Sous Chef / Production Manager, NAVO FOODS

Wanted: a chef for a small kitchen with a big future.

No bustling dining room or handshake from the regular guests at table 12. Nobody to hand the hard stuff to. You’ll wear many hats, there is a dish machine you'll get to know well, and a two-person kitchen where the two of you do everything as a team building something together.

In return you get your nights and weekends back, a real say in the food, and a spot on the ground floor of something worth building.

If that first paragraph made you nervous, this probably isn't your job. If it makes you lean in, keep reading.

A little about us

NAVO FOODS makes nutritious, globally inspired meals for people who want to eat well and don't have time to cook. We sell them grab-and-go at our shop in Andover, and every one comes out of our own kitchen. Our Culinary Director, Chris White, trained in Michelin-starred kitchens and has cooked across Europe, the Mediterranean, Australia, New Zealand and the U.S.

Our mission

Make nutritious, delicious food easy for people to get. We call it Nutritious Food With Direction.

Where and how you'd work

• Haverhill, MA for the next 12–18 months, in our temporary production kitchen
• Amesbury, MA after that, where our permanent kitchen is being built
• Andover, MA now and then for events or farmers markets, at our shop
• Monday–Friday, about 40 hours a week, usually 9-5
• Flexible for real life. Hours aren't set in stone, and we'll work around family. In return, a few times a year we'll ask for a later day or a weekend shift.

What you'll do

You'll be Chris's right hand. When he's out at an event, at the shop or with his family, the kitchen is yours. With a team of two, you do it all:

• Scratch-cooking all of our recipes to spec, every time
• Bring recipe ideas that fit NAVO, sell well, and can be made at volume
• Receive orders, check them in, organize and stock
• Prep, cook, package, label and get food ready to travel
• Run the dish machine and keep the kitchen spotless
• Track inventory, assist with ordering, and keep an eye on food cost and waste
• Down the road, help with private dinners and events

What winning looks like

• Chris walks out the door and the day still runs, on time and done right
• Your soup tastes great the first time and the tenth time
• Ideas you bring make it into the case and sell
• Waste and stockouts drop because you're on top of inventory
• The kitchen is cleaner and more organized than you found it

You're probably a match if

• You have a strong scratch-cooking foundation and make good food without someone looking over your shoulder
• You've done some high-volume, catering or event cooking (we're open to other paths too)
• You hold a ServSafe certificate or equivalent
• You understand the basics of food cost and waste
• Healthy eating matters in your own life. You don't have to be strict about it, just care about it
• You're confident in your skills and light on ego
• When you make a mistake, you own it, fix it and learn from it
• You can go heads-down with the music on at full speed, then switch gears and hold a real conversation
• You notice the small details other people miss
• You want a steady, balanced life, and this schedule is a big reason you're applying

What we offer

• $60,000–$65,000 a year, based on experience
• Monday–Friday daytime schedule with real flexibility
• Employer offered health insurance
• Meals on us while you work
• A real path to Executive Chef or Head of Culinary as we grow
• A voice in what goes on the menu

Other stuff to know

We're a young company with big plans, and we're careful with every resource. We can't pay top restaurant dollars yet, and we won't pretend otherwise. What we can offer is a better life outside work, a team that trusts you from day one, and a front-row seat as this grows.

This is not a desk job or a clipboard job. If you want to manage from the pass, look elsewhere. If you want to help build something with your own hands, we'd love to meet you!