Executive Chef

Lead the Culinary Vision. Build the Central Kitchen. Nourish a Beloved Community. Inglewood Unified School District is seeking an exceptional Executive Chef to lead the culinary and operational development of the Central Kitchen to transform the school meal experience for students across the District. This is a distinctive opportunity for an accomplished culinary professional who can combine creativity, operational discipline, regulatory knowledge, fiscal stewardship, and people leadership. The Executive Chef will shape districtwide menus and recipes, establish culinary and production standards, expand scratch cooking, develop staff capacity, oversee large-scale meal production, and build catering services that support the long-term sustainability of Food Services programs. The ideal candidate will see school meals as more than a daily service. Meals are an expression of care, belonging, dignity, culture, health, and community. The Executive Chef will help ensure that students are offered nutritious, appealing, culturally responsive meals prepared and served with excellence. About the Position Under the direction of the Director of Food Services, the Executive Chef plans, organizes, manages, and directs the culinary and operational functions of the District’s Central Kitchen. The Executive Chef develops and implements districtwide menus, standardized recipes, production schedules, food preparation standards, and quality-control systems. The position oversees large-scale meal production, purchasing, receiving, inventory management, food costs, catering services, operational resources, and related budget activities. A significant initial responsibility will be providing leadership and technical expertise for the implementation, operational startup, and continued optimization of the District’s Central Kitchen. This includes participating in facility-readiness planning, equipment evaluation, workflow development, production-system design, staff training, operational testing, and continuous-improvement activities. The Executive Chef also supervises, trains, evaluates, schedules, and develops assigned Central Kitchen staff and ensures compliance with federal, state, and local requirements governing Child Nutrition Programs, food safety, sanitation, procurement, production records, and special dietary accommodations. Nourishing a Beloved Community Inglewood Unified School District is committed to creating a Beloved Community in Education—an intentional, relational, and justice-centered community in which students, employees, families, and community partners are valued, respected, and collectively responsible for one another’s well-being and success. For the Executive Chef, the principles of a Beloved Community come to life through food, service, leadership, and the environments in which meals are prepared and shared. The Executive Chef will help advance: Radical Inclusion and Dignity : Menus and services should honor the cultures, identities, preferences, and lived experiences of the District’s students and families. Every student should be treated with dignity and have equitable access to nutritious and appealing meals. Relational Trust and Shared Responsibility : The Executive Chef will actively engage students, families, school employees, and community stakeholders to understand their experiences, gather feedback, and improve the food service program. Relationships and responsiveness will be central to the work. Equity and Justice in Practice : Participation, access, menu acceptance, and service data should be examined through an equity lens. The Executive Chef will identify barriers, recommend improvements, and help ensure that food service practices are inclusive, accessible, and fair. Collective Well-Being : Nutritious meals, food safety, clean facilities, respectful service, and supportive workplace practices all contribute to the physical and emotional well-being of the school community. Participatory Leadership : Students and employees should have meaningful opportunities to influence menu development, food quality, service design, and program improvement. The Executive Chef will create ways to elevate their voices and incorporate their feedback. Care for Shared Spaces : The Beloved Community framework recognizes that well-maintained environments communicate belonging, respect, and care. The Executive Chef will promote kitchens, storage areas, cafeterias, and service environments that are clean, safe, organized, welcoming, and worthy of the students and employees they serve. The Opportunity The Executive Chef will have the opportunity to build and influence a districtwide culinary program at an important stage of its development. The selected candidate will help reestablish the culinary identity of Inglewood Unified School District by: Developing nutritious, appealing, innovative, and culturally responsive menus that reflect student preferences and increase participation. Researching, testing, standardizing, documenting, and implementing recipes suitable for consistent large-scale production. Expanding scratch-cooking practices while maintaining nutritional compliance, production efficiency, quality, and cost effectiveness. Establishing Central Kitchen workflows, production systems, operational procedures, and quality standards. Evaluating equipment, products, ingredients, production methods, and vendor options. Building the culinary and technical capacity