Branch Head chef

Branch Head Chef Location: Dubai, UAE Employment Type: Full-Time Start Date: Immediate — candidates who can join within 1 week are preferred. About the Role We are looking for an experienced and hands-on Branch Head Chef to take full ownership of the kitchen operations, food quality, and culinary team at one of our branches. The Branch Head Chef will independently manage their branch kitchen and lead a team of chefs and kitchen staff, while ensuring the menu is executed consistently to the highest standards. The concept is a healthy, quality-focused café menu, requiring strong attention to freshness, consistency, presentation, hygiene, and operational efficiency. The ideal candidate is a proven Head Chef who has previously managed their own kitchen and team in a high-volume commercial environment, with experience in both large-scale kitchens and fine-dining institutions. Key Responsibilities * Take full responsibility for the day-to-day kitchen operations of the assigned branch. * Lead, manage, train, and develop a kitchen team of 10+ staff members. * Ensure consistent food quality, taste, presentation, portioning, and preparation standards. * Manage daily kitchen preparation, service, production, and closing procedures. * Maintain strict food safety, hygiene, and cleanliness standards. * Ensure full compliance with Dubai Municipality / Baladiya requirements and maintain proper food safety systems and documentation. * Implement and maintain effective kitchen SOPs, checklists, recipes, and systems. * Manage stock levels, ordering, receiving, storage, and food wastage. * Monitor food costs and portion control while maintaining product quality. * Work closely with the Executive Chef / Head Chef and management on menu development, R&D, and operational improvements. * Identify operational issues and implement solutions independently. * Conduct regular team briefings, training, and performance follow-ups. * Ensure the kitchen is fully prepared for inspections and internal quality checks. * Maintain a professional, organized, and disciplined kitchen environment. Requirements * Minimum 5 years of professional culinary experience in Dubai. * Previous experience working as a Head Chef or equivalent senior kitchen leadership position. * Proven experience independently managing a kitchen and leading a team of at least 10 people. * Experience in a large-scale / high-volume commercial kitchen. * Previous experience within fine-dining or premium hospitality institutions. * Strong knowledge of Dubai Municipality / Baladiya food safety regulations and requirements. * Demonstrated ability to build and implement effective kitchen systems and SOPs. * Strong understanding of food cost, wastage, inventory, portion control, and kitchen operations. * Experience with healthy, modern café, casual dining, or premium F&B concepts is highly preferred. * Strong leadership, communication, organization, and problem-solving skills. * Must be hands-on and capable of leading by example during service. * UAE-based candidates only. * Must be available to join immediately or within 1 week. What We Are Looking For We are looking for someone who can take ownership of a branch, not simply manage a shift. The successful candidate should be confident running their own kitchen, building and managing their team, maintaining systems, controlling quality and costs, and ensuring the branch operates to the required standards with minimal supervision. If you are an experienced Head Chef ready to take full responsibility for a branch and its kitchen team, we would like to hear from you. Show more Show less