About Sea Watch
Established in 1974, Sea Watch on the Ocean is a longstanding Fort Lauderdale oceanfront restaurant serving
generations of guests. Our culinary identity is rooted in upscale coastal American cuisine with a strong seafo
o
focus, classic preparations, signature dishes and longtime guest fa vor i
ts. S
Position
The Executive Chef is the senior culinary leader and department head for all back-of-house
ratins.
Reporting directly to the General Manager, this role is accountable for culinary quality, people l
e
aderhip,financial performance, food safety, systems, staffing, purchasing, inventory, private-event ex ecu
tion ad the
overall condition of the kitchen. The Executive Chef directly leads the Sous Chef team and is responsible for the performance and development of the culin
a
ry deprtment.The successful candidate will balance creativity and innovation with thoughtful steward shi
p of SeaWatch’s
established menu, signature dishes and longtime guest favorites. Responsibilities may be delegted, but
accountability for the culinary department remains
the Exective Chef. i
Essential Funct
• Lead daily culinary and BOH operations, including production, service, e
cution, qualty control,
consis
t
ency and timly execution.• Maintain a visible, hands-on presence in the kitchen and actively lead ser
vice, expo/pas, quality and
execution, stepping in where needed during high-volume or operationally critica
l
periods; thisexpectation isleadership-focused and does not mean routinely fun cti
oning as scheduld line coverage.
• Direct, coach, schedule and develop the Sous Chef team and culinary staff; establish clear standards, crosstraining, acco
u
ntability and sucession planning.• Exercise meaningful input into hiring, promotion, performanc e e
valuation, disciplne and separation
decisions for culinary employees, in partnership with t
h
e General Manager nd Human Resources.• Maintain a professional, respectful and accountable ki
tchen culture; addres employee concerns
appropriately and partner with the General Manager
a
nd Human Resources o employee relations,performance managementand corrective action.
• Plan BOH staffing based on projected volume, reservation
s
, events and business eeds whil e controlling
overtime, poductivity and coverage.
• Own culinary financial performance, including food cos
t
, BOH labor, waste, yiels, purchasing, inventoryvariance and other controllable expenses; review res
ults and corrective action with the General Manager.
• Participate in annual budgeting and ongoing forecast
i
ng for culinary labor, foo cost, equipment andother
BOH operating needs.
• Oversee purchasing, receiving, inventory, sto
ra
ge, product specifications,ven dor performance, pricing,
credis and accurate system records.
• Maintain standardized recipes, plating specif
i
cations, allergen information,pr epprocedures, pars, yields,
porton standards and recipe costing.
• Use reservations, historical s
a
les and event counts toforecastproduction and reduce shotages,
overproduction and waste.
• Evaluate menu performance using
fo
od cost, contribution, popularity operational com plexity, waste and
guest feedback; reommend thoughtful menu improvements.
• Bring creativity and fre
s
h ideas to menu development while hooring Se a W atch’s culinary identity, ions and guest favorites. s
longstandig menu tradit
Oprational Controls, Safety & Compliance
• Maintain all BOH area
te
rature control, storage, rotation, alleren-management and cleanliness standards.
• Actively maintain a strong BOH safety culture by identifyig and correcting hazards, enforcing safe
equipment and work
actices, and promptly reporting employee ijuri
e
s, incidents, near misses and safetyconerns in accordance with company procedures.
• Maintain orde rly
walk-ins, freez
ers, dry storage, prep areas culinary workspces, smallwares and secure
product storage.
• Review wast
e,
spoilage, r eturns, refires and food-relatedguest feedback; idntify trends and implement
corrective action.
• Review
BE
Os and event requirements in advance and develp production, staffing, ordering, equipment and
exection plans for private events and major holidays
.
• Identify equipment issues early, support prevntive-maintenan ce
practices and recommend repair,
replacement or caital priorities before failures disrupt operations.
• E
n
sure accurate c ulinary scheduling, timekeeping, invntory, receiving, inoice, waste and other required
operational re
co
rds.• Follow and enforce applicable laws , fo
od-safty requirements, workplace-safety procedures, copany
policies, SOPs and lawful management directi
ve
s.• Safeguard confidential and proprietary informati n,
including employee information, payroll information,
reipes, vendor pricing, financial data and company records.
