Executive Chef Job in Kadena Air Base Okinawa, Japan

Vacancy No. 25-8TFSB830156 Department Pacific Air Forces
Salary $80,000.00 to $90,000.00 Grade 4 to 4
Perm/Temp Permanent FT/PT Full-time
Open Date 5/5/2025 Close Date 5/22/2025
Job Link Apply Online Who may apply Public
Locations:
Kadena Air Base Okinawa, Japan


Summary

About the position: This position is Non-appropriated Fund (NAF) and is located with the Business Flight on Kadena Air Base, Okinawa, Japan.


This job is open to

Clarification from the agency

Please see the "Who May Apply" section under the Qualifications section.

Duties

The Executive Chef is responsible for managing all aspects of the kitchen, ensuring exceptional food quality, consistent service standards, and high guest satisfaction. This role requires a blend of culinary creativity and operational efficiency to lead the culinary team effectively. Reports directly to the Business Operations Flight Chief.

Develops, plans, and executes culinary strategies aligned with organizational goals and brand identity. Leads menu development and innovation, ensuring offerings remain current with market trends and exceed customer expectations. Collaborates with suppliers and vendors to source premium ingredients, optimize procurement processes, and maintain the highest standards of culinary quality and brand integrity. Provides mentorship and guidance to culinary teams, fostering professional growth and a positive and productive work environment. Oversees food quality, presentation, and safety, ensuring consistent excellence across all locations. Implements and maintains rigorous standards in accordance with all applicable health and safety regulations. Manages food costs, budgets, and revenue strategies to optimize profitability while maintaining superior culinary quality and service. Keeps informed about industry trends and emerging technologies to enhance kitchen efficiency and culinary creativity. Ensures compliance with all health, safety, and sanitation regulations to protect both staff and guests. Develops, plans, and executes for high-profile catering events, such as the Air Force Birthday Ball Celebration, including menu development, budgeting, procurement, cost analysis, staff training, and seamless on-site execution. Assist operations managers and culinary teams with daily food production and the development of cyclical menus featuring current food trends and seasonal ingredients. Provides recommendations for cost control measures and optimizes the cost of goods across multiple operations to enhance profitability and efficiency. Oversees sanitation procedures for all food service outlets, including mobile units, ensuring compliance with all health and safety standards. Reviews sanitation reports from the U.S. Department of Army and U.S. Air Force and implements necessary corrective actions. Contributes to marketing and communication strategies, often serving as a spokesperson for special projects, events, and promotions. Leads product innovation and remains current on emerging food and flavor trends to maintain a competitive edge. Serves as the primary point of contact for the Prime Vendor Program, managing product selection, inventory levels, substitutions, and new product introductions. Equips culinary teams with the necessary tools, training, and guidance to achieve operational excellence. Ensures adherence to Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) principles and fosters a harassment-free work environment. Performs other duties as assigned to support organizational goals.

If interested in this position please preview the online application: https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/12732873

Requirements

Conditions of Employment

  • This position requires the incumbent to complete a background investigation with favorable results.

Qualifications

Who May Apply: Open to everyone. Applicants will be categorized by preference(s) and/or priority consideration eligibilities. An applicant's eligibility will be determined based on eligibility claimed in the questionnaire and proof of eligibility MUST be provided with application by the closing date, 05/22/2025

The Area of Consideration for this vacancy announcement is US Citizens and legal US residents in Okinawa, Japan. Legal US residents must possess a social security number and be citizens of a NATO country. Must be able to provide documentation proving residence status overseas.

  • Business Based Action
  • Family Member Preference
  • Outside Applicant Veteran
  • Spouse/Widow/Parent of Veteran
  • Transition Hiring Preference

In order to qualify, you must meet the experience requirements described below. Experience refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work done through National Service programs (e.g., Peace Corps, AmeriCorps) and other organizations (e.g., professional; philanthropic; religious; spiritual; community; student; social). You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience. Your resume must clearly describe your relevant experience; if qualifying based on education, your transcripts will be required as part of your application.

Qualifying Experience:
Must have a minimum of three years of managerial and technical experience at the Executive Chef level or a related field and proven experience in senior culinary leadership roles, particularly in high-volume or multi-unit operations. Exceptional culinary skills complemented by extensive knowledge of diverse cuisines and the ability to prepare food in a variety of cooking techniques, business acumen in budgeting and financial analysis, communication skills to lead diverse teams, creativity in menu development, and familiarity with food safety regulations. Varied experience with cuisines from around the world and applied knowledge in food cost control, planning culinary activities, portion control, and writing accurate recipes are essential. Expertise in training kitchen staff and cooks on quality food preparation, efficient kitchen operations, and responsible cost management. Must possess strong leadership skills, a passion for culinary excellence, and commitment to upholding the organization's mission and values. Must be proficient in Microsoft applications. A graduate of the Culinary Institute of America or a comparable institution, with advanced certifications are highly desirable.

Education

Some federal jobs allow you to substitute your education for the required experience in order to qualify. This position does not allow for education substitution in order to qualify.

