Head Chef - Modern African Restaurant, Pre-Opening

Role Overview

Head Chef at Radiant Hospitality Company for a new modern African restaurant opening in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. This is a founding culinary leadership role at the pre-opening stage.

Company Overview

The restaurant is backed by an established international restaurant group and brings contemporary, ingredient-led and story-led cooking rooted in African provenance to the Dubai market. Heritage, fire and gathering around a shared table sit at the heart of the concept.

Role Purpose

Lead the kitchen of a new modern African restaurant, building the menu, brigade and kitchen operating discipline from the ground up. Own creative direction of the concept and the kitchen culture, reporting to the General Manager and CEO.

Key Responsibilities

Menu & Culinary Direction

• Own the menu end to end: concept development, seasonality, dish creation, costing, specials and consistency at volume.
• Build a modern menu around African and African-influenced regional ingredients, spices and techniques, and tell the story behind every dish to guests and staff.
• Develop and refresh the menu over time in response to guest feedback, seasonality and commercial performance.

Team Leadership & Development

• Recruit, train, roster and retain the kitchen brigade, building a respectful culture with no shouting and no unnecessary churn.
• Coach and develop chefs at every level, creating a visible pipeline of talent and internal promotion.
• Lead pre-opening recruitment and training so the opening brigade understands the standards and why they matter.
• Lead from the pass during service, setting the tone and standard for the kitchen.

Commercial & Operations

• Own kitchen commercials, including food cost of sales, gross margin, portion control, wastage, stock management and supplier negotiation.
• Deliver the kitchen's contribution to the venue P&L, working with the General Manager on labour, cost of sales and profitability targets.
• Implement disciplined systems for ordering, stock control, prep planning and kitchen scheduling.

Sourcing & Quality

• Build direct relationships with growers, fishermen, butchers and specialist suppliers of African and regional produce, protecting provenance and ingredient quality.

Compliance & Safety

• Own food safety, HACCP, hygiene and kitchen compliance, maintaining full compliance with Dubai Municipality and UAE food safety regulations and consistently clean audits.

Stakeholder Partnership

• Partner with the General Manager as an equal on the venue's overall direction, and with the General Manager and Bar Manager on pairings, the guest journey, events and activations.
• Contribute to the wider group management team, sharing ideas and talent and supporting other venues in the portfolio.

Qualifications & Experience

• Head Chef, or strong Sous Chef, experience in a premium, high-volume restaurant, ideally within African, African-influenced or a closely related cuisine.
• Menus you have personally written and can talk through commercially, from concept to costing.
• Demonstrable control of food cost and wastage in a high-volume kitchen.
• A track record of training chefs who have progressed within the team or the industry.
• Pre-opening experience, including recruitment, training, kitchen set-up and launch, is highly advantageous.
• Strong sourcing instincts and supplier relationships for specialist produce.
• Sound knowledge of HACCP and food safety compliance.

Skills & Competencies

• People-first, collaborative leadership: energy, presence with guests in the dining room, creativity and a team player mindset.
• Fluent English.

Additional Information

• Permanent, full-time position.
• Working 6 days per week.
• Target start date: 30 September 2026.
• Must currently be based in and hold the right to work in the United Arab Emirates.
• Salary: AED 25,000 per month total package (basic salary plus housing, transport and other allowances).
• Incentive scheme to be confirmed.
• Annual leave in line with UAE labour law.
• Duty meals provided.
• Uniform provided.
• Medical insurance and work visa sponsorship.
• Further benefits to be confirmed during the recruitment process.