Sous Chef - 138441

The Sous Chef supports the Executive Chef in delivering safe, nutritious, and high-quality meals to patients, residents, staff, and visitors. This role emphasizes therapeutic diets, food safety, and regulatory compliance while maintaining efficiency, consistency, and a compassionate service culture appropriate to a health care environment.

Culinary & Operations

The applicant will assist in planning, preparing, and executing daily menus for patient dining, retail, and catering services. The applicant will ensure that all meals meet established nutritional guidelines, portion standards, and quality expectations. The applicant will supervise food production to maintain consistency, taste, and presentation, and will assume the responsibilities of the Executive Chef as needed.

Therapeutic & Special Diets

• Prepare and oversee meals for therapeutic diets (e.g., low sodium, diabetic, renal, texture-modified, allergen-free)
• Collaborate with Registered Dietitians and clinical teams to ensure diet accuracy
• Maintain strict allergen controls and cross-contamination prevention

Food Safety & Compliance

• Enforce food safety standards (HACCP, ServSafe, local/state health codes)
• Ensure compliance with health care regulations (e.g., Joint Commission, CMS, local authorities)
• Oversee proper food handling, storage, labeling, and temperature logs
• Participate in audits, inspections, and corrective action plans

Leadership & Staff Development

• Supervise, train, and mentor kitchen staff
• Schedule staff and assign daily production tasks
• Promote teamwork, professionalism, and a patient-centered mindset
• Support performance management and onboarding

Inventory & Cost Control

• Assist with ordering, receiving, and inventory management
• Monitor food waste and support cost-containment initiatives
• Follow standardized recipes and production forecasts

• High school diploma and/or equivalent certification/experience/training.
• Five (5+) or more years of culinary experience, preferably in health care, institutional, or high-volume food service.
• Knowledge of therapeutic diets and food safety regulations.
• Proven food preparation skill and experience in a high-volume, high-quality restaurant and/or hotel environment.
• Demonstrated experience and knowledge in food service and sanitation regulations.
• Experience in ordering, storing, inventory, and cost control; developing quality and quantity production controls.
• Knowledge and skills to plan, organize and implement training on related food service topics.
• Demonstrated computer application skills.
• Effective interpersonal and work leadership skills to provide guidance to all operational and technical personnel or new employees at this level.

• Culinary degree or equivalent professional experience.
• ServSafe Certification or equivalent certification.
• Experience in hospitals, long-term care, or senior living.
• Familiarity with electronic meal ordering or patient menu systems.
• Leadership or supervisory experience.
• Strong knowledge of nutrition and modified diets.
• Excellent organization and time management.
• Attention to detail and accuracy.
• Calm, flexible, and solutions-oriented under pressure.
• Clear communication and team leadership skills.

• Must be able to work various hours and locations based on business needs.
• Employment is subject to a criminal background check and a pre-employment physical.

If employed by the University of California, you will be required to comply with our Policy on Vaccination Programs, which may be amended or revised from time to time. Federal, state, or local public health directives may impose additional requirements.

If applicable, life-support certifications (BLS, NRP, ACLS, etc.) must include hands-on practice and in-person skills assessment; online-only certification is not acceptable.

UC San Diego Health is the only academic health system in the San Diego region, providing leading-edge care in patient care, biomedical research, education, and community service. Our facilities include two university hospitals, a National Cancer Institute-designated Comprehensive Cancer Center, Shiley Eye Institute, Sulpizio Cardiovascular Center, the only Burn Center in the county, and and dozens of outpatient clinics. We invite you to join our team!

Applications/Resumes are accepted for current job openings only. For full consideration on any job, applications must be received prior to the initial closing date. If a job has an extended deadline, applications/resumes will be considered during the extension period; however, a job may be filled before the extended date is reached.

To foster the best possible working and learning environment, UC San Diego strives to cultivate a rich and diverse environment, inclusive and supportive of all students, faculty, staff and visitors. For more information, please visit UC San Diego Principles of Community.

The University of California is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, age, protected veteran status, or other protected status under state or federal law.

For the University of California's Anti-Discrimination Policy, please visit: https://policy.ucop.edu/doc/1001004/Anti-Discrimination

UC San Diego is a smoke and tobacco free environment. Please visit smokefree.ucsd.edu for more information.

UC San Diego Health maintains a marijuana and drug free environment. Employees may be subject to drug screening.

Misconduct Disclosure Requirement: As a condition of employment, the final candidate who accepts an offer of employment will be required to disclose if they have been subject to any final administrative or judicial decisions within the last seven years determining that they committed any misconduct; or have filed an appeal of a finding of substantiated misconduct with a previous employer.

a. "Misconduct" means any violation of the policies governing employee conduct at the applicant's previous place of employment, including, but not limited to, violations of policies prohibiting sexual harassment, sexual assault, or other forms of harassment, or discrimination, as defined by the employer. For reference, below are UC's policies addressing some forms of misconduct:

• UC Sexual Violence and Sexual Harassment Policy
• UC Anti-Discrimination Policy
• Abusive Conduct in the Workplace