• Maintain ethical vendor relationships, di
e potential conflicts of interest and comply with company
policies regarding gifts, purchasing and vend
o
r selection.• Operate within approved budgets and delegaed authority; obtain a ppr o
priate approval before
committing
the company to materialexpenditures, contracts,v endor changes or capital purchases.
Req
ui
red Qualifications• Minimum 5 years of prog
ressive culinar-management experience in a high-volume, multi-illion-dollar,
full-service upscale or fin
e-
dining restaurant.• Prior experience as an Executive Chef, Cef de Cuisin e,
Executive Sous Chef or comparable senior culinary
leader with rsponsibility for financial performance a
n
d a substantial BOH team.• D emon
strated responsibility for foodcost, BOH labor, budgeting, forecasing, purchasing, inventory
an
ddepartmental financial performance.
• Proven ability to recrut, train, coach, evaluate and deve lop
culinary
leaders and employees.
• Strong high-volume à la carte exprience; prvate-event and major-holiday ex
ec
ution experienc e strongly
preferred.
• Strong culinary fundamental with menu developmen, recipe standardization, costing
an
d operationa lexecution experience.
• xtraCHEF experience or substanial experience wit a comparable purchas
in
g, inventory and recipe-costingplatform required.
• Experience using estaurant POS syste ms
and oper
ational reporting; Toast experience preferred.
• Proficiency with sheduling payroll/ti m
e
keeping, spreadshee ts,email and restaurant-management
systems.
• Curr
entfood-manager certificatio or ability to obtain required certifi
c
ation promplyPreferred Qualifications
• Significant seafood-focused culinar experience.
• Experie nc
e leading an established and long-tenured culinary team.
• Culinary degree or fomal cul i
nary training; equivalent professional exper
ience will also be considered.
• Mulilingual ability, particularly Haitian Creolea nd/or Spani
sh
, is considered a plus.Schedule, Attendance & Physical Requirements
• Regular nd reliable attendanc e a
nd on-site presence are essential functions of this position.
• Flexible a
vailabilit is required based on business and operational needs, including early mornigs, days,
eveni
ng
s, weekends, holidays, private events and other high-volume periods.• Ability to stnd and walk f or
extended periods, work in hot/col
d commercial-kitchen environments, use
stairs as necesary, and perform the physical fuctions customar
y
to active kitchen leadershi p, w ith or
without reasona
ble accommodation. ov
• Ability to ift and carry up to 40 pounds andoccasionally m
without reasonable accommodation.
Compensat
ts
• $125,000-$140,000 base salary, commensurate with experience and internal equity.
• Eligble for performance-based bonus incentives in accordance with applicable company program terms.
• Elii
employees may participate in company benefit plans, including PTO, medical and dental plan
opions, and MassMutual plan options, subject t
licable eligibility requ
irements and plan terms.
• Anual performance review with opportunity fo merit increase; increase
a
re not guaranteed and arebased on performance and company practices.
Performance Expectation
The Executive Chef is expected to meet company-established financial and operational targets/KPIs.
Performance w il
l be evaluated using established standards and measures that may include culinary quality and consistnc
y, food cost, BOH labor and productivity, inventory accuracy, sanitation and regulatory compliance,
team development and retention, private-event and holiday execution, guest feedback, menu perform
a
ne,documentation, operational readiness and part ner s
hip with restaurant leadership. Where applicabe,
e
s
tablished KPIs may also be used as part of annualperformance reviews and performance-based bonusd
eteminations in accordance with company program terms.
Cond
f Employment & Job Description Disclimer
• Employment may be contingent upon satisfactory completion of aplicable reference and/or background
checks
ducted in accordance with company policy and applicabe law.
• The Executive Chef is expected to comply withall
a
pplicable CALM Companies and Sea Watch policies,procedures and standards, as amended from time to t ime.
This job description identifie
s
the general nature and essential functions of the position and is not intenedto be an exhaustive li
st of eery duty or responsibility. Duties may be modified, added or reassigned based
on business and ope
onl needs .
•Nothing in th
i
s job description creates a contract of employment or alters the terms and conditions femplo yen
t.
• The Executve Chef may be
operation.
Equal Opportunity
Sea Watch
Executive Chef in fort lauderdale at Unknown Company
This position is listed as contract and onsite.