Culinary and Operations Manager

Title: Culinary and Operations Manager

Department: Tiger Cooler

Duration: Indefinite

Employment Status: Exempt, Full Time

Job Summary

Reporting to the Associate Director, Campus Dining, the Culinary and Operations Manager is responsible for the overall culinary leadership, daily management, and operational performance of Tiger Cooler, one of the College’s most visible dining venues. The Manager directs back-of-house operations and provides venue leadership to support service standards, staff accountability, food quality, labor management, and operational continuity. The Manager is responsible for menu execution and development, staffing oversight, scheduling, ordering, inventory, food and labor cost control, training, and compliance with food safety and sanitation standards. The Manager leads through active floor presence, coaching, and oversight of operations, while ensuring work is effectively carried out by staff and supervisors. This position is intended for a strong culinary manager who can lead a high-volume retail dining operation, develop staff, and drive consistent performance.

Job Duties

• 30% - Directs the overall culinary and operational performance of Tiger Cooler. Establishes, implements and monitors standards for food quality, menu execution, presentation, production flow, sanitation, and service readiness. Oversees menu execution and refinement, product consistency to ensure alignment with operational and departmental expectations. - (Essential)
• 25% - Directly supervises back-of-house staff and supervisory personnel (minimum of 2+ employees). Provides clear direction, assigns and prioritizes work and ensures accountability for performance and operational outcomes. Leads performance management, including hiring, onboarding, training, performance evaluation, discipline, and termination decisions. Provides ongoing coaching, development, and performance feedback to ensure staff competency and adherence to standards. Maintains venue wide leadership presence to ensure effective team performance and operational consistency. - (Essential)
• 15% - Develops staffing plans and manages back-of-house schedules based on business levels, service needs, labor targets, and operational priorities. Directs deployment of labor and adjust staffing assignments to ensure operational efficiency and service continuity. Monitors workflow and operational execution throughout the day to ensure effective performance across shifts and meal periods. - (Essential)
• 15% - Oversee food ordering, inventory practices, product utilization, and related cost-control systems for Tiger Cooler. Monitors food and labor performance metrics and identifies opportunities to improve efficiency and reduce waste. Ensures purchasing and inventory practices align with menu needs, budget expectations and operational goals. Supports budget accountability through effective operational management and cost awareness. - (Essential)
• 10% - Establishes and reinforces standards for food safety, sanitation, workplace safety, organization, and regulatory compliance. Ensures staff are trained, monitored, and held accountable for compliance with established procedures and operational expectations. Promotes a culture of discipline, consistency, and operational readiness through ongoing oversight and reinforcement of expectations. - (Essential)
• 5% - Maintains an active leadership presence in the venue to oversee operations, guide staff, and ensure service continuity. Provides operational decision-making during periods of high volume, staffing challenges, or other day-to-day needs. Use floor presence to assess execution, reinforce standards, and ensure the operation is functioning effectively. - (Essential)

Minimum Qualifications

• High school diploma or equivalent.
• ServSafe Manager certification.
• Three years of experience in food service, culinary operations, or retail dining operations, including supervising staff and supporting day-to-day operations.
• Demonstrated experience with food preparation, production oversight, staff training, scheduling, and maintaining food safety and sanitation standards.
• Knowledge of culinary and food service operations in a fast-paced environment.
• Ability to supervise, train, and support staff while maintaining accountability and consistent performance.
• Ability to direct day-to-day operations, including food production, scheduling, ordering, inventory, and cost control.
• Knowledge of food safety, sanitation, and safe work practices. Ability to manage multiple priorities, exercise sound judgment, and respond effectively to operational needs.
• Strong communication, organization, and customer service skills. Ability to lead through active oversight, staff development, and operational accountability.
• Knowledge of contemporary leadership and management methods to ensure employee success and achievement, and demonstration of related and applicable skills as evidenced by the ability to effectively direct, assess and evaluate performance of direct reports.
• Ability to effectively design, define, describe and document job functions, responsibilities, tasks, and required qualifications associated with supervised positions, and the demonstrated skills in assessing candidates’ experience, knowledge, skills and abilities when hiring for vacant positions, ensuring the best choice of candidate.
• Ability to provide employee development, training and opportunities for direct reports to demonstrate performance achievement and success, recognizing performance of both above standards and needs improvement and respond accordingly.
• Skilled at communicating feedback verbally, in writing and electronically; and documenting performance via introductory
  and annual performance appraisals.
• Skilled in developing and determining corrective employment/performance/behavioral strategies, as needed.
• Demonstrated ability to design and execute performance improvement plans, conducting disciplinary action and/or determining the appropriateness of employment continuation.

Preferred Qualifications

• Degree in culinary arts or a related field.
• Experience leading back-of-house operations, including menu execution, ordering, inventory, food cost control, and labor management.
• Experience in college or university dining, contract food service, or other large-scale retail dining environments. Bilingual English/Spanish preferred.

EXPECTED HIRING RANGE:  $70,304 – $78,000/yr

If you are offered this position at Occidental College, your final base salary compensation will be determined based on factors such as skills, education, experience, and/or geographic location. In addition to those factors, Occidental complies with applicable pay equity laws and considers internal equity among current employees when developing the final offer. Please keep in mind that the range mentioned above is the base salary range for the role. Hiring at the maximum of the range would not be typical in order to allow for future and continued salary growth.  We also offer a generous compensation and benefits package.