Head Chef - Protea Hotel Fire & Ice! by Marriott Cape Town at Marriott International

JOB SUMMARY

• Accountable for overall success of the daily kitchen operations.  Exhibits culinary talents by personally performing tasks while leading the staff and managing all food related functions.  Works to continually improve guest and employee satisfaction while maximizing the financial performance in all areas of responsibility.  Supervises all kitchen areas to ensure a consistent, high quality product is produced.  Responsible for guiding and developing staff including direct reports. Must ensure sanitation and food standards are achieved.  Areas of responsibility comprise overseeing all food preparation areas (e.g., banquets, room service, restaurants, bar/lounge and employee cafeteria) and all support areas (e.g., dish room and purchasing).

CANDIDATE PROFILE  

Education and Experience

• High school diploma or GED; 6 years experience in the culinary, food and beverage, or related professional area.

OR

• 2-year degree from an accredited university in Culinary Arts, Hotel and Restaurant Management, or related major; 4 years experience in the culinary, food and beverage, or related professional area.

CORE WORK ACTIVITIES

Leading Kitchen Operations for Property

• Leads kitchen management team. 
• Provides direction for all day-to-day operations. 
• Understands employee positions well enough to perform duties in employees' absence or determine appropriate replacement to fill gaps.
• Provides guidance and direction to subordinates, including setting performance standards and monitoring performance.
• Utilizes interpersonal and communication skills to lead, influence, and encourage others; advocates sound financial/business decision making; demonstrates honesty/integrity; leads by example.
• Encourages and builds mutual trust, respect, and cooperation among team members.
• Serving as a role model to demonstrate appropriate behaviors.
• Ensures property policies are administered fairly and consistently.
• Reviews staffing levels to ensure that guest service, operational needs and financial objectives are met.
• Establishes and maintains open, collaborative relationships with employees and ensures employees do the same within the team.
• Solicits employee feedback, utilizes an "open door" policy and reviews employee satisfaction results to identify and address employee problems or concerns.
• Supervises and coordinates activities of cooks and workers engaged in food preparation.
• Demonstrate new cooking techniques and equipment to staff.

Setting and Maintaining Goals for Culinary Function and Activities

• Develops and implements guidelines and control procedures for purchasing and receiving areas.
• Establishes goals including performance goals, budget goals, team goals, etc.
• Communicates the importance of safety procedures, detailing procedure codes, ensuring employee understanding of safety codes, monitoring processes and procedures related to safety.
• Manages department controllable expenses including food cost, supplies, uniforms and equipment.
• Participates in the budgeting process for areas of responsibility.
• Knows and implements the brand's safety standards.

Ensuring Culinary Standards and Responsibilities are Met

• Provides direction for menu development.
• Monitors the quality of raw and cooked food products to ensure that standards are met.
• Determines how food should be presented, and create decorative food displays.
• Recognizes superior quality products, presentations and flavor.
• Ensures compliance with food handling and sanitation standards.
• Follows proper handling and right temperature of all food products.
• Ensures employees maintain required food handling and sanitation certifications.
• Maintains purchasing, receiving and food storage standards.
• Prepares and cooks foods of all types, either on a regular basis or for special guests or functions.

Ensuring Exceptional Customer Service

• Provides and supports service behaviors that are above and beyond for customer satisfaction and retention.
• Improves service by communicating and assisting individuals to understand guest needs, providing guidance, feedback, and individual coaching when needed.
• Manages day-to-day operations, ensuring the quality, standards and meeting the expectations of the customers on a daily basis.
• Displays leadership in guest hospitality, exemplifies excellent customer service and creates a positive atmosphere for guest relations.
• Interacts with guests to obtain feedback on product quality and service levels.
• Responds to and handles guest problems and complaints.
• Empowers employees to provide excellent customer service. Establishes guidelines so employees understand expectations and parameters. Ensures employees receive on-going training to understand guest expectations.
• Reviews comment cards, guest satisfaction results and other data to identify areas of improvement.

Managing and Conducting Human Resource Activities

• Identifies the developmental needs of others and coaching, mentoring, or otherwise helping others to improve their knowledge or skills.
• Ensures employees are treated fairly and equitably.
• Trains kitchen associates on the fundamentals of good cooking and excellent plate presentations.
• Administers the performance appraisal process for direct report managers.
• Interacts with the Banquet Chef and Catering department on training regarding food knowledge and menu composition.
• Observes service behaviors of employees and provides feedback to individuals and or managers.
• Manages employee progressive discipline procedures for areas of responsibility.
• Ensures disciplinary procedures and documentation are completed according to Standard and Local Operating Procedures (SOPs and LSOPs) and supports the Peer Review Process.

Additional Responsibilities 

• Provides information to executive teams, managers and supervisors, co-workers, and subordinates by telephone, in written form, e-mail, or in person.
• Analyzes information and evaluating results to choose the best solution and solve problems.

