Second Cook (Late Night)

Amherst College is committed to enriching its educational experience and its culture through the diversity of its faculty, administration, and staff.

About the role

The Second Cook (Late Night) is a full-time, year-round position supporting Amherst College Dining Services in providing excellent service and menu production for the diverse campus community. This role assists the culinary team with production and implementation of menu items, ensuring quantity and quality standards are met. The position requires flexibility, teamwork, and a willingness to support multiple operational areas, including board plan coverage in student dining and campus-wide events. Work schedules vary based on College needs and may include extended shifts.

This position is designated to provide essential services and must report to work or remain on duty even when the College is closed.

Responsibilities

• Provide operational supervision, directly and in conjunction with the First Cook, over daily culinary operations, including planning, production, and implementation of menus and systems.
• Participate in employee training, development, and performance assessment.
• Provide tools, information, resources, and support to enable individual and team success.
• Coach and supervise service staff on storage, portioning, and handling of menu items.
• Perform regular inspections of stations and service areas to uphold established standards.
• Maintain accuracy of production schedules and usage reports; communicate deficiencies.
• Manage inventory levels and quality; maintain organization of production storage areas.
• Ensure the culinary operation is secure, organized, safe, and clean during production, service, and at the end of events and shifts.
• Maintain a commitment to resource quality, waste prevention, and loss elimination.
• Promote quality, service, and safety standards, including all food safety protocols (e.g., time and temperature controls).
• Support operational standards and Health Department regulations.
• Maintain all areas in an orderly, clean, and sanitary manner; oversee breakdown and cleaning of equipment.
• Ensure menu items are produced to standard, recipes are followed, and items meet uniform quality expectations.
• Support operations during downtimes or high-need periods by covering stations, supervisory roles, or other assigned tasks.
• Assist in creating, managing, and serving seasonal, fresh menus from exceptional ingredients.
• Contribute to product and process refinement, new product research, and development.
• Correct discrepancies in production sheets and recipes.

Food Safety and Allergen Awareness

All Dining Services employees are responsible for implementing food safety procedures and allergen prevention protocols. Team members must support and respond appropriately to individuals with food allergies to ensure a safe dining experience. Employees are expected to apply knowledge from mandatory training sessions in daily duties to protect the health and well-being of students, guests, and colleagues.

Requirements

• High School Diploma or equivalent; equivalent combination of education and experience may substitute.
• 3-5 years of food preparation experience, including hot and cold food production, high-volume catering/banquet production, buffet presentation, and à la carte cooking (e.g., sautéing, grilling, roasting).
• Strong verbal and written communication, customer service, organizational, and time management skills.
• Ability to taste and work with all ingredients used.
• Proficiency in mathematically reducing and expanding recipe measurements.
• Attention to detail.
• Flexibility to work extended shifts and varying schedules based on departmental needs.
• Successful completion of required reference and background checks, including a criminal offender records information (CORI) check.
• Successful completion of pre-employment physical and lift test.
• Valid driver’s license and successful completion of the Five College Risk Management driver credentialing program.

Preferred Qualifications

• 5+ years of high-volume food production experience.
• Supervisory experience.

Pay

The expected salary range for this position is $22.49–$23.20 per hour. The offered salary will vary based on relevant education, training, experience, tenure status, and other nondiscriminatory business considerations.

Benefits

Amherst College provides a comprehensive, highly competitive benefits package for staff, faculty, and their families. Click here for Benefits Information.