of Central Kitchen employees through hands-on training, coaching, and clear performance expectations. Using participation data, production records, inventory trends, customer feedback, labor utilization, and food-cost information to drive improvement. Developing and managing revenue-generating catering and special-event food services. Creating a culture in which food quality, hospitality, safety, teamwork, accountability, and continuous improvement are shared responsibilities. The Ideal Candidate The strongest candidates will demonstrate a combination of culinary expertise, institutional food-service experience, strategic leadership, and operational management. The ideal candidate will be: An accomplished culinary professional with expertise in high-volume food production and batch cooking. A systems builder who can establish efficient workflows, recipes, production controls, quality standards, and operating procedures. A creative menu developer who understands how to balance nutrition requirements, student preferences, cultural relevance, cost, and production feasibility. An experienced supervisor who can train employees, build technical skills, establish expectations, and promote accountability. A collaborative leader who listens to students, families, employees, administrators, and community partners. A disciplined operator who understands food costs, labor utilization, purchasing, inventory, budgeting, and financial sustainability. A data-informed decision-maker who can convert participation, production, cost, and customer-feedback information into practical improvements. A visible and engaged leader who is comfortable moving between administrative, production, storage, receiving, catering, and school-site environments. A hospitality-minded professional who believes that student experience and customer service are central to a successful school nutrition program. The Ideal Employer Exceptional candidates deserve an exceptional place to work. Inglewood Unified School District offers the opportunity to build a meaningful career while contributing to the success of students, families, schools, and the broader Inglewood community. At IUSD, employees are not simply filling positions—they are helping shape the future of a district undergoing important transformation and renewal. Our employees have the opportunity to strengthen systems, introduce new ideas, improve services, and see the direct impact of their work. Whether serving students in a classroom, supporting families at a school site, maintaining safe and welcoming facilities, or leading essential District operations, every employee plays a vital role in advancing our mission. IUSD is committed to creating a workplace where employees feel valued, supported, and connected to a shared purpose. We invest in professional growth, encourage collaboration across departments and school communities, and provide opportunities for employees to expand their skills, assume greater responsibility, and build long-term careers in public education. The District also offers an exceptional total compensation package . IUSD’s comprehensive health and welfare benefits contributions rank among the top three amongst Los Angeles County school districts, giving employees and their eligible dependents access to multiple 100% District-paid high-quality medical, dental, vision, and additional benefits options . Combined with competitive salaries, retirement benefits, paid leave, and work that makes a lasting difference, IUSD offers employees both professional purpose and meaningful personal value. For individuals who want their talent, ideas, and commitment to matter, Inglewood Unified School District is not only an ideal place to serve—it is an ideal place to grow , lead , and belong! This position description is intended to describe the general nature and level of work being performed by the employee assigned to the position. This description is not an exhaustive list of all duties, responsibilities, knowledge, skills, abilities, and working conditions associated with the position. Incumbents may be required to perform any combination of these duties. All requirements are subject to possible modification to reasonably accommodate individuals with a disability. Duties may include, but are not limited to the following: Primary Responsibilities Provides leadership in planning, organizing, administering, and continuously improving Central Kitchen operations. Leads the implementation, operational startup, and continued optimization of the District’s Central Kitchen, including facility readiness, equipment evaluation, workflow design, production-system development, staff preparation, and operational testing. Develops, implements, and evaluates districtwide menus, recipes, production schedules, food-preparation standards, and quality expectations. Researches, develops, tests, standardizes, and documents recipes, production methods, and menu offerings. Evaluates food quality, presentation, flavor, nutritional value, consistency, and student acceptance. Directs and monitors large-scale food production, portion control, food safety, sanitation, product quality, and production efficiency. Ensures compliance with federal, state, and local laws and regulations governing Child Nutrition Programs, food safety, procurement, production documentation, sanitation, and special dietary accommodations. Participates in developing and administering departmental