MANAGEMENT COMPETENCIES

Leadership

• Adaptability – Develops strategies and identifies resources to implement and manage change; models flexibility in adjusting priorities; and communicates the need for change in a positive way that encourages commitment. 
• Communication - Actively listens and uses appropriate communication styles to deliver complex information in a clear concise way and influences others to accept a point of view, gain consensus, or take action.
• Problem Solving and Decision Making - Models and sets expectations for solving complex problems, collecting and comparing information to evaluate alternatives, considering their potential impact before making decisions, involving others to gain agreement and support, and guiding others to implement solutions.
• Professional Demeanor - Exhibits behavioral styles that convey confidence and command respect from others; makes a good first impression and represents the company in alignment with its values.

Managing Execution

• Building and Contributing to Teams - Leads and participates as a member of a team to move the team toward the completion of common goals while fostering cohesion and collaboration among team members.
• Driving for Results - Focuses and guides others in accomplishing work objectives.
• Planning and Organizing - Gathers information and resources required to set a plan of action for self and/or others; prioritizes and arranges work requirements self and/or others to accomplish goals and ensure work is completed.

Building Relationships

• Coworker Relationships - Develops and uses collaborative relationships to facilitate the accomplishment of work goals.
• Customer Relationships - Develops and sustains relationships based on an understanding of customer needs and actions consistent with the company’s service standards.
• Global Mindset - Supports employees and business partners with diverse styles, abilities, motivations, and/or cultural perspectives; utilizes differences to drive innovation, engagement and enhance business results; and ensures employees are given the opportunity to contribute to their full potential.

Generating Talent and Organizational Capability

• Organizational Capability - Evaluates and adapts the structure of organizational units, jobs, and work processes to best fit the needs and/or support the goals of an organizational unit.
• Talent Management - Provides guidance and feedback to help individuals develop and strengthen skills and abilities needed to accomplish work objectives.

Learning and Applying Professional Expertise

• Applied Learning - Seeks and makes the most of learning opportunities to improve performance of self and/or others.
• Business Acumen - Understands and utilizes business information (e.g., data related to employee engagement, guest satisfaction, and property financial performance) to manage everyday operations and generate innovative solutions to approach business and administrative challenges.
• Technical Acumen - Understands and utilizes professional skills and knowledge in a specific functional area to conduct and manage everyday business operations and generate innovative solutions to approach function-specific work challenges.
• Basic Cookery - Knowledge of procedures and techniques for mixing, thawing, baking, and cooking, measurement tools, recipe execution (expanding and condensing as necessary), and methods for innovative preparation and presentation.
• Food Production and Presentation - Knowledge of techniques and equipment for preparing and presenting food products (both plant and animal) for consumption, including storage/handling techniques and sanitation standards.
• Cooking - Ability to prepare and present meals utilizing culinary principles, standards, techniques and equipment (e.g., grilling, sautéing, broiling, baking, using decorative food displays, following recipes).
• Emergency Procedures - Knowledge of emergency and first aid procedures or policies for contacting Loss Prevention and reporting incidents and accidents immediately.
• Food Storage and Rotation - Knowledge of procedures and temperatures for storing and rotating food stock in coolers, refrigerators, freezers, dry storage, etc. to maintain freshness ("First In, First Out").  This includes preparing, labeling, dating, rotating, and pulling perishable foods and drinks in accordance with storage guidelines; identifying food products that do not meet company or compliance standards; and knowledge of policies and procedures for discarding food items or products.
• Food and Beverage Sanitation - Knowledge of procedures and techniques for kitchen maintenance, cleaning, and use of sanitation systems; use of grease trap; trash (compactor(s), Baler operation, dish machines, and other equipment. Knowledge of techniques for care and cleaning of silver, stainless steel, and dish machines.
• Food Handling - Knowledge of basic food handling policies and procedures, as well as the procedures for assisting cooks in serving or preparing food.
• Kitchen Maintenance - Knowledge of general maintenance procedures and standards of cleanliness for the food storage and preparation areas.
• Kitchen Tools and Equipment - The ability to use and store kitchen tools (e.g., cutting tools, knives, tongs, slicers, spatulas) and ability to use kitchen equipment (e.g., grills, ovens, steam tables, deep fryers, kettles) properly and safely.
• Cleaning the Kitchen - The ability to properly and safely clean and maintain kitchen floors, walls, and ceilings, including meal wall guards, overhead fans and hoods, and floor drains.  This includes correctly choosing and applying appropriate chemicals and/or products. This includes knowing the right equipment to use for each job.
• Supply Storage - Knowledge of proper storage procedures for cookware, flatware, and supplies.
• Purchasing and Materials Management - Knowledge of practices and procedures needed to maintain material, equipment and supplies; including vendor identification and contract negotiation, supply requisition and purchasing, and inventory control.

Basic Competencies - Fundamental competencies required for accomplishing basic work activities.

• Basic Computer Skills - Uses basic computer hardware and software (e.g., personal computers, word processing software, Internet browsers, etc.).
• Mathematical Reasoning - Demonstrates ability to add, subtract, multiply, or divide quickly, correctly, and in a way that allows one to solve work-related issues.
• Oral Comprehension - Demonstrates ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.
• Reading Comprehension - Demonstrates understanding of written sentences and paragraphs in work-related documents.
• Writing - Communicates effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience.