Senior Sous Chef - Bakery

Emirates Flight Catering; Dubai; On-site; AED 300,000 - 420,000; Full time

Job summary

Emirates Flight Catering in Dubai is seeking an experienced senior culinary operations leader to manage bakery production, ensure SOP compliance, lead a multinational kitchen team, and drive continuous improvement in high-volume catering.

You will oversee production planning, quality control, cost optimization, and stakeholder coordination with the Executive Sous Chef to ensure timely delivery and exceptional service.

Qualifications

• High Diploma or Degree in Hotel Management, Culinary Arts, or a related field.
• Minimum 6 years of culinary experience.
• Relevant culinary certification.

Responsibilities

• Manage kitchen production operations and workflow execution to ensure operational continuity, timely delivery, and achievement of production targets in line with airline catering requirements.
• Optimize production planning and resource utilization by aligning manpower, equipment, materials, and capacity requirements to achieve operational efficiency, cost effectiveness, and service delivery objectives.
• Ensure implementation of kitchen SOPs, recipes, food safety, and regulatory standards across all production areas to maintain compliance and operational consistency.
• Establish production quality control measures to ensure adherence to portion control, yield, presentation, labelling, product specifications, and airline/customer requirements.
• Monitor operational performance, risks, and challenges by implementing corrective actions and improvement plans to resolve issues, enhance efficiency, and support business objectives.
• Drive continuous improvement initiatives through lean practices, waste reduction, productivity enhancement, and cost optimization without compromising quality standards.
• Lead and develop Sous Chefs and production teams through coaching, performance management, and capability development to strengthen leadership effectiveness and maintain operational standards.
• Maintain effective communication, reporting, and stakeholder coordination with the Executive Sous Chef and other key stakeholders to support operational decision-making, issue resolution, and service excellence.
• Conduct quality assurance reviews and process verification activities to evaluate operational effectiveness, sustain compliance, and support continuous improvement and customer satisfaction.

Skills

Culinary leadership

Kitchen operations

Menu development

Food costing

Quality control

Food safety

Coaching

Multinational staff

Education

Diploma/ Degree in Hotel Management or Culinary Arts

Job description

This role supports Bakery Production operations by ensuring effective kitchen operations, consistent application of processes and standards, participation in the rotational Chef on Duty role, and coordination with key internal and external stakeholders and suppliers.

Key Result Areas

• Manage kitchen production operations and workflow execution to ensure operational continuity, timely delivery, and achievement of production targets in line with airline catering requirements.
• Optimize production planning and resource utilization by aligning manpower, equipment, materials, and capacity requirements to achieve operational efficiency, cost effectiveness, and service delivery objectives.
• Ensure implementation of kitchen SOPs, recipes, food safety, and regulatory standards across all production areas to maintain compliance and operational consistency.
• Establish production quality control measures to ensure adherence to portion control, yield, presentation, labelling, product specifications, and airline/customer requirements.
• Monitor operational performance, risks, and challenges by implementing corrective actions and improvement plans to resolve issues, enhance efficiency, and support business objectives.
• Drive continuous improvement initiatives through lean practices, waste reduction, productivity enhancement, and cost optimization without compromising quality standards.
• Lead and develop Sous Chefs and production teams through coaching, performance management, and capability development to strengthen leadership effectiveness and maintain operational standards.
• Maintain effective communication, reporting, and stakeholder coordination with the Executive Sous Chef and other key stakeholders to support operational decision-making, issue resolution, and service excellence.
• Conduct quality assurance reviews and process verification activities to evaluate operational effectiveness, sustain compliance, and support continuous improvement and customer satisfaction.
  

Qualifications

Education Qualification:

• High Diploma or Degree in Hotel Management, Culinary Arts, or a related field.

Work Experience:

• Minimum 6 years of culinary experience.
• Relevant culinary certification.

Skills:

• Strong knowledge of food products, production processes, and large-scale in-house kitchen operations.
• Extensive knowledge of cooking techniques across various cuisines, with experience in 5-star hotel catering environments.
• Experience in recipe creation, menu development, and food costing.
• Proven leadership, coaching, training, and delegation skills to effectively manage a diverse, multi-national workforce.
• Experience in managing high-volume a la carte and/or banqueting operations within a large kitchen team.
• Strong organizational, communication, problem-solving, and decision-making skills to effectively manage operational challenges.