Executive Chef📣 Job Ad

About the Executive Chef Role

Sheraton Hotels & Resorts is seeking an experienced Executive Chef to lead kitchen operations in Medina, Al-Madinah Al-Munawarah. This full-time position requires a professional with 5-10 years of experience in culinary management, responsible for the overall success of daily kitchen operations and ensuring high-quality food preparation and service across all property outlets.

Kitchen Operations Leadership

The Executive Chef will lead the kitchen management team, providing direction for all day-to-day operations. This includes understanding all employee positions to ensure operational continuity, guiding and developing staff by setting performance standards, and monitoring their performance. The role requires utilizing strong interpersonal and communication skills to influence and encourage others, advocating sound financial and business decisions, and demonstrating honesty and integrity. Building mutual trust, respect, and cooperation among team members is essential, as is serving as a role model for appropriate behaviors and ensuring property policies are administered fairly and consistently. Reviewing staffing levels to meet guest service, operational needs, and financial objectives is also a key responsibility. Establishing and maintaining open, collaborative relationships with employees, soliciting feedback, and addressing employee concerns are vital for team success.

Culinary Standards and Goal Setting

This role involves setting and maintaining high culinary standards and activities. Responsibilities include developing and implementing guidelines and control procedures for purchasing and receiving areas, and establishing performance, budget, and team goals. Communicating the importance of safety procedures, ensuring employee understanding of safety codes, and monitoring related processes are critical. The Executive Chef will manage department controllable expenses, including food cost, supplies, uniforms, and equipment, and participate in the budgeting process for their areas of responsibility. Adherence to and implementation of brand safety standards is mandatory.

Food Quality and Presentation

Ensuring culinary standards are met involves providing direction for menu development and monitoring the quality of raw and cooked food products. The Executive Chef will determine food presentation methods, create decorative food displays, and recognize superior quality products, presentations, and flavors. Compliance with food handling and sanitation standards is paramount, as is following proper handling and temperature control for all food products. Ensuring employees maintain required food handling and sanitation certifications, and upholding purchasing, receiving, and food storage standards are also key duties. The role may also involve preparing and cooking foods for regular service or special functions.

Guest Experience and Human Resources Management

Providing exceptional customer service is a core aspect of this role. This includes supporting service behaviors that exceed customer expectations and improve service by communicating guest needs and providing guidance and coaching. Managing daily operations to ensure quality and meet customer expectations is essential. The Executive Chef will display leadership in guest hospitality, exemplify excellent customer service, and foster a positive atmosphere for guest relations. Interacting with guests to gather feedback on product quality and service, and responding to and handling guest problems and complaints are also required. Empowering employees through training and clear expectations to provide excellent customer service is a priority. Reviewing guest feedback and satisfaction results to identify areas for improvement is also part of the role.

Human resource management includes identifying developmental needs of others and providing coaching and mentoring. Ensuring employees are treated fairly and equitably, and training kitchen associates on cooking fundamentals and presentation are important. Administering the performance appraisal process for direct report managers, and interacting with other departments regarding food knowledge and menu composition are also responsibilities. Observing employee service behaviors and providing feedback, managing employee progressive discipline procedures, and ensuring disciplinary procedures are completed according to Standard and Local Operating Procedures are critical HR functions.

Additional Responsibilities

The Executive Chef will provide information to executive teams, managers, supervisors, co-workers, and subordinates through various communication channels. Analyzing information and evaluating results to choose the best solutions and solve problems are also part of the role's broader responsibilities.