Senior Kitchen Manager — Lead High-Volume Ops & Team Growth

Restaurant Careers; Johannesburg; On-site; ZAR 420,000 - 650,000; Full time

Job summary

Restaurant Careers is seeking a Kitchen Manager to lead all back-of-house operations in Johannesburg. This permanent role demands strong culinary operations expertise, cost control, HACCP compliance, and people development, with a hands-on leadership style.

The position offers career growth in a fast-growing food service business and requires ensuring exceptional food quality and customer experience. The role is based in Johannesburg, with negotiable ZAR salary, and requires flexibility

Qualifications

• Minimum 5 years' experience as a Kitchen Manager, Head Chef, Executive Sous Chef, or similar leadership role.
• Proven experience managing high-volume commercial kitchen operations.
• Strong knowledge of food costing, stock control, labour management, and kitchen systems.
• Demonstrated success leading and developing multicultural teams.
• Thorough understanding of food safety, HACCP, hygiene, and workplace safety standards.
• Strong English communication, reporting, and operational planning skills.
• Ability to work flexible hours, including weekends and public holidays.

Responsibilities

• Oversee all daily kitchen operations within a high-volume environment.
• Ensure food quality, consistency, portion control, and service standards are maintained.
• Recruit, train, mentor, and develop kitchen staff.
• Drive a positive, accountable, and high-performance culture.
• Manage food safety, hygiene, HACCP, and workplace compliance requirements.
• Control food costs, inventory, purchasing, and wastage.
• Implement operational systems and continuous improvement initiatives.
• Support menu execution, product quality, and customer satisfaction.

Skills

Kitchen management

High-volume kitchen operations

Food costing

Stock control

Labour management

HACCP & food safety

English communication

Operational planning

Flexibility

Education

Culinary or hospitality management qualification

Job description

Restaurant Careers is seeking a Kitchen Manager to lead all back-of-house operations in Johannesburg. This permanent role demands strong culinary operations expertise, cost control, HACCP compliance, and people development, with a hands-on leadership style.

The position offers career growth in a fast-growing food service business and requires ensuring exceptional food quality and customer experience. The role is based in Johannesburg, with negotiable ZAR salary, and requires flexibility