Executive Chef

Job Purpose The Executive Chef leads the culinary, bakery, pastry and food-production operations of Sage N Savvy. The position is responsible for menu development, production planning, team leadership, quality assurance, food safety, cost management, procurement coordination and operational improvement. The successful candidate must combine culinary expertise with commercial awareness and the ability to create structure, standardize production and maintain premium standards. Key Responsibilities Leadership and Organization - Lead kitchen, bakery, pastry and production teams. - Establish clear standards, accountabilities and communication routines. - Maintain a visible, hands-on leadership presence. - Recruit, onboard, train and evaluate culinary employees. - Manage schedules, leave, attendance, productivity and performance issues. Menu and Product Development - Develop and update menus according to brand positioning and customer needs. - Create, test, cost and standardize recipes, yields, portions and presentation. - Assess product feasibility, production time and market suitability. - Maintain recipe files, specifications and reference photographs. - Support catering, seasonal and customized requirements. Production Planning - Prepare daily, weekly and event-based production plans. - Forecast food, labor and equipment requirements. - Allocate work across kitchen sections and coordinate with purchasing, warehouse, packing, logistics and sales. - Build contingency plans for urgent orders or operational disruptions. Quality and Food Safety - Establish standards for taste, texture, appearance, portioning and packaging. - Conduct quality checks and investigate recurring complaints or defects. - Implement corrective and preventive actions. - Ensure HACCP, allergen control, traceability, sanitation and inspection readiness. Financial and Inventory Control - Calculate recipe and menu costs and set food-cost targets. - Monitor food cost, labor cost, productivity, waste and inventory variance. - Control portions, yields, overproduction and premium-ingredient use. - Approve ingredient specifications and assess supplier quality. - Coordinate stock levels, FIFO/FEFO rotation and variance investigations. Operational Improvement - Review workflows, layouts and equipment utilization. - Introduce SOPs and systems to improve consistency, speed and traceability. - Recommend equipment or technology investments. - Monitor trends and support business expansion or new concepts. Candidate Requirements - Degree, diploma or professional qualification in culinary arts, hospitality or food production. - Minimum 8-10 years of progressive culinary experience. - Minimum 3 years in an Executive Chef, Head Chef or senior production-leadership role. - Experience managing bakery, pastry, catering, hospitality or central-kitchen operations. - Strong menu-development, costing and recipe-standardization capability. - Demonstrated food-cost, labor-cost and inventory-management experience. - Strong knowledge of HACCP and food-safety systems. - Experience leading multicultural teams in high-volume operations. - Strong leadership, communication and commercial judgment. - Good English communication. - Willingness and ability to relocate to Lebanon. Core Competencies Culinary leadership, Menu development, Production planning, Food-cost control, Quality assurance, Food safety, Team development, Commercial awareness, Decision-making. Show more Show less

Candidate Requirements: - Degree, diploma or professional qualification in culinary arts, hospitality or food production. - Minimum 8-10 years of progressive culinary experience. - Minimum 3 years in an Executive Chef, Head Chef or senior production-leadership role. - Experience managing bakery, pastry, catering, hospitality or central-kitchen operations. - Strong menu-development, costing and recipe-standardization capability. - Demonstrated food-cost, labor-cost and inventory-management experience. - Strong knowledge of HACCP and food-safety systems. - Experience leading multicultural teams in high-volume operations. - Strong leadership, communication and commercial judgment. - Good English communication. - Willingness and ability to relocate to Lebanon.

Leadership and Organization: - Lead kitchen, bakery, pastry and production teams. - Establish clear standards, accountabilities and communication routines. - Maintain a visible, hands-on leadership presence. - Recruit, onboard, train and evaluate culinary employees. - Manage schedules, leave, attendance, productivity and performance issues. Menu and Product Development: - Develop and update menus according to brand positioning and customer needs. - Create, test, cost and standardize recipes, yields, portions and presentation. - Assess product feasibility, production time and market suitability. - Maintain recipe files, specifications and reference photographs. - Support catering, seasonal and customized requirements. Production Planning: - Prepare daily, weekly and event-based production plans. - Forecast food, labor and equipment requirements. - Allocate work across kitchen sections and coordinate with purchasing, warehouse, packing, logistics and sales. - Build contingency plans for urgent orders or operational disruptions. Quality and Food Safety: - Establish standards for taste, texture, appearance, portioning and packaging. - Conduct quality checks and investigate recurring complaints or defects. - Implement corrective and preventive actions. - Ensure HACCP, allergen control, traceability, sanitation and inspection readiness. Financial and Inventory Control: - Calculate recipe and menu costs and set food-cost targets. - Monitor food cost, labor cost, productivity, waste and inventory variance. - Control portions, yields, overproduction and premium-ingredient use. - Approve ingredient specifications and assess supplier quality. - Coordinate stock levels, FIFO/FEFO rotation and variance investigations. Operational Improvement: - Review workflows, layouts and equipment utilization. - Introduce SOPs and systems to improve consistency, speed and traceability. - Recommend equipment or technology investments. - Monitor trends and support business expansion or new concepts.