Hotel Sous Chef - Doubletree Hotel by Hilton - Aurora, CO in Aurora, Colorado at O'Reilly Hospitality Management LLC

Essential Responsibilities:

• Assists the Executive Chef in directing the daily operations of all culinary outlets, including restaurants, banquets, catering, room service, bars (where applicable), and other food service operations.
• Supervises, trains, mentors, coaches, develops, schedules, and evaluates culinary team members while supporting recruitment, onboarding, recognition, engagement, and progressive discipline in accordance with company policies.
• Provides hands-on leadership by actively participating in food preparation, production, plating, and service to ensure quality, consistency, and timely execution.
• Oversees food preparation to ensure recipes, portion sizes, presentation standards, and cooking techniques are consistently followed.
• Monitors food quality, freshness, appearance, and proper cooking temperatures to ensure all products meet company, brand, and guest expectations.
• Assumes responsibility for all kitchen operations in the absence of the Executive Chef, ensuring seamless daily operations.
• Assists with menu planning, recipe development, seasonal offerings, and banquet menu execution while maintaining standardized recipes and portion controls.
• Supports purchasing, receiving, inventory management, product rotation, and proper storage procedures to minimize waste and maintain product quality.
• Assists in managing food, labor, and operating costs by monitoring scheduling, inventory levels, production, portion control, and waste reduction.
• Maintains compliance with all federal, state, and local health department regulations, food safety requirements, sanitation standards, and HACCP guidelines.
• Ensures all kitchen facilities, equipment, and work areas remain clean, organized, properly maintained, and safe at all times.
• Collaborates with hotel leadership, Sales, Food & Beverage, and Events teams to successfully execute meetings, weddings, banquets, catering functions, and special events.
• Assists in forecasting production needs and staffing levels based on occupancy, business demand, and event schedules.
• Responds promptly and professionally to guest concerns, resolving issues to achieve the highest level of guest satisfaction.
• Promotes a positive, respectful, and team-oriented work environment that supports engagement, accountability, safety, and continuous improvement.
• Maintains compliance with company policies, brand standards, food safety regulations, and all applicable local, state, and federal requirements.
• Supports company initiatives, including O'Reach, Green Team, Guest Service, Team Member Satisfaction, Health & Wellness, and Safety programs.
• Performs other duties as assigned to support the successful operation of the property.

Skills & Abilities:

• Strong culinary knowledge, food preparation techniques, and menu development.
• Knowledge of food safety regulations, HACCP, and sanitation standards.
• Strong financial acumen with the ability to manage budgets, food costs, labor costs, and operational expenses.
• Excellent leadership, communication, coaching, and conflict resolution skills.
• Strong organizational and time management abilities with the ability to prioritize multiple responsibilities.
• Ability to work effectively under pressure in a fast-paced environment.
• Proficient in Microsoft Office and hospitality/POS/inventory management systems.
• Commitment to delivering exceptional guest experiences while maintaining operational excellence.

Hours and Work Requirements:

• This is an on-site position. All essential job duties must be performed on hotel premises.
• Must be available to work a flexible schedule including mornings, evenings, weekends, holidays, and extended hours based on business demands.
• Must maintain regular and reliable attendance.
• Ability to respond to operational emergencies outside of scheduled work hours when necessary.

Education & Experience:

• A high school diploma or equivalent is required.
• A culinary arts degree or certification from a culinary institution is preferred.
• Two years’ experience as a Sous Chef is preferred.
• Two years kitchen supervisory experience with three years kitchen operations experience including at least one year in a lead cook position and one year in a steward position OR an equivalent level of education and experience.

Physical Requirements of the Position:

• Frequently stand and walk for extended periods throughout the workday.
• Frequently bend, stoop, kneel, reach, push, pull, climb, and lift.
• Regularly lift and carry up to 50 pounds and occasionally lift greater amounts with assistance.
• Frequently use hands for food preparation, handling equipment, and operating kitchen tools.
• Ability to work in hot, humid, cold, wet, and fast-paced kitchen environments.
• Requires close vision, distance vision, color vision, peripheral vision, depth perception, and the ability to adjust focus.
• Ability to safely operate commercial kitchen equipment.

Physical Activity of the Position:

• Stooping, kneeling, crouching, reaching, standing, walking, pushing, pulling, lifting, picking/pinching with fingers, typing, grasping, feeling, talking, hearing, repetitive motion.

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Work Environment

Work is performed primarily indoors in commercial kitchen, restaurant, banquet, and food preparation areas. The position routinely works near hot surfaces, open flames, steam, sharp objects, refrigeration units, cleaning chemicals, and commercial kitchen equipment. Exposure to varying temperatures, moderate to high noise levels, and occasional outdoor conditions may occur while supporting events, deliveries, or other operational needs. The Executive Chef is expected to maintain a safe working environment and consistently follow all company safety procedures and food safety regulations.