Sous Chef

Job Title: Sous Chef Location: Riyadh, Saudi Arabia Employment Type: Full-Time Work Location: Central KitchenRole Overview:We are looking for an experienced Sous Chef to join our Central Kitchen / Production team.The Sous Chef will be responsible for planning, supervising, and controlling daily food production, ensuring meals are produced safely, consistently, efficiently, and on time while meeting approved recipes, portion sizes, quality standards, and food safety requirements.The role will also lead the kitchen team and coordinate closely with Culinary, Quality, Stores, Procurement, Packaging, Logistics, Maintenance, and Operations.Key Responsibilities: Plan and supervise daily high-volume food production according to production plans, demand, and delivery schedules.Ensure compliance with approved recipes, specifications, portion sizes, and production standards.Monitor production progress, productivity, yields, food cost, portion control, and waste.Ensure compliance with HACCP, GMP, food hygiene, temperature control, allergen management, FIFO/FEFO, and traceability requirements.Conduct quality checks throughout production and take corrective action when required.Lead, supervise, train, and allocate kitchen staff according to workload and production priorities.Ensure the availability and readiness of ingredients, equipment, tools, and manpower before production.Coordinate with Quality, Stores, Procurement, Packaging, Logistics, Maintenance, and Operations to ensure smooth production and on-time dispatch.Support recipe trials, menu changes, product launches, and R&D activities.Monitor and reduce food waste, spoilage, overproduction, and production losses.Ensure production, quality, food safety, temperature, waste, and operational records are accurately maintained.Address operational issues and support corrective and preventive actions.Support customer complaint investigations related to food quality and identify recurring production issues.Contribute to continuous improvement by improving workflow, productivity, staffing, and production processes.Respond effectively to operational emergencies such as equipment breakdowns, refrigeration issues, power outages, or staffing shortagesRequired Skills & Qualifications:4–6 years of professional kitchen experience, preferably in a central kitchen, high-volume production, catering, commissary, or QSR environment.Previous experience as a Sous Chef, Junior Sous Chef, Chef de Partie, or similar supervisory role.Strong experience in high-volume food production and standardized recipe execution.Strong knowledge of HACCP, GMP, food hygiene, temperature control, and food safety practices.Experience leading culinary teams and managing shifts.Good understanding of portion control, yield, food cost, and waste management.Experience in production planning, quality control, and operational documentation.Ability to work under pressure and meet strict production deadlines.Knowledge of SFDA requirements and Saudi food safety standards is highly desirable.Strong leadership, communication, problem-solving, planning, and decision-making skills.