Chief Steward

About The Luxury Collection

The Luxury Collection is seeking a Chief Steward to manage daily kitchen utility operations and staff. This full-time position is based in Makkah, Saudi Arabia, with responsibilities extending to Jeddah. The role requires 5-10 years of experience in a relevant field.

Role Overview

The Chief Steward oversees dish room operations, night cleaning, back dock cleaning and maintenance, banquet plating, and food running. This role involves supervising kitchen employees not actively engaged in cooking, such as dishwashers and kitchen helpers. The Chief Steward is responsible for improving guest and employee satisfaction while adhering to the operating budget.

Key Responsibilities

• Manage daily kitchen utility operations and staff, including dish room, night cleaning, back dock cleaning, banquet plating, and food running.
• Order and manage necessary supplies, ensuring staff have adequate equipment, tools, and uniforms.
• Schedule events, programs, activities, and staff work shifts.
• Monitor the inflow and maintenance of ordered materials.
• Conduct inventories of china, glass, silver, food, equipment, smallware, and liquor, reporting any shortages.
• Inspect supplies, equipment, and work areas to ensure efficient service and adherence to standards.
• Investigate and follow up on employee accidents.
• Manage all equipment, china, glass, and silver, ensuring adequate clean supplies.
• Supervise employees to ensure compliance with loss prevention policies, accident prevention, and cost control.
• Enforce proper cleaning routines for serviceware, equipment, and floors, including the correct use and cleaning of all dish room machinery.
• Ensure all food holding and transport equipment is in working order.
• Ensure compliance with all applicable laws, regulations, food handling, and sanitation standards.
• Communicate relevant information to executives, peers, and subordinates in a timely manner.

Team Leadership and Development

• Lead, influence, and encourage staff using interpersonal and communication skills, advocating sound financial/business decision-making, and demonstrating honesty/integrity.
• Supervise and manage employees, understanding their roles to perform duties in their absence.
• Provide leadership, vision, and direction to prioritize departmental goals efficiently and effectively.
• Ensure and maintain employee productivity levels.
• Serve as a role model for appropriate behaviors and achieve performance and budget goals.
• Recognize team members' contributions and foster mutual trust, respect, and cooperation.
• Communicate performance expectations in accordance with job descriptions.
• Establish and maintain collaborative relationships with employees.
• Participate in managing departmental controllable expenses to meet or exceed budgeted goals.
• Strive to improve service performance and solicit employee feedback.
• Understand the impact of departmental operations on overall property financial goals.

Customer Service and Human Resources

• Attend meetings and communicate with executives, peers, and subordinates to enhance service quality.
• Manage daily operations to ensure quality, standards, and customer expectations are consistently met.
• Emphasize guest satisfaction during all departmental meetings and focus on continuous improvement.
• Provide guidance and direction to subordinates, including setting performance standards and monitoring performance.
• Recruit, interview, select, hire, and promote employees.
• Train employees in safety procedures and provide feedback on service behaviors.
• Review employee satisfaction results to identify and address concerns.
• Ensure disciplinary procedures and documentation comply with Standard and Local Operating Procedures (SOPs and LSOPs) and support the Peer Review Process.
• Ensure property policies are administered fairly and consistently.
• Ensure utility staff are properly trained in sanitation, equipment handling, and chemical usage.
• Participate in employee progressive discipline procedures.

Qualifications

• A minimum of 5-10 years of experience in kitchen utility operations or a similar role.
• Demonstrated ability to manage daily operations and supervise staff effectively.
• Strong understanding of food handling, sanitation standards, and relevant regulations.
• Proficiency in inventory management and cost control.
• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills for leading and motivating a team.
• Commitment to guest and employee satisfaction.