Executive Sous Chef

Role Overview

You will step into a senior culinary leadership position within a 4-star or 5-star hotel kitchen, where your day-to-day focus is orchestrating everything from refined à la carte dishes to large-scale buffet operations and high-volume banquet production. Beyond cooking, you are the person who shapes the brigade's standards, keeps food cost in check, and ensures every plate that leaves the pass reflects the hotel's quality promise. This role matters because your decisions directly affect guest satisfaction, kitchen efficiency, and the outlet's profitability.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead and mentor a multi-section kitchen team, setting clear standards for presentation, portioning, and timing across à la carte, buffet, and mass-production service.
• Plan and execute menus that balance creativity with operational practicality, ensuring dishes work for both intimate dining and high-volume events.
• Manage food cost through precise portion control, seasonal ingredient selection, and regular review of supplier pricing and ordering practices.
• Oversee daily production schedules, coordinating with front-of-house and banqueting teams to ensure smooth service during peak periods.
• Conduct regular quality checks on outgoing dishes, maintaining consistency in taste, temperature, and visual appeal across all outlets.
• Drive kitchen hygiene, safety, and HACCP compliance, creating a clean and organised workspace that meets hotel and local regulations.
• Build and develop your brigade through training, shift rotation, and performance feedback, identifying future leaders within the team.
• Collaborate with the executive chef and management on menu pricing, inventory forecasting, and new culinary concepts that improve profitability.

Requirements & Qualifications

• Diploma or degree in Culinary Arts, Hospitality Management, or a related field.
• At least 7 years of progressive kitchen experience, including a minimum of 3 years in a culinary leadership role within a 4-star or 5-star hotel environment.
• Hands-on expertise in à la carte preparation, buffet presentation, and mass-production cooking for large banquets or events.
• Strong understanding of food cost calculation, menu profitability, and inventory management.
• Proven ability to inspire and manage a diverse kitchen team, with excellent communication, organisational, and people-management skills.
• Calm and decisive under pressure, with a creative approach to menu development and problem-solving.