Executive Chef

SLS The Red Sea; Umluj; On-site; SAR 420,000 - 660,000; Full time

Job summary

SLS The Red Sea in Saudi Arabia is seeking an Executive Chef to lead the culinary vision across the resort, including multiple dining concepts, in-room dining, events and banquets. The role balances culinary innovation with commercial performance and requires building a high-performing multicultural team while upholding HACCP, safety and luxury standards.

You will drive menu development, food quality, and operational excellence across all venues, collaborating with leadership to achieve the

Qualifications

• Degree or diploma in Culinary Arts or related field.
• Minimum 5 years in Executive Chef or senior leadership roles.
• Experience leading large Culinary and Stewarding teams in luxury or high-volume venues.
• Knowledge of international cuisines and current culinary trends.
• Proven financial management: food cost, budgeting and inventory control.
• HACCP Level 3 or equivalent certification preferred.
• Excellent leadership and people development in multicultural teams.
• Strong English communication; Arabic is a plus.

Responsibilities

• Lead culinary strategy and operations across resort kitchens and stewarding.
• Oversee multiple dining concepts, in-room dining, events and banquets.
• Develop menus, drive innovation, and maintain brand identity across venues.
• Manage food cost, labor productivity, purchasing and inventory.
• Lead recruitment, scheduling, and development of Culinary and Stewarding teams.
• Ensure HACCP, hygiene and safety standards; prepare for inspections.

Skills

Executive Leadership

Culinary Management

Menu Development

Food Cost Control

Team Building

HACCP Knowledge

Multicultural Teams

English Fluent

Education

Culinary Arts Degree

Job description

Company Description

Welcome to SLS The Red Sea, where bold creativity and unapologetic luxury come to life.

Part of Ennismore’s globally celebrated lifestyle portfolio, SLS Hotels are known for redefining hospitality through striking design, elevated service, and magnetic social energy.

Now open on the Red Sea coast, SLS The Red Sea stands as one of Saudi Arabia’s most exciting lifestyle destinations.

The resort features 150 impeccably designed keys, five dynamic Food & Beverage venues, and a luxurious spa sanctuary, offering guests a seamless blend of indulgence, entertainment, and escape.

From vibrant dining experiences to moments of pure relaxation, every detail is crafted to surprise, inspire, and connect.

More than a hotel, SLS The Red Sea is a living stage—a place where creativity thrives, individuality is celebrated, and bold ideas are encouraged.

As the journey continues beyond opening, we are building a passionate team to shape the future of this iconic destination.

If you’re driven by excellence, energized by lifestyle hospitality, and ready to be part of something extraordinary, this is where your story continues.

Job Description

At SLS The Red Sea, food is part of the show. With a collection of distinctive dining concepts spanning Italian, seafood, Japanese-inspired dining, all-day café experiences, beachside venues and resort-wide culinary operations, we’re looking for an Executive Chef to lead the culinary vision across the entire resort.

The Executive Chef will lead the full Culinary and Stewarding division, setting the standard for creativity, quality and operational excellence across all restaurants and bars, in-room dining, events and banquets, and team member dining. This is a senior leadership role for a chef who can balance culinary innovation with commercial performance, build and inspire a high-performing multicultural team, and bring the bold, playful and unexpected spirit of SLS to every plate.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead the overall culinary strategy and operation across all resort kitchens and stewarding functions, ensuring consistency, quality and unmistakable SLS flair.
• Provide strategic and operational leadership across the resort's diverse dining concepts, including Fi’lia, Seabird, Floating World and Deluxe, alongside in-room dining, events and other culinary experiences.
• Lead, inspire and develop the Culinary and Stewarding teams, creating a high-performance culture built around creativity, collaboration, accountability and continuous development.
• Drive menu development, culinary innovation, seasonal programming and new dining experiences while protecting the identity and positioning of each venue.
• Establish and maintain exceptional standards for food quality, taste, presentation, consistency and execution across every guest touchpoint.
• Partner closely with the Director of Operations, Food & Beverage leadership and outlet teams to deliver seamless experiences and achieve the resort's commercial objectives.
• Own culinary financial performance, including food cost, payroll, productivity, purchasing, inventory, waste management, operating supplies and CAPEX planning.
• Lead menu engineering, recipe standardization, portion control and accurate costing while identifying opportunities to improve profitability without compromising quality.
• Oversee workforce planning, recruitment, scheduling, succession planning, performance management and training across Culinary and Stewarding.
• Ensure full compliance with HACCP, food safety, hygiene, sanitation and local regulatory requirements, maintaining constant readiness for inspections and audits.
• Work closely with Purchasing and suppliers to ensure product quality, responsible sourcing, cost efficiency and reliable supply across the operation.
• Champion sustainability initiatives, responsible food practices and waste reduction throughout the culinary operation.
• Maintain a visible presence throughout the operation, engaging with guests and teams and continuously identifying opportunities to elevate the experience.

Qualifications

• Degree, diploma or professional qualification in Culinary Arts, Hospitality or a related discipline.
• Minimum 5 years' experience in an Executive Chef or comparable senior culinary leadership role, ideally within a luxury lifestyle resort, international hotel or high-volume multi-outlet environment.
• Proven experience leading large Culinary and Stewarding teams across multiple restaurants, events/banqueting, in-room dining and team member dining.
• Strong knowledge of diverse international cuisines and contemporary culinary trends, with the creativity and confidence to lead multiple distinctive restaurant concepts.
• Demonstrated expertise in culinary financial management, including food cost, labor productivity, budgeting, forecasting, menu engineering and inventory control.
• Strong understanding of HACCP, food safety and kitchen hygiene standards; HACCP Level 3 or equivalent certification preferred.
• Exceptional leadership and people-development skills, with experience building, coaching and retaining diverse, multicultural teams.
• Commercially astute and strategically minded, with the ability to translate creative culinary ideas into commercially successful experiences.
• Strong communication, collaboration and stakeholder-management skills.
• Highly organized and comfortable operating in a complex, fast-paced luxury resort environment.
• Fluent in English; additional languages, including Arabic, are an advantage.
• Above all, a culinary leader with personality, imagination and the confidence to step away from the ordinary.