Sous Chef

VAULT PERSONNEL PTE. LTD.; High Street, Penarth; On-site; GBP 30,000 - 52,000; Full time

Job summary

Vault Personnel Pte. Ltd. seeks a hands-on kitchen leader to direct daily operations, manage staff, and ensure top-quality meals. The role emphasizes hygiene, menu development, and cost control while upholding SOPs and customer satisfaction.

Ideal candidate has 2–3 years of culinary experience, a Diploma in Culinary, and a strong team spirit to maintain a fast-paced, professional kitchen environment.

Qualifications

• 2–3 years of culinary experience.
• Strong team player.
• Diploma in Culinary would be an added advantage.

Responsibilities

• Oversee kitchen activities and assign tasks; Sous Chef priority.
• Prepare delicious, balanced meals and taste every dish.
• Maintain an inviting, professional kitchen atmosphere.
• Train staff and enforce SOPs across the team.
• Open/close register as applicable.
• Hire staff, conduct interviews and reference checks.
• Respond to emails within 24 hours.
• Monitor food cost and inventory; keep waste under control.
• Meet labor targets and adjust staffing as needed.
• Maintain safety and security; keep samples for 14 days.
• Cater for schools; coordinate with Head Office for bookings.
• Handle cash controls and petty cash; follow banking procedures.
• Manage purchasing per approved vendor lists; HO handles major orders.

Skills

Culinary experience

Team player

Education

Diploma in Culinary

Job description

Primary Role:

Prepare meals, manage staff and oversee all day-to-day operations. Be the Director of Quality, ensuring the highest quality foods are prepared and served.

Essential Functions:

1. KITCHEN PRODUCTION:

• Oversee all kitchen activities, assign team’s tasks. For the Sous Chef, cooking is the main priority!
• Ensuring promptness, freshness, and quality of dishes.
• Implementing hygiene policies and examining equipment for cleanliness.
• Working with the Head chef on designing new recipes, planning menus, and selecting plate presentation.
• Reviewing staffing levels to meet service, operational and financial objectives.
• Performing administrative tasks, taking stock of food and equipment supplies, and doing purchase orders.
• Setting and monitoring performance standards for staff.
• Obtaining feedback on food and service quality, and handling customer problems and complaints.
• Prepare menus as required and submit on time to HO.

2. COOKING FROM SCRATCH WITH LOVE: Cooking with passion and love is essential to food quality and leading the brand. Whenever humanly possible, always use fresh, seasonal ingredients and cook from scratch. Main duty is to prepare delicious and balanced meals. Always taste all dishes before putting them on the line, regardless if it's you or one of your staff prepare. ALWAYS TASTE EVERYTHING!

3. ATMOSPHERE: Keep the kitchen looking fun and inviting, updating signage and displays. Make sure staff are working efficiently and the environment projects a clean, organized, and professional business.

4. TRAINING: In charge of all staff training, make sure all new staff are receiving proper training and follow SOPs.

5. REGISTER: (If applicable) Ensure register is properly opened every day and ‘end of day’ is closed out every evening.

6. HIRING: Hire staff. This includes conducting interviews, doing reference checks, wage negotiation (with H/O).

7. COMMUNICATION: Respond to all emails within 24 hours (1 business day).

8. FOOD COST: Monitor kitchen to ensure proper use of product and inventory control while keeping waste to a minimum (under 2%). Make sure there is no theft by staff or students. Perform monthly inventory and send results to Head Office by 5th. Meal service, including snacks and catering should be kept at 30% COGS. Accounts that do not pay rent or utilities need to keep food costs no higher than 40% COGS, depending on lunch pricing.

9. LABOR %: Follow daily labor targets of 20~25%, depending on lunch pricing. When the workday is slow, send people home and/or call off shifts and if busy, ask team to stay late. Ensure staff are following their schedule and taking proper breaks. SOP for labor is 1 staff member for every 50 lunches in sales.

10. SAFETY & SECURITY: Maintain a safe work environment for all staff and guests. Secure kitchen during non-operating hours. Keep food samples for 14 days and adhere to all company safety standards.

11. CATERING: Our Client is a catering company and contracts with schools that may require catering. All catering events require a booking sheet to be sent to relevant upper management ahead of the event for review and approval. No event is rejected without consulting Head Office.

12. CASH CONTROL: Follow Management Cash Handling Policy, count and manage all cash funds, do refunds and go to the bank weekly. Always keep safe locked and record prepayment and cash deposits using the safe log. Manage & complete petty cash form, following the reporting policies.

13. PURCHASING: Manage all food and supply orders following approved vendor list and purchasing policy. Office supplies, small-wares, fixtures, and equipment orders are handled by the Head Office.

Job Requirements

• At least 2-3 years of culinary experience
• Strong team player
• Diploma in Culinary would be an added advantage

Vault Personnel Pte. Ltd.
UEN202026390C | EA License No. 20C0275 | R23115268 Tan Li Yen