Executive Pastry Chef at Waldorf Astoria Dubai International Financial Centre

Hilton; Dubai; On-site; AED 120,000 - 200,000; Full time

Job summary

A luxury hotel in Dubai is seeking an Executive Pastry Chef to oversee pastry operations, elevate product quality, and lead a skilled team. The ideal candidate will have at least 4 years of managerial experience in a luxury hotel and possess strong leadership and communication skills. This role emphasizes delivering exceptional guest experiences and maintaining high operational standards. Competitive compensation and opportunities for professional growth are offered.

Qualifications

• Minimum of 4 years experience in a pastry kitchen managerial role within luxury hotels.
• Proficient in social media usage.
• Experience in a luxury hotel in UAE is advantageous.

Responsibilities

• Elevate the hotel's reputation through exceptional pastry quality.
• Oversee daily pastry & bakery operations.
• Develop the Pastry business plan aligned with market strategy.

Skills

Commercial focus

Leadership and people management

Excellent communication

Guest focus

Effective relationship management

Creativity and problem-solving

Education

Internationally recognised degree or diploma in pastry

Tools

MS Office applications

F&B systems

Job description

What are we looking for

An Executive Pastry Chef for the Waldorf Astoria Dubai International Financial Centre is always working on behalf of our Guests and working with other Team Members. To successfully fill this role you should maintain the attitude behaviours skills and values that follow:

• Commercial focus with a demonstrated ability to deliver exceptional business performance and results
• Inspirational leadership and people management skills with experience in leading, developing and motivating a large team and working effectively with other departments
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills able to deliver a compelling message for the right audience from team briefings to commercial business presentations to representing the hotel publicly with fluency in English
• Guest focus experienced in implementing and maintaining the highest standards of food production quality and hygiene to deliver memorable guest experiences.
• Effective relationship management skills to build and maintain good working relationships with key stakeholders internally and externally including suppliers.
• Creativity, strategic‑thinking and problem‑solving skills with the ability to work effectively in a fast‑paced environment while remaining calm and focused under pressure.
• A minimum of 4 years experience in a similar pastry kitchen managerial role within luxury hotels
• An internationally recognised degree or diploma in a relevant field
• Expertise in social media usage and content engagement
• Confidence in working with F&B systems and MS Office applications

It would be advantageous in this position for you to demonstrate the following capabilities and distinctions:

• Previous experience in a luxury hotel in UAE
• Multilingual capabilities will be considered an asset.

What will it be like to work for Waldorf Astoria Hotels & Resorts

Waldorf Astoria provides guests the exceptional environment and the personalised attention of True Waldorf Service that creates a singular experience. If you understand the value of personalised attention and know how to treat even the most extraordinarily different experiences with the same rich level of customer service you may just be the person we are looking for!

EOE/AA/Disabled/Veterans

An Executive Pastry Chef for Waldorf Astoria Dubai International Financial Centre represents the hotel through the creation of exceptional pastry experiences leading all pastry and bakery operations while upholding the Waldorf Astoria & Forbes luxury standards. As part of an award‑winning Forbes Five‑Star luxury property the role focuses on elevating product quality, innovating pastry offerings and maintaining strong relationships with internal partners to maximise guest satisfaction and overall culinary performance.

What will I be doing

As Executive Pastry Chef you are responsible for elevating the hotels reputation through exceptional pastry quality and the leadership of a skilled pastry team. You will oversee the daily pastry & bakery operations and guide team members to consistently deliver excellence. Specifically an Executive Pastry Chef will perform the following tasks to the highest standards:

Commercial Performance

• Develop the Pastry business plan considering market strategy, financial targets and business volumes as well as customer and team member experience
• Together with Executive Chef manage the pastry kitchen budget and forecast to support achievement of the hotels commercial goals
• Review departmental results – including sales, food costs, profit margins, wastage, breakage, guest satisfaction and take action with the Culinary and Stewarding management team to improve performance

Excellent Food

• Partner with the Executive Chef F&D Operations team to create attractive F&D concepts, menus, products and promotions that drive revenue and profit
• Deliver delicious, high‑quality, well‑presented artistic food to meet guests’ needs – and Instagram feeds!
• With a positive mindset plan personalised 3D amenities together with the Personal Concierge team.
• Support Hilton’s sustainability goals through local sourcing strategies, use of seasonal produce, minimising food waste, recycling and efficient energy and water consumption.

Exceptional Guest Experiences

• Ensure the Pastry and Bakery team prepare, present and deliver dishes on time with pride and precision to create exceptional guest experiences
• Make sure that food allergies and dietary requirements are treated with absolute seriousness and that all chefs are trained on correct food handling
• Review and act on guest feedback, taking prompt action to resolve complaints and improve guest loyalty
• Partner with F&D Operations to enhance the hotels image through online reputation management for F&D, driving positive reviews on key platforms and websites.

Great Working Environment

• Lead, develop and inspire the Pastry and Bakery teams, creating an inclusive environment where all Team Members can thrive and achieve their professional goals
• Practice great people management from recruitment to training to succession planning and recognition
• Develop an efficient Pastry and Bakery workforce plan to identify current and future needs based on forecast business volumes, budgets and HR guidelines
• Communicate well and often, building great relationships with key stakeholders.

Day‑To‑Day Essentials

• Make sure Pastry and Bakery operations strictly comply with all regulations (including health safety and hygiene, food safety certification, daily kitchen records and labelling) and that potentially hazardous situations are identified, reported and corrected.
• Work with the Purchasing team to identify and select suppliers and create efficient purchasing processes. Put controls in place to maintain high quality of produce and equipment.
• Work with the Finance team to set the minimum and maximum stocks of all food material and equipment. Make sure FFE kitchen upkeep and inventories are maintained.
• Keep up to date with what’s happening in F&D world, current and future trends, markets, ingredients, competitors and suppliers to drive innovation.

Required Experience

Intern