Sous chef job description template: kitchen size, authority, food protection manager certification and exempt status
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A sous chef job description should name the kitchen (concept, covers on a busy night, scratch or banquet), the authority the sous chef holds (running the line when the chef is off, ordering to a budget, writing schedules, hiring and discipline), the food protection manager certification the local health code expects of the person in charge, the real hours, and the pay with its exempt or non-exempt status. As of October 2026, the FDA Food Code says the person in charge must be a certified food protection manager, and federal overtime rules decide exemption by duties, not by the title "chef".
"Sous chef wanted, strong leader, passion for food" attracts line cooks stretching into the title and experienced sous chefs who cannot tell whether they will run a 60-seat scratch kitchen or a 400-cover banquet operation. Below are the seat types, a copy-ready template, the certification, classification and tip pool lines with sources, screening and scorecard rows, and common mistakes. For the call, use sous chef screening questions; for the cooks who report to this person, see the line cook job description template.
Name the seat: kitchen, volume and authority
| Seat | What the day looks like | Must-have that separates it |
|---|---|---|
| Restaurant sous chef, scratch kitchen | Prep lists, running the pass, specials, ordering, training cooks | Has run service as the person in charge, not only a station |
| High-volume or multi-unit sous chef | Standardized recipes, large prep, labor and food cost targets, brand standards | Hit cost and ticket-time targets at comparable volume |
| Hotel or banquet sous chef | Banquet event orders, production schedules, several outlets, large teams | Production planning for events and multiple outlets |
| Executive sous chef | Second-in-command over several sous chefs or outlets; budgets and hiring | Has managed other supervisors |
| Institutional sous chef | Hospital, campus or corporate dining; menus with nutrition or allergen controls; set hours | Large-batch production and documented food safety programs |
Then settle the facts: covers on the busiest night, cooks per shift, whether there is a second sous chef, the ordering budget, who writes the schedule, and what the sous chef decides alone, such as sending a cook home or recommending a termination. BLS describes sous chefs as a kitchen's second-in-command who supervise cooks, prepare meals, report to the head chef and run the kitchen in the chef's absence, and notes that chefs and head cooks typically need five years or more of related experience (BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook, last modified August 27, 2026).
The sous chef job description template
Sous Chef, [Restaurant / Banquet / Multi-Unit / Institutional],
[Evenings / Days / Rotating]
[Restaurant or property], [city, state]
Pay: $[min]–$[max] per [year / hour], [exempt / non-exempt, after
review], plus [bonus on (food cost / inspection) targets, with how
it is calculated]. [Benefits summary, if required.]
ABOUT THE KITCHEN
[Concept and service style]. About [N] covers on a [Saturday], a
line of [N] cooks and [N] prep cooks. You will report to [executive
chef] and run the kitchen on [days] when the chef is off.
SCHEDULE
[N] shifts a week, about [N] hours, including [Friday and Saturday
nights / weekend brunch / holidays]. Closing shifts end around
[time] after breakdown.
WHAT YOU WILL DO
- Run the line and the pass during service; check every plate
against spec.
- Write daily prep lists from pars and the reservation count.
- Order from [vendors] to a weekly budget of about $[N]; receive,
check and rotate product.
- Cost recipes and help keep food cost near [target]% (example).
- Write the cook schedule to the labor target [with the chef].
- Train cooks on recipes, knife safety and food safety; give
feedback and document performance issues.
- Act as the certified person in charge on your shifts: hot and
cold holding, labels, cooling logs, illness reporting and
inspections.
- [Hire cooks with the chef; your recommendations on discipline
and termination are given weight.]
YOU MUST HAVE
- [N] years in professional kitchens, including [N] running a
line or shift at about [N] covers.
- [Food protection manager certification from an accredited
program, or able to pass within [N] days; we pay for the course
and exam.]
- Availability for the schedule above.
- Ability to stand for full shifts, lift cases and stock pots of
up to [N] pounds, and work near heat, with or without reasonable
accommodation.
NICE TO HAVE
- Experience with [cuisine / banquets / inventory software].
- ACF Certified Sous Chef or culinary degree.
If you meet the must-haves and none of these, please apply.
HOW WE HIRE
[Call with the chef; a paid working interview of [N] hours that
includes a prep list from our par sheet; meeting the GM.]
[EEO STATEMENT]
To request an adjustment to apply or interview, call or text
[contact].Food safety certification, exempt status and tips
Not legal advice. The points below were checked against the FDA Food Code 2026, NYC Business, the National Restaurant Association's ServSafe site, the American Culinary Federation, 29 CFR Parts 531 and 541 and BLS as of October 2026. Food codes are adopted locally and may lag the FDA model; confirm with your health department.
The person in charge. The FDA describes its Food Code as a model for food control jurisdictions; the current edition is the 2026 Food Code (FDA). It says the permit holder must make sure a person in charge is present during all hours of operation (section 2-101.11), that the person in charge must be a certified food protection manager who passed a test that is part of an accredited program (2-102.12, with an exception for establishments the regulator deems minimal risk), and that certification from a program listed by a Conference for Food Protection-recognized accrediting agency meets it (2-102.20) (FDA Food Code 2026). ANSI's accreditation board keeps the list of accredited certification bodies (ANAB directory). The 2026 edition also adds a written employee illness policy covering symptom and diagnosis reporting and exclusion (2-501.11), which a sous chef enforces where your jurisdiction adopts it.
