Sous Chef (contract)

Sous Chef

Operations Department

On Site

Full Time, 3 month contract

Level 5

Requisition Number: OPS-2026-007

Covenant House helps youth ignite their potential and reclaim their lives. As Canada’s largest agency serving youth who are homeless, trafficked or at risk, we offer the widest range of services to hundreds of young people every day.

More than a place to stay, we provide life-changing care with unconditional love and respect. We meet youth’s immediate needs and then we work together to achieve their future goals. We offer 24/7 crisis shelter transitional housing options on-site and, in the community, health and well-being support, training and skill development, and ongoing care once youth move into the community.

For over 40 years, Covenant House has been dedicated to its mission of serving youth on the street and to protect and safeguard all youth with absolute respect and unconditional love. Since 1982, Covenant House has supported more than 100,000 young people.

Overview:

The Sous Chef supports the Head Chef / Food Services Supervisor in the daily operations of the kitchen, ensuring high-quality food preparation, safe food handling, and efficient service delivery. The Sous Chef provides leadership to kitchen staff, assists with menu execution, and helps maintain inventory, cleanliness, and compliance with food safety standards.

We are currently recruiting for 1 Full-time, 3 month contract Sous Chef. This is a replacement position within the organization. The schedule is Sunday - Thursday, 8:00 am - 4:00pm.

Responsibilities:

• The Sous Chef will be responsible for production/preparation of menu items to include seasoning, marinating, cooking from scratch recipes, various soups, fish, meats, vegetables, salad, desserts, allergen, dietary, vegan and vegetarian option or other foods as instructed by the Head Chef.
• Provides suggestions and recommendations on menu that support religious, ethnic dishes and support various holidays and celebrations.
• Provide suggested to recipe or menu changes to allow food products to be utilized before expiration date and minimize waste.
• Mentor, train, and leads staff and youth training in the food production kitchen in order quantity and quality standards are maintained according to the department’s goals and objectives.
• Communicates weekly with Head Chef and Manager regarding upcoming menus, food orders and budgets.
• Arrange service with Maintenance Team and various vendors to arrange for repair and proactive maintenance of food services equipment.
• Responsible for checking and organizing food inventory daily.
• Provide support with logistic and inventory team verifying and receiving Food orders and deliveries.
• Leads by example for all safety regulations and food handling guidelines

Qualifications

• Minimum 5 years’ experience in the food service industry in the role of a Sous Chef or Senior Cook.
• Successful completion/enrollment in a recognized Culinary Training Program or Red Seal Chef Certification
• Strong written and verbal communications skills.
• Experience working in a high volume fast-paced hospitality environment.
• Ability to prioritize and read orders, menus, standard recipes and task sheets, plan, prepare and execute meals within set deadlines with attention to standards of wholesomeness, quality and quantity as instructed.
• Leadership skills to provide guidance, training, direction and to coordinate, assign, schedule, check and oversee work of staff in food production areas.
• Familiarity in preparing meals with allergen and dietary requirements gluten free, lactose free, vegan and vegetarian.
• Proficiency with kitchen equipment and inventory
• Excellent customer service skills with an understanding of serving an unserved population.

Don’t meet every requirement? Studies have shown that women and people of colour are less likely to apply to jobs unless they meet all qualifications. If you are excited about the role but your resume doesn’t align perfectly with every qualification in the description, apply anyway. You may still be the right candidate for this or other roles.

What we Offer:

• Meaningful work.
• Competitive compensation.
• Employee perks which include discounts on gym membership, city bike rentals, auto & home insurance and more.

Interested candidates are welcome to apply directly to this posting on or by November 26, 2026. Only those selected to move forward in our recruitment process will be contacted. No agencies or phone calls please.

Use of AI and Technology in the Hiring Process

Covenant House Toronto does not use artificial intelligence (AI) to make or inform hiring decisions. However, we do use an external applicant tracking system (ATS) to help manage applications efficiently.

While our ATS may apply automated filters or sorting functions, all applications are reviewed and evaluated by human recruiters. No hiring decisions are made by AI.

Commitment to Equitable Recruitment

At Covenant House Toronto we believe in a workplace culture of inclusion that is welcoming, respectful and safe for all staff. It is critical to Covenant House Toronto success to eliminate barriers and promote the inclusion of equity groups. Equity groups have been, and continue to be, underrepresented and marginalized in the workforce, leadership roles, and in some specific occupations. Equity groups include but may not be limited to Indigenous persons, racialized people, gender diverse people, 2SLGBTQIA+ people, and people with disabilities.

In accordance with the Ontario Human Rights Code, Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act and Covenant House Policy on Accommodation, a request for accommodation will be accepted as part of the Covenant House recruitment process.