Sous Chef

Role Overview

Sous Chef at Emirates Flight Catering, based in a large-scale airline catering operation serving multiple international carriers.

Role Purpose

Lead daily kitchen production and oversee culinary teams to deliver high-volume, airline-specification meals with precision, consistency, and minimal waste while maintaining Gold Standard food safety and adherence to all Standard Operating Procedures.

Key Responsibilities

Production & Operations

• Take responsibility for timely and efficient production in accordance with specifications, recipes and passenger load requirements, ensuring minimal wastage and applying effective controls.
• Ensure desired output delivery through effective roster planning and scheduling.
• Check and ensure that dishing is correct in weight, presentation and that items are prepared as per airline specifications, with food products color coded with dates.
• Prepare, update and maintain production sheets including separate breakdowns for all international airlines and catering businesses to support all intra-department requirements.
• Contribute to kitchen revenue through effective food cost and wastage control.

Food Safety & Compliance

• Be responsible for Gold Standard recording for safe food with daily monitoring and follow up for corrective action.
• Comply with and practice the company's established Safety and Hygiene Policy and Procedures.
• Ensure that proper stock rotation is maintained, on-time deliveries, high quality service and strict adherence to laid down hygiene procedures.
• Manage the implementation, updating and following of SOPs in respective section, take corrective action on non-conformances and brief the team on preventive measures.
• Ensure all teams follow approved recipes and methods.

Team Leadership & Development

• Supervise and allocate work to subordinates, observe the working methods and productivity of assigned staff, assist them, and coordinate with senior production staff to provide them with the necessary training ensuring a smooth workflow and target output achievement.
• Provide feedback and coaching to team members.
• Develop yourself in the current role and beyond.
• Demonstrate strong interpersonal skills, organizational skills and effective training and communication skills.
• Exercise effective delegation skills.

Problem-Solving & Communication

• Find solutions to problems and take corrective action before they occur while handling daily operational activities, and ensure that Sr. Sous Chefs and Executive Sous Chefs are kept informed about daily production, problems encountered and actions taken.
• Exercise problem-solving and decision-making ability in real time.
• Demonstrate creative and out-of-box thinking.
• Show willingness to take on responsibility.

Product Development

• Assist in new recipe creation, trials and implementation of new products and dishes, ensuring that the team understands the client expectations.

Qualifications & Experience

• Hotel Management or Culinary degree.
• Minimum of 5 years' experience in the culinary field.
• Hotel Catering experience equivalent 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 preferred.

Skills & Competencies

• Ability to provide feedback and coaching.
• Effective delegation skills.
• Problem-solving and decision-making ability in real time.
• Creative and out-of-box thinking.
• Strong interpersonal skills.
• Strong organizational skills.
• Effective training and communication skills.