Additional information

  • Male applicants born after December 31, 1959, must complete a Pre-Employment Certification Statement for Selective Service Registration.
  • U.S. Citizens and Non-U.S. Nationals who have resided in the U.S. or U.S. Territory for three (3) or more consecutive years immediately preceding the start of Federal affiliation.
  • All Federal NAF employees are required by PL 104-134 to have salary payments made by electronic funds transfer/direct deposit.
  • Probationary period may be required.
  • Selection is subject to restrictions resulting from hiring preferences and priority consideration eligible.
  • Additional selections may be made from this vacancy announcement for up to 60/90 days after the closing date. Multiple positions may be filled from this announcement.
  • Payment of Permanent Change of Station (PCS) costs is authorized based on a determination that a PCS move is not in the Government's interest.
  • LQA is authorized.
  • Post Allowance is authorized for Regular Full Time employment category.
  • This is a Nonappropriated Fund (NAF) position carrying out Morale, Welfare and Recreation (MWR) activities for the Air Force and Space Force.

How You Will Be Evaluated

You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.

You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above. Once the announcement has closed, a review of your application package (resume, supporting documents, and responses to the questionnaire) will be used to determine whether you meet the qualification requirements listed on this announcement. If you are minimally qualified, your resume and supporting documentation will be compared against your responses to the assessment questionnaire to determine your level of experience. If, after reviewing your resume and/or supporting documentation, a determination is made that you have inflated your qualifications and/or experience, you may lose consideration for this position. Please follow all instructions carefully when applying, errors or omissions may affect your eligibility.

You should list any relevant performance appraisals and incentive awards in your resume as that information may be taken into consideration during the selection process. If selected, you may be required to provide supporting documentation.

To better expedite the hiring process, we recommend including full contact information (name, address, phone number, email, etc.) for professional and personal references on your resume.

Required Documents

The documents you are required to submit vary based on the eligibility you are claiming (i.e., applying as a Military Spouse Preference - MSP, applying as a veteran, applying as a current federal employee, etc.). The below documents are required and must be submitted with your application:

  • Resume

Your resume may be submitted in any format and must support identified the general or specialized experience described in this announcement. If your resume includes a photograph or other inappropriate material or content, it will not be used to make eligibility and qualification determinations and you may not be considered for this vacancy.

Other accepted documents to support a qualification and/or claimed preference/priority eligibility may include:

  • Cover Letter
  • DD-214/ Statement of Service
  • Diploma/ GED
  • Disability Letter (VA)
  • License
  • Other (1)
  • Other (2)
  • PCS Orders
  • Professional Certification
  • Proof of Marriage Status
  • Resume
  • Separation Notice (RIF)
  • SF-50/ Notification of Personnel Action
  • Transcript

As described above, your complete application includes your resume, your responses to the online questionnaire, and supporting documents which prove your eligibility to apply. If you fail to provide these documents, you will be marked as having an incomplete application package and you will not be considered any further.

NOTE: Documents submitted as part of the application package to include supplemental documents, may be shared beyond the Human Resources Office. Some supplemental documents such as military orders and marriage certificates may contain personal information for someone other than you. You may sanitize these documents to remove another person's personal information before you submit your application. You may be asked to provide an in-sanitized version of the documents if you are selected to confirm your eligibility.

If you are relying on your education to meet qualification requirements:

Education must be accredited by an accrediting institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education in order for it to be credited towards qualifications. Therefore, provide only the attendance and/or degrees from schools accredited by accrediting institutions recognized by the U.S. Department of Education.

Failure to provide all of the required information as stated in this vacancy announcement may result in an ineligible rating or may affect the overall rating.

How to Apply

To apply for this position, you must complete the online questionnaire and submit the documentation specified in the Required Documents section above.

The complete application package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (EST) on 05/22/2025 to receive consideration.

To begin, click Apply to access the online application. You will need to be logged into your USAJobs account to apply. If you do not have a USAJobs account, you will need to create one before beginning the application.

Follow the prompts to select your resume and/or other supporting documents to be included with your application package. You will have the opportunity to upload additional documents to include in your application before it is submitted. Your uploaded documents may take several hours to clear the virus scan process.

After acknowledging you have reviewed your application package, complete the Include Personal Information section as you deem appropriate and click to continue with the application process.

You will be taken to the online application which you must complete in order to apply for the position. Complete the online application, verify the required documentation is included with your application package and submit the application. You must re-select your resume and/or other documents from your USAJobs account or your application will be incomplete.

It is your responsibility to verify that your application package (resume, supporting documents, and responses to the questionnaire) is complete, accurate, and submitted by the closing date. Uploaded documents may take up to one hour to clear the virus scan.

Additional information on how to complete the online application process and submit your online application may be found on the https://help.usastaffing.gov/Apply/index.php?title=Applicant .

To verify or check the status of your application, log into your USAJobs account (https://my.usajobs.gov/Account/Login), all of your applications will appear on the Welcome screen. The Application Status will appear along with the date of your application was last updated. For information on what each Application Status means, visit: https://www.usajobs.gov/Help/how-to/application/status/ .

Agency contact information

Kadena NAF HR Office
Address
Kadena Community Services Flight
18 FSS/FSN
Unit 5135 Box 10
APO AP, AP 96368-5135
US

Next steps

If you provided an email address, you will receive an email message acknowledging receipt of your application. Your application package will be used to determine your eligibility, qualifications, and quality ranking for this position. If you are determined to be ineligible or not qualified, your application will receive no further consideration.


Note: We cannot accept applications on behalf of Federal Agencies. Application instructions are listed within the Job Description.


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