budgets and monitors food costs, expenditures, labor utilization, inventory levels, and operational resources. Oversees purchasing, receiving, inventory management, product evaluation, and vendor relationships. Develops, implements, and manages catering services and special-event food operations. Analyzes participation, production, cost, inventory, and customer-feedback data to identify and implement program improvements. Supervises, trains, evaluates, schedules, coaches, and develops assigned Central Kitchen staff. Develops production manuals, standard operating procedures, training materials, and operational documentation. Collaborates with Food Services leadership, Maintenance & Operations, Facilities, contractors, consultants, and equipment vendors during the development and startup of the District’s new modular Central Kitchen to ensure the facility, equipment, workflow, storage, and production areas meet operational needs. Promotes a culture of culinary excellence, hospitality, safety, teamwork, accountability, equity, and continuous improvement. Interested candidates should review the complete job description for a comprehensive list of duties, responsibilities, and requirements. Other combinations of education, training, and experience that are likely to provide the required knowledge, skills, and abilities may be considered. Knowledge and Leadership Competencies Competitive candidates should possess advanced knowledge of: Culinary arts, institutional food production, and large-scale batch cooking. Menu planning, recipe development, food presentation, food-quality standards, and scratch-cooking methods. National School Lunch Program, School Breakfast Program, USDA Child Nutrition Programs, nutrition standards, and meal-pattern requirements. Food safety, sanitation, HACCP principles, and ServSafe standards. Purchasing, receiving, inventory control, food-cost management, budgeting, and financial analysis. Catering operations and revenue-generating food service programs. Staff supervision, employee development, performance management, and training. Customer service and stakeholder engagement. Food-service management systems, office technology, and operational data analysis. Education and Experience An associate degree in Culinary Arts, Food Service Management, Hospitality Management, Nutrition, or a closely related field is required. A bachelor’s degree from an accredited four-year college or university is desirable. Five years of increasingly responsible experience in large-scale food production, institutional food service, school nutrition services, healthcare food service, hospitality food service, or commercial catering operations is required. The qualifying experience must include at least three years of supervisory experience. Public-school food service experience is highly desirable. Central Kitchen experience is highly desirable. Scratch-cooking implementation experience is highly desirable. Catering program management experience is highly desirable. USDA Child Nutrition Program experience is highly desirable. Experience participating in the design, buildout, renovation, or startup of a commercial or institutional kitchen is highly desirable. Other combinations of education, training, and experience that are likely to provide the required knowledge, skills, and abilities may be considered. Licenses and Certifications A valid ServSafe Manager Certification is required. A valid California driver’s license and vehicle insurability are required. The availability of private transportation or the ability to provide transportation between job sites may be required. This recruitment will be conducted under the provisions of the Merit System. The examination process is intended to identify applicants whose education, experience, technical expertise, judgment, leadership capabilities, and demonstrated competencies most closely meet the requirements of the Executive Chef classification. Applicants must submit a complete application and all required supplemental materials by the stated filing deadline. A resume may be attached but will not be accepted in place of a completed application. EXAM PLAN Following the initial application review, applicants who demonstrate that they meet the minimum qualifications may be invited to participate in one or more competitive examination components. Meeting the minimum qualifications does not guarantee advancement through all phases of the examination process. Candidates must achieve the established passing score on each examination component, unless otherwise stated in the official examination notice. Training and Experience Evaluation — 25%, Tentatively scheduled for the week of September 14th Technical and Management Performance Exercise — 35%, Tentatively scheduled for the week of September 21st Structured Technical Oral Examination — 40%, Tentatively scheduled for the week of September 28th Final scores will be calculated using the approved examination weights. Candidates who successfully complete all required examination components will be placed on an unranked eligibility list and referred to the hiring authority for consideration. Final interviews are tentatively scheduled for the week of September 28th . Appointment will be made in accordance with applicable Merit System rules and classified management recruitment and selection procedures and will be subject to satisfactory completion of all required pre-employment processes.