Head Chef and Kitchen Manager

Position Overview We are seeking an experienced and innovative Head Chef / Culinary Manager to lead culinary operations for a growing school food manufacturing company based in North Las Vegas, Nevada. This role is responsible for supporting recipe development, large-scale food production, quality assurance, food safety compliance, and kitchen leadership to ensure nutritious, cost-effective, and high-quality meals are produced for schools and institutional partners. The ideal candidate has experience in high-volume food production, school nutrition programs, USDA compliance, and team leadership , with a passion for creating meals that are both appealing to students and operationally efficient for large-scale distribution. Key Responsibilities Culinary Leadership & Product Development Develop nutritious, appealing, and cost-effective menu items for K-12 school meal programs. Create standardized recipes that can be scaled for mass production while maintaining quality and consistency. Ensure menu offerings align with student preferences, dietary restrictions, and nutritional guidelines. Lead product innovation initiatives for new meal offerings, snacks, and packaged foods. Support taste testing and product evaluations. Food Manufacturing & Production Oversight Manage hands on daily kitchen and food manufacturing operations to meet production schedules and client demands. Oversee batch cooking, packaging, portioning, and distribution preparation. Optimize production workflows for efficiency and waste reduction. Ensure proper inventory levels of ingredients, packaging materials, and kitchen supplies. Collaborate with operations teams to improve production throughput and profitability. Regulatory Compliance & Food Safety Ensure compliance with all USDA school meal program requirements . Maintain adherence to

FDA , USDA , SNAP

, and local health department regulations. Oversee HACCP protocols and food safety procedures. Ensure compliance with Nevada health and safety regulations. Maintain proper documentation logs for audits and inspections. Team Leadership & Training Hire, train, supervise, and mentor culinary staff and production team members. Build schedules to ensure appropriate staffing levels. Establish performance standards and accountability measures. Promote a culture of teamwork, employee safety, food safety and continuous improvement. Financial Management Support analysis of food costs, labor costs, and kitchen budgets. Analyze margins and identify opportunities to improve profitability. Reduce waste and improve operational efficiency.

Pay:

$75,000.00 - $90,000.00 per year

Benefits:

Paid time off

Work Location:

In person