Senior Sous Chef

Role Overview

Senior Sous Chef at Emirates Flight Catering.

Role Purpose

Lead culinary production and staff management in assigned kitchen areas to deliver high-quality meals at scale while ensuring strict compliance with airline specifications, food safety standards, and operational efficiency.

Key Responsibilities

Production Management & Oversight

• Ensure assigned production staff complete duties within set timeframes to maintain workflow continuity and prevent operational delays.
• Manage production, processes and schedules in assigned areas in accordance with policies, regulations, specifications, recipes and requirements while applying effective controls.
• Prepare, update and maintain production sheets including separate breakdowns for EK and other airlines for production and assembly staff.
• Manage material, staff and equipment in the most effective manner to ensure on-time, high-quality deliveries in strict adherence to all laid-down procedures.
• Implement procedures to ensure recipe compliance at all times while actively promoting innovative ideas for cost-reduction without compromising on quality.

Compliance & Quality Assurance

• Share responsibility with ESC and deputize in their absence for compliance of all kitchen policies, procedures, rules and regulations.
• Supervise staff implementation in their section and report any non-conformance.
• Propose solutions if non-conformance cannot be corrected immediately.
• Ensure Sous Chefs and Junior staff follow all developed specifications in terms of portion size, quantity and quality.
• Check and ensure dishing is correct in weight, presentation and that items are prepared per airline specifications, and food products are colour coded with dates.
• Conduct daily tasting panels, checks, cascades, briefings and reports as applicable in an organized and responsible manner.

Problem-Solving & Communication

• Find solutions to daily operational problems and take corrective action before issues occur.
• Keep Executive Sous Chefs informed about daily production, problems encountered and actions taken.
• Manage issues focusing on products, equipment, labour and material management.
• Coach team on proactive problem-solving approaches.
• Address customer expectations and issues effectively and suggest long-term solutions to anomalies or improvement ideas.

Operational Standards

• Understand lean manufacturing standards established by EKFC.
• Support efforts to deploy and maintain best practices that reduce or eliminate the 7 areas of waste in operations.

Personal & Professional Development

• Provide feedback and coaching to team members.
• Develop yourself in the current role and beyond.
• Take on responsibility willingly.
• Delegate effectively.
• Solve problems and make decisions in real time with creative and outside-the-box thinking.
• Demonstrate strong organizational skills, effective training and communication skills.

Qualifications & Experience

• Hotel Management or Culinary degree.
• Minimum of 6 years' experience in the culinary field.

Preferred Qualifications

• Knowledge and experience of food products and processes in a facility with extensive in-house production.
• Excellent knowledge and understanding of all aspects of cooking in various cuisines.
• Experience in creating recipes, menu development and costing.
• Demonstrated leadership skills to efficiently manage a large multi-national workforce.
• Hotel catering experience in 5-star facility with excellent knowledge in all aspects of cooking and different cuisines.
• Previous experience in high volume a la carte and/or banqueting in a large kitchen team.