Head Chef - Premium Mediterranean Cuisine

Radiant Hospitality Company; Manama; On-site; BHD 20,000 - 22,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Annual flight ticket

Annual KPI bonus

Medical cover

Visa provided

2 days off per week

Competitive package (net)

Job summary

Radiant Hospitality Company is seeking a hands-on Head Chef to lead the kitchen of a premium Mediterranean restaurant in Manama, Bahrain. You will take full command of the back‑of‑house operation, ensuring consistency, cost control and brand integrity within an established international group.

The role requires a structured operator with strong people leadership, a background in premium, high‑volume dining, and Mediterranean expertise. Live‑out, full‑time, with attractive benefits.

Qualifications

• Proven experience in a premium, high‑volume restaurant environment.
• Strong Mediterranean or Greek experience preferred; ingredient‑led cooking valued.
• Formal HACCP or food safety certification, or ability to obtain Bahrain certificate.

Responsibilities

• Own daily food quality, presentation and consistency across the full menu.
• Lead the brigade with clear standards, accountability, training and succession planning.
• Drive recipe and specification adherence, portion control, prep discipline and service readiness.
• Manage food cost, wastage, purchasing and kitchen variances with strong commercial awareness.
• Maintain menu discipline and complexity without compromising guest experience or brand identity.
• Collaborate with Group Culinary and Operations to align internationally.
• Identify operational gaps and build structure around people, systems and execution.
• Within 90 days, establish visible leadership, stabilise standards, and gain cost controls.

Skills

Leadership

Food cost control

Staff development

Menu development

Education

Culinary degree

HACCP certification

Tools

Premium kitchen operation

Job description

An opportunity has arisen for a Head Chef to lead the kitchen of a premium Mediterranean restaurant in Manama, Bahrain, part of an established international hospitality group. The venue is an established, high-volume operation with a strong core menu and a disciplined structure already in place.

This is not a role about reinventing a concept. It is about ownership. The group is looking for a hands‑on Head Chef to take full command of the back‑of‑house operation and strengthen day‑to‑day leadership, consistency, commercial control and team execution - while protecting the identity of a brand that already works. The right person will make the kitchen feel calmer, sharper and more consistent.

Responsibilities

• Own daily food quality, presentation and consistency across the full menu.
• Lead the brigade with clear standards, accountability, training and succession planning.
• Drive recipe and specification adherence, portion control, prep discipline and service readiness.
• Manage food cost, wastage, purchasing and kitchen variances with strong commercial awareness.
• Maintain menu discipline and complexity without compromising the guest experience or the identity of the concept.
• Work closely with the Group Culinary and Operations teams to maintain alignment across the concept internationally.
• Identify operational gaps quickly and build structure around people, systems, communication and execution.
• Within the first 90 days: establish visible leadership and accountability, stabilise standards across prep, service, plating and recipe execution, build development plans for key team members, and gain firm control of food cost, wastage, ordering, stock movement and portioning.

• Current Head Chef, or a high‑calibre Senior Sous Chef ready to step into full ownership of a kitchen.
• Proven experience in a premium, high‑volume restaurant environment.
• Strong Greek or Mediterranean experience is preferred; excellent ingredient‑led cooking and relevant premium restaurant experience are valued equally.
• A structured operator who can run a disciplined kitchen - not only a creative chef.
• Strong people leader who can coach, develop and hold a team accountable.
• Commercially literate, with a clear understanding of food cost, GP, wastage, yield, purchasing and recipe control.
• Comfortable managing a broad menu and maintaining consistency through busy services.
• Calm, mature and collaborative, with the confidence to work within an established brand and group structure.
• Evidence of operating success, not only strong restaurant names on a CV.
• Formal food safety / HACCP certification, or the ability to obtain the certification required to work in a Bahrain kitchen.
• Please note: candidates whose experience is predominantly hotel banqueting, or who lead mainly from the office rather than the pass, are unlikely to be a fit for this particular operation.

• Salary: BHD 1,800 – 2,000 per month, (DOE) all-inclusive, live‑out.
• Gratuities and/or service charge additional
• Annual bonus attached to achieving KPIs
• Annual Flight Ticket
• 2 Days off per week
• Medical cover and visa provided
• Bahrain levies no personal income tax, so the package is effectively net.
• Further benefits to be confirmed during the recruitment process.

Additional Information

This is a permanent, full‑time, live‑out position based in Manama, Kingdom of Bahrain. Candidates must be able to obtain and hold the right to work in Bahrain. Relocation is expected for candidates based outside the Kingdom; regional Gulf experience is useful but is not a requirement where the restaurant background, maturity and adaptability are right. Start date is to be confirmed and the client is keen to move quickly for the right candidate. Culture and leadership fit are weighted as heavily as culinary technique.