Kitchen Manager - Chantilly

The Yay Company Kitchen Manager — Chantilly, VA (DC-Area Commissary) Reports to: Operations Manager Location: Chantilly, VA Type: Full-Time, Salaried Role Overview The Kitchen Manager runs day-to-day production at the Chantilly commissary kitchen, supplying cold and hot meals to a number of school partners across the DC-area market. This is a hands-on, working kitchen leadership role — you're on the line with the team, not just supervising from the sidelines. Core Responsibilities Runs the kitchen from prep through production and dispatch — schedule, food quality, and on-time execution Leads both cold batch and hot production runs alongside the kitchen team, setting the pace and standard for output Manages inventory and pars, keeping waste tracked and trending down through FIFO and portioning discipline Sets and manages the kitchen schedule within labor budget; tracks actual vs. scheduled hours Directly supervises kitchen staff — hires, onboards, and coaches Lead Cooks and team members Handles real-time issues during production: call-outs, equipment problems, timing Reports daily and weekly on labor, waste, and meal counts to the Operations Manager What Success Looks Like The commissary runs smoothly every production day — on time, on standard, no surprises Labor stays at or below budget every week Waste is tracked and trending down All schools served receive food on time, at temperature, and to Yay quality standards What We're Looking For 2–4 years of kitchen or food production experience — you know how to run a shift and lead a team Hands-on cook and leader, comfortable working the line Experience with cold and hot batch production, food safety, and inventory management Strong people skills and a track record of holding a team accountable ServSafe certification or willingness to obtain within 30 days of hire Must be based in Chantilly or within commuting distance What We Offer $60,000 annual salary A high-growth, mission-driven company where your work directly impacts what kids eat every day Real career growth as we expand into new markets The Yay Company · Chantilly, VA Market · Internal — Confidential · 2026