Kitchen Manager

JOB DESCRIPTION: KITCHEN LEAD (SAVORY)

Position Title:

Kitchen Lead (Savory Prep & Production)

Compensation:

$20.00 – $22.00 per hour (Non-Exempt / Hourly)

Location:

Williamsburg, Brooklyn

Reports To:

Chef / Culinary Director

Direct Reports:

1 Line Cook / Prep Assistant

Job Summary

We are seeking a highly organized, efficient, and skilled Kitchen Lead to oversee our savory prep and production lines. In this hands-on leadership role, you will be responsible for managing the day-to-day preparation of both made-to-order a la carte menu items and high-volume prepared grab-and-go foods. You will directly work alongside one dedicated culinary employee, ensuring optimal kitchen efficiency, exceptional food quality, and absolute compliance with food safety regulations. Additionally, you will play a key role in business operations by executing precise food costing, controlling inventory, and minimizing waste to maintain healthy profit margins.

Key Responsibilities

•  Oversee and execute the daily culinary preparation for all savory menu offerings, maintaining consistent flavor profiles, portion controls, and visual presentation.
• Prepare components for rapid-service a la carte dishes alongside components for pre-packaged, grab-and-go items
•  Build and maintain an optimized, sequenced daily prep list for yourself and your direct report 
• Quality Control - Ensure proper knife work, classic culinary technique execution, and correct cooling, labeling, and storage of bulk savory bases, sauces, and proteins.

• Regularly calculate and monitor the raw food cost percentage of individual a la carte items and batch prepared food items to meet target margins.
•  Conduct accurate weekly inventory counts of all savory ingredients, sub-recipes, dry storage goods, and packaging supplies.
•  Log and analyze kitchen waste trends, adjusting prep levels dynamically to minimize overproduction of prepared grab-and-go inventory.
• Communicate with wholesale food vendors, verify delivery invoices against received weights, and report ingredient price fluctuations to ownership.

• Supervise, motivate, and direct one line cook/prep assistant, taking active responsibility for their daily task allocation, output, and culinary growth.
•  Train your direct report on standard operating procedures (SOPs), uniform recipe execution, safety protocols, and efficient station setup/breakdown.

• Maintain an clean, organized, and sanitary station, enforcing strict holding temperatures for hot and cold food storage.
• Inspection Readiness Lead by example to ensure the kitchen passes all local Department of Health (DOH) inspections with top marks.

Qualifications & Requirements

• Minimum 2–3 years of professional kitchen experience focusing on savory production, with at least 1 year in a supervisory, shift-lead, or captain role.
• Strong technical cooking foundational knowledge, excellent knife skills, and high proficiency in scaling recipes mathematically.
•  Must possess a valid New York State Food Handlers License or a New York City DOHMH Food Protection Certificate or willingness to obtain one in a timely matter upon hiring
•  Ability to stand for extended periods (8 hours), lift up to 50 lbs, and work efficiently in high-temperature kitchen environments.
• Weekend and Morning availability a must 

New York State Legal & Compliance Disclosures

• The hourly wage range for this position is $20.00 – $22.00 per hour. The final offered rate will depend on the candidate's verified kitchen leadership experience, culinary trial performance, and skill set.
• * This is a non-exempt, hourly position eligible for overtime pay at a rate of 1.5x the regular hourly rate for all hours worked over 40 in a single workweek. Eligible employees will receive a NYS Section 195 Wage Theft Prevention Act notice detailing compensation specifics at the time of hire.
• *NYS Paid Sick Leave: Employees accrue paid sick leave at a rate of 1 hour for every 30 hours worked, up to a maximum of 40 hours per calendar year, usable in accordance with the NYS Sick Leave Law.
• *NYS Meal Break Mandate: In compliance with NYS Department of Labor mandates, hourly kitchen employees working a shift exceeding 6 hours are legally entitled to, and required to take, an uninterrupted 30-minute unpaid meal period.