OPT Kitchen Designer Jobs
Kitchen Designer jobs are a strong fit for F-1 OPT students with degrees in interior design, architecture, or industrial design. Most roles qualify as specialty occupations for H-1B visa sponsorship, and your 12-month OPT window, extendable to 36 months on STEM OPT, gives employers enough runway to sponsor you.
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Get Access To All JobsIn anticipation of the opening of our second Paris Baguette location in Summer 2026, we are now accepting applications for an experienced Kitchen Manager. This position will oversee Bakers, Sandwich Makers, and Cake Decorators. Apply today to be considered for this exciting opportunity!
Perks
Paid Sick, Paid Personal and Paid Vacation Time also, Holiday pay, Medical, Dental, Vision and commuter Benefits and competitive 401k with company match
Job Summary:
The Kitchen Manager is responsible for quality food production, budget management, controlling food and labor costs to meet budget, managing and maintaining café and catering menus and maintaining safety and sanitation standards. The ideal candidate must have strong culinary knowledge as well as technical and customer service skills. The Kitchen Manager will help to achieve our mission to bring expertly crafted baked goods to our guests through a warm and welcoming bakery café experience that delivers joy to everyone.
Primary Duties and Responsibilities:
- Leads in baking and preparing food as necessary.
- Ensures that product quality, freshness and presentation meet company standards for bake, cake, sandwich and beverage.
- Adheres to and embraces company Food & Beverage mandated menu and purchasing programs.
- Maintains budgeted revenue, cost of goods, labor, supplies and operating cash flow relating to food operations. Reviews monthly profit and loss statements and acts on all variances.
- Plans, supervises and executes all catering functions in conjunction with the operations and sales staff.
- Estimates food consumption and makes purchases as appropriate from the company-specified food program.
- Recruits, hires and retains best in class work force with the assistance of the management team and regional management team.
- Addresses and resolves disciplinary issues as appropriate.
- Fosters a teamwork environment.
- Supervises all kitchen staff members and oversees the preparation, portioning, merchandising and storage of all food.
- Maintains kitchen and storage facilities in sanitary condition.
- Schedules staff efficiently to accommodate varying business volumes.
- Facilitates and manages all kitchen equipment maintenance as well as local Department of Health (DOH) regulations by implementing and conducting Sanitation Audits and Cleaning Schedules. Reports critical issues to District Manager.
- Develops monthly action items to address any issues (including spoilage, margin, quality of product, etc).
- Interacts with client/customers on a daily/weekly basis.
- Proactively ensures that a clean, safe environment is maintained at all times.
- Must be able to coordinate staff and resources in a high-volume environment.
- Participates in team and regional meetings as scheduled.
- Other duties may be assigned.
Education/Experience
- Associate degree or culinary degree preferred.
- Minimum of three years kitchen management experience in high-volume retail, bakery, hospitality, or restaurant venue required.
- Experience preparing catered events and presenting foods for special events is desirable.
- Current ServSafe certification, ServSafe instructor certificate, or ability to become certified preferred. Chicago Food Manager and Illinois Food Certifications, or ability to become certified within 30 days of employment.
- Passion for people! Dynamic and engaged leader who has a passion for empowering, inspiring, motivating & developing team members.
- Exceptional organizational and communication skills with the ability to effectively balance priorities and deliver results in a fast-paced, ever-changing, and highly entrepreneurial environment.
- Feedback is a gift! Ability to provide construction feedback and recognition to every member of the organization, to ensure we have an open and transparent culture of high-performance standards.
- High emotional intelligence with the ability to work with, and manage diverse teams by being highly empathetic, intuitive, self-motivated and driven.
- Teams Win! Has to be a team player who fosters a collaborative and engaged teamwork environment.
Language Skills
- Ability to read, analyze, and interpret general business periodicals, professional journals, technical procedures, or governmental regulations. Ability to write reports, business correspondence, and procedure manuals. Ability to effectively present information and respond to questions from groups of managers, clients, customers, and the public. Understand and speak English and Spanish, preferred.
Mathematical Skills
- Ability to calculate figures and amounts such as measurements, proportions, percentages, area, circumference, and volume. Ability to apply concepts of basic algebra and geometry.
Reasoning Ability
- Ability to define problems, collect data, establish facts, and draw valid conclusions. Ability to interpret an extensive variety of technical instructions in mathematical or diagram form and deal with several abstract and concrete variables.
