Executive Chef

Role Overview

This Executive Chef role sits at the heart of a large hotel’s food and beverage operation, with direct responsibility for every plate that leaves the kitchen — from intimate à la carte dining to banquets spanning 16 event halls. Day to day, you will orchestrate multiple culinary teams simultaneously, balancing quality, cost, and speed while maintaining the safety and hygiene standards demanded by a busy hospitality environment. More than a cooking role, this is a strategic leadership position where your ability to plan menus, manage budgets, and develop people directly determines the hotel’s reputation and profitability.

Key Responsibilities

• Design, cost, and implement menus for restaurants, bars, and banquets, working closely with Food & Beverage and Finance leaders to align culinary concepts with revenue targets.
• Direct all daily food production, including taste, presentation, portioning, and consistency, ensuring every outlet and catered event meets the same high standard.
• Build and manage the kitchen team’s schedule, recruiting and training chefs while setting performance expectations and holding Sous Chefs accountable for smooth shift handovers.
• Orchestrate kitchen output for overlapping banquets and conferences across 16 halls, planning preparation timelines so that multiple high-volume services run without bottlenecks.
• Own food-cost control through precise portion management, waste reduction, and inventory oversight, approving requisitions and coordinating with Purchasing and Stores.
• Enforce rigorous HACCP, food safety, and sanitation protocols across all kitchen and storage areas, conducting regular audits and corrective actions.
• Liaise with Engineering to maintain kitchen equipment, scheduling preventative maintenance and resolving breakdowns before they disrupt service.
• Respond to any food-quality complaints personally, diagnosing root causes and implementing corrective plans that prevent recurrence.

Requirements & Qualifications

• A culinary degree or diploma from a recognized institution is required, backed by formal training in advanced cooking techniques and kitchen management.
• At least 8 years of professional kitchen experience, with a minimum of 3 years as an Executive Chef or Head Chef in a full-service hotel or large-scale catering environment.
• Proven track record in high-volume banquet and conference catering, demonstrating the ability to deliver 1,000+ covers across simultaneous events.
• Strong command of menu costing, food-cost analysis, inventory systems, and purchasing workflows, with a history of hitting budget targets.
• Active Food Safety / HACCP certification, plus a deep working knowledge of sanitation regulations and allergen controls.
• Demonstrated leadership of multi-level kitchen teams, including Sous Chefs, line cooks, and apprentices, with the communication skills to coordinate across departments under intense time pressure.