Sous Chef - Pastry

Role Overview

Kitchen Production

• Oversee operations across all kitchen and production sections.
• Manage daily production plans and ensure accurate, timely order completion.
• Monitor recipe adherence and finished-product quality.
• Resolve quality issues before products reach dispatch.
• Develop capacity plans for peak periods and prepare sections for increased production volumes.

People and Scheduling

• Build and adjust staff schedules based on order volumes and production requirements.
• Allocate workloads across kitchen sections.
• Lead, coach, and hold section heads and their teams accountable for performance and productivity.
• Conduct daily production briefings.
• Identify training needs and work with HR on onboarding and employee development.

Quality and Food Safety

• Enforce food safety, hygiene, sanitation, and HACCP standards across the facility.
• Work with the QC team to maintain consistent food-safety and quality standards.
• Own escalations related to design, product quality, rework, and delivery timelines.
• Decide whether products require rework, should be held, or are ready for release.
• Maintain a clean, organized, safe, and efficient kitchen environment.

Performance and Improvement

• Monitor and report production output, quality, and on-time completion.
• Manage labor, ingredient, and wastage costs against the facility budget.
• Improve kitchen workflows, layouts, processes, and productivity.
• Act as the senior decision-maker for kitchen equipment, workflow, and production-related operational changes.
• Work with Operations, Supply Chain, Marketing, and other teams on launches, seasonal collections, and production planning.

Experience and Qualifications

• 7–10 years of professional kitchen, bakery, or food production experience.
• Experience managing a multi-section kitchen, bakery, or high-volume production facility.
• Strong cake production and decoration knowledge, including expert-level fondant and cake-craft skills.
• Experience managing and developing a multi-person kitchen team.
• Experience with scheduling, coaching, performance management, and team development.
• Knowledge of inventory, food cost, wastage, and production planning.
• Strong understanding of food safety, hygiene, sanitation, and HACCP principles.

Capabilities

• Manage changing order volumes and tight deadlines efficiently.
• Apply strong problem-solving and decision-making skills under pressure.
• Demonstrate leadership, communication, commercial awareness, organization, and attention to detail.
• Work effectively in a fast-paced, high-volume production environment.
• Maintain a hands-on leadership style and participate in daily kitchen operations.