Computer Skills
- To perform this job successfully, an individual should have advanced knowledge of Microsoft Office, particularly Excel. Working knowledge of payroll software needed.
- Proficient on Point-of-Sale systems, currently Toast, understand the importance of cash handling and accuracy of transactions.
Other
- Ability to work a flexible schedule, including weekends and holidays
- High sense of integrity and ownership
- Time management, ability to prioritize and follow direction
- Ability to multi-task
- Being a Brand Ambassador, with excellent knowledge of and commitment to Paris Baguette’s Mission, Vision, Brand Values and Culture.
In anticipation of the opening of our second Paris Baguette location in Summer 2026, we are now accepting applications for an experienced Kitchen Manager. This position will oversee Bakers, Sandwich Makers, and Cake Decorators. Apply today to be considered for this exciting opportunity!
Perks
Paid Sick, Paid Personal and Paid Vacation Time also, Holiday pay, Medical, Dental, Vision and commuter Benefits and competitive 401k with company match
Job Summary:
The Kitchen Manager is responsible for quality food production, budget management, controlling food and labor costs to meet budget, managing and maintaining café and catering menus and maintaining safety and sanitation standards. The ideal candidate must have strong culinary knowledge as well as technical and customer service skills. The Kitchen Manager will help to achieve our mission to bring expertly crafted baked goods to our guests through a warm and welcoming bakery café experience that delivers joy to everyone.
Primary Duties and Responsibilities:
- Leads in baking and preparing food as necessary.
- Ensures that product quality, freshness and presentation meet company standards for bake, cake, sandwich and beverage.
- Adheres to and embraces company Food & Beverage mandated menu and purchasing programs.
- Maintains budgeted revenue, cost of goods, labor, supplies and operating cash flow relating to food operations. Reviews monthly profit and loss statements and acts on all variances.
- Plans, supervises and executes all catering functions in conjunction with the operations and sales staff.
- Estimates food consumption and makes purchases as appropriate from the company-specified food program.
- Recruits, hires and retains best in class work force with the assistance of the management team and regional management team.
- Addresses and resolves disciplinary issues as appropriate.
- Fosters a teamwork environment.
- Supervises all kitchen staff members and oversees the preparation, portioning, merchandising and storage of all food.
- Maintains kitchen and storage facilities in sanitary condition.
- Schedules staff efficiently to accommodate varying business volumes.
- Facilitates and manages all kitchen equipment maintenance as well as local Department of Health (DOH) regulations by implementing and conducting Sanitation Audits and Cleaning Schedules. Reports critical issues to District Manager.
- Develops monthly action items to address any issues (including spoilage, margin, quality of product, etc).
- Interacts with client/customers on a daily/weekly basis.
- Proactively ensures that a clean, safe environment is maintained at all times.
- Must be able to coordinate staff and resources in a high-volume environment.
- Participates in team and regional meetings as scheduled.
- Other duties may be assigned.
Education/Experience
- Associate degree or culinary degree preferred.
- Minimum of three years kitchen management experience in high-volume retail, bakery, hospitality, or restaurant venue required.
- Experience preparing catered events and presenting foods for special events is desirable.
- Current ServSafe certification, ServSafe instructor certificate, or ability to become certified preferred. Chicago Food Manager and Illinois Food Certifications, or ability to become certified within 30 days of employment.
- Passion for people! Dynamic and engaged leader who has a passion for empowering, inspiring, motivating & developing team members.
- Exceptional organizational and communication skills with the ability to effectively balance priorities and deliver results in a fast-paced, ever-changing, and highly entrepreneurial environment.
- Feedback is a gift! Ability to provide construction feedback and recognition to every member of the organization, to ensure we have an open and transparent culture of high-performance standards.
- High emotional intelligence with the ability to work with, and manage diverse teams by being highly empathetic, intuitive, self-motivated and driven.
- Teams Win! Has to be a team player who fosters a collaborative and engaged teamwork environment.
Language Skills
- Ability to read, analyze, and interpret general business periodicals, professional journals, technical procedures, or governmental regulations. Ability to write reports, business correspondence, and procedure manuals. Ability to effectively present information and respond to questions from groups of managers, clients, customers, and the public. Understand and speak English and Spanish, preferred.
Mathematical Skills
- Ability to calculate figures and amounts such as measurements, proportions, percentages, area, circumference, and volume. Ability to apply concepts of basic algebra and geometry.
