Head Chef, Pizza & Dough

Role purpose The Head Chef is the technical and operational leader of the the restaurant kitchen. This person works side by side with the owner to turn the the restaurant recipe files into a consistent daily operation, and makes sure that every style, from Neapolitan to Detroit to sourdough, is produced to the same high standard every single day. This is a hands-on role. The Head Chef makes dough, works the oven and leads by example, while also running the team, the schedule, the stock and the standards. Key responsibilities • Own the dough programme for all styles: daily production plan, mixing, balling, fermentation schedules and dough stock levels. • Execute the company recipes exactly as written, and support the owner in testing, refining and launching new recipes and monthly specials. • Lead, train and schedule the four pizza chefs; build cross-skilling so each chef can cover at least one other station. • Set and enforce quality checkpoints: dough temperature, fermentation time, ball weight, bake colour, topping portions and final presentation. • Manage kitchen hygiene and food safety, including HACCP-style records, temperature logs, labelling and traceability of every dough batch. • Control food cost: weigh portions, track yield and waste, and support stock counts, ordering and receiving. • Supervise oven operation and daily cleaning and care of ovens, mixers, proofers and pans. • Adjust fermentation for Kuwait conditions (heat and humidity) to keep every dough consistent. • Report daily to the owner on production, quality issues, waste and staff performance. Technical skills required • Expert in at least two of: Neapolitan, Detroit, sourdough, New York, Roman pinsa / al taglio. • Strong understanding of flour (protein, W strength), hydration, pre-ferments (poolish, biga, levain), and cold fermentation. • Confident with baker's percentages, recipe scaling, yield and basic food cost calculations. • Experience with high-temperature pizza ovens (wood, gas or electric) and deck ovens. • Kitchen organisation: prep lists, par levels, FIFO, production planning. Experience and qualifications • Minimum 8 years in pizza, Italian or artisan bakery kitchens. • Minimum 3 years as Head Chef, Sous Chef or Head Pizzaiolo leading a team. • Food safety / hygiene certification. • Good spoken and written English. Strong advantage • Pre-opening or new-concept launch experience. • Experience in the GCC or other hot-climate countries. • Bread and baked-goods experience (the restaurant will grow into bread and pastry). • Formal pizza training (for example AVPN or an Italian pizza school) or competition experience. Personal qualities • Calm, organised leader who teaches patiently and holds a high standard. • Takes ownership; reports problems early and honestly. • Creative but disciplined: respects the recipe, and brings ideas through the proper testing process. Show more Show less