees scheduled training activities as required;

Compliance:

• Ensures compliance with food handling and sanitation standards (all HACCP standards and procedures);
• Follows proper handling and right temperature of all food products;
• Ensures all kitchen and catering employees maintain required food handling and sanitation certifications (all HACCP standards and procedures and others when necessary);
• Complies with all School’s directives and instructions, regulations and other materials;
• Regularly visits the dormitories with the Dorm Head to ensure HACCP rules are followed and applied on the detachment of delivered goods and to ensure all food is kept at the right temperature and following a first in, first out (FIFO) rotation;
• Follows and enforces all applicable safety procedures specified for kitchen and catering staff members;
• Ensures disciplinary procedures and documentation are completed according to school’s directives and instructions, as well as HACCP regulations;
• Works with all outside agencies and authorities to remain compliant with Swiss regulations;

Other: 

• Projects a positive and motivated attitude and exercise self-control at all times;
• Provides a courteous and professional service at all times;
• Maintains a high standard of personal appearance and hygiene at all times adhering to the school’s grooming standards;

Summary of educational background and professional experience required to take over the position:

• Bachelor’s degree in Culinary science or equivalent diploma in a related field;
• Minimum ten (10) years of recent experience as Executive Chef in medium-big sized international environments
• Proven extensive experience with management of large properties of 1000-–1500 meals per day
• Proven extensive experience with medium-big sized banqueting and events management
• Proven extensive experience of team management
• Proven extensive experience of managing a range of kitchen and catering support services to an exceptional standard
• Advanced knowledge, supported by credentials, of food and catering professional principles and practices

Professional and personal skills needed:

• Fluency in English (either mother tongue or at least a C1/C2 level)
• Knowledge of Italian (at least B2 level)
• Working knowledge of various computer software programs (MS Office, and others)
• Current and up-to-dated knowledge of trends in the food & beverage industry
• Advanced culinary skills including food preparation, flavor pairings and other cooking best practices
• Expert knowledge of organization’s cuisine
• Comfortable training, directing and supervising staff members
• Exceptional leadership skills, including motivation and goal-setting
• Strong creative skills to develop new and innovative products and solutions
• Excellent interpersonal communication skills
• Ability to respond timely to inquiries, and present prompt and clear written/oral briefings
• Excellent decision-making skills
• Excellent response to high-pressure situations
• Big-picture thinking and vision

Additional comments:

The Executive Chef might be requested to perform other duties relevant to the position; these duties will be assigned by the School and will be in line with Swiss law provisions.

Interested candidates should submit their application materials via the Staff

Employment Application.

Staff Employment Application

Hier Bewerber / apply here

https://www.tasis.ch/about/employment/staff-employment-application