Reasoning Ability
- Ability to define problems, collect data, establish facts, and draw valid conclusions. Ability to interpret an extensive variety of technical instructions in mathematical or diagram form and deal with several abstract and concrete variables.
Computer Skills
- To perform this job successfully, an individual should have advanced knowledge of Microsoft Office, particularly Excel. Working knowledge of payroll software needed.
- Proficient on Point-of-Sale systems, currently Toast, understand the importance of cash handling and accuracy of transactions.
Other
- Ability to work a flexible schedule, including weekends and holidays
- High sense of integrity and ownership
- Time management, ability to prioritize and follow direction
- Ability to multi-task
- Being a Brand Ambassador, with excellent knowledge of and commitment to Paris Baguette’s Mission, Vision, Brand Values and Culture.
See all 80+ OPT Kitchen Designer Jobs
Sign up for free to unlock all listings, filter by visa type, and get alerts for new OPT Kitchen Designer Jobs.
Get Access To All JobsTips for Finding OPT Sponsorship as a Kitchen Designer
Target firms that regularly sponsor designers
Large kitchen and bath retailers, architecture firms, and home improvement companies are the most likely sponsors. Smaller boutique studios rarely have the HR infrastructure to navigate H-1B visa petitions, so prioritize employers with established international hiring.
Frame your portfolio around measurable outcomes
Employers sponsoring OPT students take on additional risk and cost. A portfolio showing project completions, client retention, or revenue-generating designs makes the sponsorship investment easier to justify to hiring managers and decision-makers.
Know your OPT end date before every interview
Kitchen Designer roles often involve long project cycles of six to eighteen months. If your OPT expires mid-project, address it proactively. Showing awareness of your timeline signals professionalism and makes the conversation about sponsorship easier.
Get comfortable explaining specialty occupation status
Kitchen Designer qualifies as a specialty occupation when the role requires applied design knowledge from a formal degree. Be ready to explain this to employers unfamiliar with H-1B, using your coursework and job duties as the connection.
Ask about sponsorship before accepting an offer
Waiting until after an offer to raise the sponsorship question wastes time for both sides. Confirm the employer has sponsored before, or is open to it, during the final interview stage before you begin negotiating terms.
Highlight software skills that are difficult to replace locally
Proficiency in AutoCAD, 2020 Design, or Chief Architect strengthens your case for sponsorship. Employers weighing visa costs against hiring domestically are more likely to sponsor when your technical skills are specialized and not easily found locally.
Kitchen Designer OPT: Frequently Asked Questions
Does a Kitchen Designer role qualify for OPT work authorization?
Yes, Kitchen Designer roles typically qualify for OPT as long as the position is directly related to your degree field, such as interior design, architecture, or industrial design. Your employer does not need to file any paperwork for OPT. USCIS requires only that the job aligns with your major, so document how your duties connect to your coursework.
Can I work as a Kitchen Designer on STEM OPT?
You can qualify for STEM OPT as a Kitchen Designer if your degree is in a STEM-designated field. Interior design programs vary, but degrees in architecture, industrial design, or design engineering often carry a STEM CIP code. Check your degree's CIP code with your DSO before applying for the 24-month STEM extension, since not all design degrees qualify.
How do I find Kitchen Designer employers who sponsor H-1B visas?
Migrate Mate is the most efficient way to find Kitchen Designer jobs at employers with a history of visa sponsorship. Large national retailers in the kitchen and bath space, full-service architecture firms, and high-volume home renovation companies are the most active sponsors. Filtering by sponsorship history early in your search saves significant time compared to applying broadly and asking later.
Will employers view my OPT status as a disadvantage for design roles?
Some employers are unfamiliar with OPT and assume it creates immediate complications, but that's rarely true for the 12-month standard period. The most effective approach is to lead with your portfolio and technical skills, then address your authorization status clearly when asked. Employers who have sponsored designers before will not be deterred by a strong candidate on OPT.
What happens to my Kitchen Designer job if my OPT expires before H-1B is approved?
If your employer files an H-1B petition before your OPT expires and you have a valid EAD, a timely-filed petition typically provides a cap-gap period that extends your work authorization through September 30 of that year. Your employer should file as early as April 1 for the October 1 start date. Coordinate closely with your DSO and the employer's immigration attorney to avoid any gap.