Local rules decide. New York City, for example, requires a supervisor with a Food Protection Certificate on duty during all hours of operation; the certificate does not expire (NYC Business). In a kitchen like that, every sous chef who closes needs the certificate. ServSafe Manager is one accredited option; the National Restaurant Association recognizes it for five years, and state or employer rules can differ (ServSafe). The template's line, "or able to pass within N days; we pay", lets strong cooks who are moving up apply, unless your local code needs the certificate on their first shift in charge.
Culinary credentials. The American Culinary Federation's Certified Sous Chef requires two years supervising a shift or food station within the past ten years, an education and experience pathway, 30-hour courses in nutrition, food safety and sanitation and supervisory management, and written and practical exams; it renews every five years (ACF). It is a plus, not a gate.
Exempt or non-exempt. The executive exemption requires a salary of at least $684 a week, management of the kitchen as the primary duty, customarily and regularly directing two or more employees, and authority to hire or fire or recommendations given particular weight (29 CFR 541.100). A manager can cook alongside the team and stay exempt if management is the primary duty, but a working supervisor whose primary duty is production work does not become exempt by directing others now and then (541.106). The regulation also says executive and sous chefs with a four-year culinary arts degree generally meet the learned professional duties test (541.301(e)(6)). If your sous chef mostly works a station, post an hourly rate.
Tips. Employers may not let managers or supervisors keep any part of employees' tips, and for this rule a manager is anyone whose duties match the executive duties test, whether salaried or hourly (29 CFR 531.52(b)(2)). An employer that pays full minimum wage and takes no tip credit may include cooks in a tip pool, but not supervisors or managers (531.54(d)). If your cooks share a pool, settle the sous chef's place in it before you post.
Pay and EEO. BLS reports a national median of $62,470 a year, or $30.03 an hour, for chefs and head cooks in May 2025 (profile above). That figure covers head chefs too and is national, so set your range from local data. Check pay transparency laws by state and close with an EEO statement covering the characteristics the EEOC lists.
From must-haves to screening questions and scorecard rows
| Must-have | Screening question | Scorecard competency | Evidence of a strong answer |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ran the kitchen | "What is the most covers you ran as the person in charge, and how often?" | Kitchen leadership | A number, a night of the week, and how long they did it |
| Ordering and food cost | "How did you build an order, and what did you do when food cost ran over?" | Cost control | Pars, counts, a variance they found and fixed |
| Scheduling and people | "Tell me about a cook you had to correct more than once. What did you do and write down?" | People management | Clear expectations, documentation, involved the chef, a result |
| Food safety management | "Do you hold a food protection manager certificate, and when does it expire? How do you handle a cook who reports vomiting?" | Food safety | A current certificate, and exclusion under the illness policy |
| Schedule | "The shifts are [days and close times], with [holidays]. Can you work them?" | Not scored | Knockout confirmed |
The full call, including how line cooks overstate leadership, is in sous chef screening questions. Set up the working interview with how to run a job trial day, and give it a management task as well as cooking. For the business side of the restaurant, see restaurant general manager screening questions.
Common mistakes in sous chef job descriptions
No volume or team size
Covers and cooks per shift are how chefs judge the job. Put both in the first lines.
Authority left vague
"Assist the chef" can mean anything. Say what the sous chef orders, schedules and decides.
"Exempt" with a station job
A salaried sous chef who cooks a station all night is a misclassification risk. Match the pay line to the duties.
Certification required on day one, with no help
Requiring a current manager certificate shuts out strong cooks ready to move up. Offer to pay for it within a set time, unless your local code needs it on the first shift.
Hiding the close
Say when closing shifts really end. Late finishes discovered after the offer are a common reason sous chefs leave.
Before you publish
- Concept, covers, team size and shifts are in the first lines.
- The authority the sous chef holds is written down.
- The certification line matches your local health code and says who pays.
- Exempt status is reviewed against the duties, and the tip pool position is settled.
- Pay, any bonus formula, the EEO statement and an accommodation contact close the posting.
Questions people ask
Does a sous chef need a food protection manager certification?
Often. The FDA Food Code, a model that states and localities adopt in their own versions, says the person in charge must be a certified food protection manager who passed a test in an accredited program, and that a person in charge must be present during all hours of operation. A sous chef who runs shifts when the chef is off is usually that person. New York City, for example, requires a supervisor with its Food Protection Certificate on duty during all hours of operation.
Is a sous chef exempt from overtime?
It depends on the duties and pay. The executive exemption needs a salary of at least $684 a week, management as the primary duty, regularly directing two or more employees, and real weight in hiring and firing. A sous chef who mostly cooks a station and only runs the line when the chef is away usually does not qualify. Federal rules also say sous chefs with a four-year culinary arts degree generally meet the learned professional duties test.
Can a sous chef share in the kitchen tip pool?
Not if the sous chef's duties match a manager's. Federal rules bar managers and supervisors, defined by the executive duties test, from keeping any portion of employees' tips, including through a tip pool, whether or not the employer takes a tip credit. An employer that pays full minimum wage and takes no tip credit may include cooks and dishwashers in a pool, but not supervisors or managers.
What is the ACF Certified Sous Chef credential?
It is an American Culinary Federation certification. Candidates need two years of experience supervising a shift or food station within the past ten years, an education and experience pathway such as a high school diploma with five years of entry-level culinary work, 30-hour courses in nutrition, food safety and sanitation and supervisory management, and passing written and practical exams. It renews every five years. List it as a plus, not a requirement.