Job Description & Requirements

Key Expectations:

• Ensure that all central kitchens and food catering operations deliver an excellent and safe experience.
• Ensure all kitchen KPIs are met via collaboration with the Executive Chef.
• Ensure high standards of food safety and hygiene.
• Ensure that any food incidents are highlighted, investigated and reported to the Executive Chef on a timely basis.
• To perform ad-hoc duties being assigned from time to time.

Kitchen Operations

• Provide leadership over the entire kitchen team.
• Ensure smooth operation of all central kitchens.
• Ensure high standards of hygiene in food preparation.
• Oversee the work performance, scheduling and training of the entire kitchen team.
• Assist with operational logistics, including catering, transportation scheduling, and staff scheduling.
• Procure kitchen resources including kitchen equipment and small-ware inventory

Catering Operations

• Ensure the operational success of catering operations.
• Keep to the budget set by the Executive Chef and highlight deviation from budget on a timely basis.
• Ensure goals set for catering operations are met and explain shortfall in ability to meet goals set.
• Ensure highest food standard and hygiene in food catered.
• Ensure quick response to schools and resolve catering issues on a timely basis.

Culinary Operational Efficiency

• Manage and improve culinary operational efficiency.
• Create seasonal, on-trend, executable and sustainable menus.
• Ensure continuous review of menu to take into consideration feedback from various stakeholders.
• Manage and respond to special request from schools.
• Write, scale, and adjust recipes as needed so they comply with food and labor cost and cost savings goals.
• Conduct food tasting across all central kitchens on a regular basis.
• Ensure food allergies are safely managed.

Food Safety

• Ensure high standards of hygiene in food preparation.
• Ensure any food incidents are highlighted and reported to the Executive Chef on a timely basis.
• Ensure any food incidents are investigated and resolved on a timely basis with a sense of urgency.
• Ensure kitchen teams are adequately trained to achieve food safety and hygiene in food preparation and delivery process.

Qualifications

• Candidate with great passion and pride in leading Kitchen Operations.
• At least 5 years of experience leading kitchen team as Head Chef.
• Strong interpersonal skills with ability to communicate effectively across all stakeholders including Principals of various schools.
• Good with recipe creations and scales.
• IT savvy (familiar with computer software & hardware).
• Open-minded and ability to accept and improve on feedback given.
• Strong leadership skills to motivate the kitchen and improve the service standard of the team.
• Able to train and equip staff with required skills where necessary.
• Competency in cooking and plating techniques for any type of food service.
• Strong culinary skills based on at least 5 years of proven professional cooking experience.
• Uphold honesty and integrity in managing kitchen budgets.
• Well versed in basic food hygiene and workplace safety.
• Possess food safety certificate level 3
• Good knowledge in Healthy Meals in Pre-Schools Programme (HMPP).