Sous Chef (Culinary)

PLAIN VANILLA BAKERY; Singapore; On-site; SGD 47,000 - 71,000; Full time

Job summary

Plain Vanilla Bakery in Singapore is seeking a seasoned Kitchen Lead to manage hot station production, set daily prep plans, and monitor plating quality and hygiene. You will coordinate with FOH for smooth service and mentor junior cooks, ensuring guest satisfaction with every dish.

Requirements include 3–5 years in brunch/café settings, strong leadership, HACCP knowledge, and excellent communication across BOH/FOH. This on-site role reinforces our commitment to quality and hospitality.

Qualifications

• Minimum 3–5 years of professional kitchen experience in all-day brunch, café, or bistro concepts.
• Proven experience in managing a small kitchen team or shift leadership.
• Experience with food preparation in hot and cold stations.
• Culinary skills and kitchen management knowledge including inventory, cost control, and HACCP.
• Strong leadership and communication with BOH and FOH.
• Highly organised, punctual and calm under pressure.
• Able to mentor and train junior team members.
• Hospitality mindset with guest interaction capability.

Responsibilities

• Lead hot station production and ensure consistency in all cooked dishes.
• Set daily prep plan and allocate mise en place tasks.
• Monitor plating quality, portion control and visual presentation.
• Perform role of Kitchen Expediter during service ensuring standards of quality and safety.
• Coordinate with Front-of-House to ensure seamless service flow.
• Interact professionally with guests and support delivery of hospitality.
• Lead staff meal planning and preparation.
• Conduct opening and closing procedures including hygiene and temperature checks.
• Maintain kitchen equipment, cleanliness and food safety standards.
• Prepare and submit daily kitchen reports.
• Submit weekly kitchen performance reports to Head Chef.
• Train and coach Cook to step up during leave or peak hours.
• Escalate equipment, staffing, or inventory issues to Head Chef.
• Perform any other duties as assigned.

Skills

Kitchen leadership

Food preparation

Food safety

HACCP knowledge

Inventory management

Cost control

Staff training

Communication BOH/FOH

Problem solving

Hospitality mindset

Education

Diploma in Culinary Arts

Certificate in Commercial Cooking

Kitchen Management

Tools

WSQ Food Hygiene Certificate

Job description

Job Description

• Lead hot station production and ensure consistency in all cooked dishes.
• Set daily prep plan and allocate mise en place tasks.
• Monitor plating quality, portion control, and visual presentation.
• Perform the role of Kitchen Expediter during service, ensuring every dish leaving the kitchen meets the Company's standards for quality, presentation, accuracy, portion control and food safety
• Communicate and collaborate with the Front-of-House (FOH) team to coordinate service flow, resolve operational issues and ensure a seamless guest experience
• Interact professionally and courteously with guests where required, including responding to menu-related enquiries and supporting the delivery of exceptional hospitality
• Lead staff meal planning and preparation.
• Conduct opening and closing procedures, including hygiene and temperature checks.
• Maintain kitchen equipment, cleanliness, and food safety standards.
• Prepare and submit daily kitchen reports (e.g., prep sheet usage, waste, stock alerts).
• Submit weekly kitchen performance reports to the Head Chef (e.g., highlights, issues, equipment status, prep forecasting).
• Train and coach the Cook to step up during leave or peak hours.
• Escalate any equipment, staffing, or inventory issues to Head Chef.
• Perform any other duties as assigned

Job Requirements

• Minimum 3–5 years of professional kitchen experience in all-day brunch, café, or bistro concepts.
• Proven experience in managing a small kitchen team or shift leadership.
• Experience with food preparation in both hot and cold stations.
• Culinary skills (advanced cooking techniques, knife skills, sauce making), kitchen management (inventory management, ordering and receiving, cost control, HACCP knowledge), food safety and sanitation (temperature control, cross-contamination prevention, sanitisation protocols) would be advantageous.
• Strong leadership and communication with both BOH and FOH.
• Highly organised, punctual, and calm under pressure.
• Able to mentor and train junior team members.
• Problem solver with initiative; able to make decisions in real-time service situations.
• Demonstrates a hospitality mindset and is able to interact professionally with guests, contributing to a positive guest experience.
• Diploma in Culinary Arts or Certificate in Commercial Cooking or Kitchen Management would be advantageous.
• WSQ Food Hygiene Certificate

Additional Notes

Plain Vanilla Bakery it started out with a simple, earnest ambition to create and share some good old-fashioned cake with our local community; cake that was made with real wholesome ingredients, and was familiar and comforting. In a world of mass-produced confections, we wanted to go back to basics and bake like our mums and grandmothers used to – moist red velvet cupcakes topped with vanilla buttercream, apple pound cake drizzled with caramel, decadent chocolate brownies, warm and fudgey on the inside. The kind of scents, flavours, and textures that make us nostalgic for days gone by.