Brand: Trail Blazers
Category: Basketball Operations
Department: Health & Performance
Job Type: Full-Time
Date Posted: Apr 29, 2025
Description
Become a part of the team behind the team.
At the Portland Trail Blazers, we are looking to add a versatile Executive Chef to own the culinary program for our organization. This role is responsible for improving the health and performance of our athletes through the creation of nutritionally efficient meals and snacks for the players and coaches, as well as cultivate an attractive atmosphere and dining experience.
In your role as our Executive Chef, you will be responsible for leading all aspects of the culinary staff, developing projects that improve the dining experience in our organization, and collaborating as a multi-disciplinary team member with the team Dietitian and Health and Performance staff in growing the well-being of our athletes. The high-performance chef will work to provide fresh, local, balanced, and nutrient-dense meals tailored specifically to the needs of the players and coaches.
DAY-TO-DAY:
- Design, source, build, and implement menus for all player, coach, and staff meals and ownership needs, with a focus on nutrient-dense foods to optimize player health and performance.
- Lead all aspects of the hiring and management of culinary personnel, including but not limited to sous chef, servers and other support staff.
- Establish and manage the culinary budget, including menu costing, inventory tracking and invoice reconciliation.
- Implement procedures for serving food, rotating and storing food within coolers, freezers, and dry storage, including labeling, dating, rotating, and screening products to meet food safety and organizational standards.
- Develop guidelines for discarding or returning products that do not meet the organizational standards.
- Prepare lunches for the organization around the needs of the player, coach and staff meals during the off-season.
- Collaborate with the team dietitian regarding individualized needs, allergies, body composition, portions, and specialized diets for the purpose of menu development and meal plan execution.
- Provide strategic perspective and culinary direction in the design and build of the new practice facility kitchen and dining areas.
- Create or implement a menu ordering platform for staff and players to utilize at the Practice Facility.
- Establish rotation of local options to provide meals to promote awareness of options locally.
- Be prepared to travel as needed with the team, expectations will be moderate.
- On home game days at Moda Center, provide meals for pregame, postgame, and halftime, ensuring options meet performance and recovery needs.
- On travel days departing from Portland (PDX), provide meals for plane departure.
- During away games, coordinate and provide pregame meals at the hotel or visiting arena, and postgame meals at the visiting arena.
- Support occasional special events at the Practice Facility by either preparing meals in-house or coordinating catered options with local restaurants.
- While traveling for away games, organize restaurant options and meal coordination for special events involving varying group sizes as needed.
- As a People Leader, you will be responsible for coaching and developing your culinary team members, fostering their professional growth, and conducting regular performance conversations to ensure continuous improvement and alignment with organizational goals.
- Maintain and ensure compliance with all necessary kitchen, food service, and staff certifications and licenses to keep operations in good standing.
- Ensure compliance with all health codes, sanitation standards, and NBA-specific guidelines related to food preparation, service, and storage.
- Plan and update seasonal menus based on player performance needs, travel schedules, and availability of fresh, local ingredients.
- Provide regular reporting on culinary operations, including budget status, staffing needs, and vendor performance, to organizational leadership.
WE’D LIKE TO HEAR FROM YOU IF YOU HAVE:
- Degree in Culinary Arts or related field, with extensive experience as an Executive Chef, Sous Chef, or in a comparable leadership culinary role.
- Proven leadership and management skills, with the ability to coach, mentor, and inspire culinary staff.
- Exceptional communication, organizational, and interpersonal skills, with a demonstrated ability to collaborate across departments and with external vendors.
- Adaptability to player and coach needs and request with a service-minded approach.
- Ability to develop and execute high-performance menus that align with nutritional, recovery, and performance goals.
- Experience planning and executing meals in a variety of settings, including training facilities, arenas, and during team travel.
- Bring an innovative, self-starter approach that promotes continuous improvement in the organization’s culinary experience – both in the home kitchen and during team travel.
- Passion for culinary excellence, with a strong emphasis on healthy, nutrient-dense cooking, portion control, and specialized dietary planning.
- Flexibility to travel and adjust schedule to meet the demands of an NBA season, including nights, weekends, holidays, and extended trips.
PERKS:
We invest in our employees inside and outside of work. Our benefits package for full-time teammates includes:
- Competitive Healthcare Coverage
- Retirement Plan
- Paid Maternal & Parental Leave
- Flexible Time Off (3 weeks + 11 holidays)
- Wellness Perks
- Tuition Reimbursement
- Free Parking + Discounted Mass Transit Passes
- Discounted & Complimentary Tickets
- Ongoing Learning & Development
Offers of employment are conditional upon the successful results of an individual background check. We consider qualified applicants with criminal histories and review results on an individual basis.
The Portland Trail Blazers at the Rose Quarter embraces diversity and inclusion. We celebrate individual expression and uniqueness on our campus. We do not tolerate harassment or discrimination. We are committed to hiring individuals that reflect the community we serve without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, veteran status, disability, genetic information, or other legally protected characteristics. We are an equal opportunity employer.
We will ensure that individuals with disabilities are provided reasonable accommodation to participate in the job application or interview process, to perform essential job functions, and to receive other benefits and privileges of employment. Please contact us to request accommodation.