Role Purpose To take full ownership of night kitchen operations and the hotel's breakfast service. You will lead the overnight kitchen team, manage night-time food preparation (including room service and early crew meals), and deliver a high-quality, consistent breakfast operation each morning. This is a night-based leadership role requiring presence, precision, and energy during unconventional hours.

Key Responsibilities

1. Night Operations Leadership  Lead Night Kitchen Team: Supervise all overnight kitchen staff, ensuring smooth execution of night duties, including room service orders, early morning crew meals, and breakfast mise en place.  Overnight Service Management: Handle all kitchen-related guest requests during night hours, ensuring timely and quality responses to room service orders, special requests, and any after-hours events.  Security & Handover: Conduct night kitchen security checks. Prepare a detailed handover report for the day Executive Chef, including overnight issues, stock usage, and breakfast readiness status.

 Communication with Night Duty Manager: Coordinate closely with the Hotel Duty Manager (night shift) on any guest-related kitchen matters, emergency food requests, or operational disruptions.

2. Breakfast Operations & Preparation  Breakfast Ownership: Manage all aspects of the breakfast operation from preparation through service, including buffet setup, live cooking stations (eggs, omelettes, pancakes), and à la carte breakfast offerings.  Night Preparation: Complete all breakfast mise en place during night hours—chopping fresh fruits, mixing batters, pre-portioning ingredients, setting up pastry trays—so that service begins seamlessly at 6:30am.  Consistency & Presentation: Ensure every dish meets established recipes, portion sizes, and presentation standards—from fresh juices to pastries, hot dishes, and carvery items.  Timeliness: Coordinate with the morning service team to ensure buffet replenishment happens seamlessly during peak flow, with zero empty chafing dishes or delays.

3. Menu Development & Seasonal Rotation  Breakfast Menu Engineering: Work with the Executive Chef to develop and rotate breakfast offerings, balancing guest preferences, seasonal availability, and cost targets.  Daily Specials: Create daily featured items (e.g., special omelette fillings, fresh smoothie blends, baked goods) to add variety without increasing complexity or waste.  Guest Preferences: Monitor guest feedback and plate waste patterns to refine the offering—replacing unpopular items with better-performing alternatives.

4. Cost Control & Waste Management  Food Cost Management: Maintain breakfast food cost within budget through precise portion control, accurate recipe costing, and careful overnight ordering.  Waste Reduction: Implement FIFO system for breakfast-specific ingredients. Track buffet waste daily and adjust production volumes to minimize leftovers.

 Inventory & Ordering: Conduct nightly and weekly stock takes for breakfast items. Submit timely requisitions to the Executive Chef, ensuring no stock-outs of high-turnover items (eggs, dairy, bread, fresh fruit, coffee supplies).

5. Team Leadership & Training  Night Briefing: Lead pre-shift briefing with the overnight kitchen team, highlighting VIP guests, dietary restrictions, volume forecasts (based on hotel occupancy), and next morning's breakfast plan.  On-the-Job Coaching: Train commis chefs and kitchen assistants on night-specific skills—overnight productivity, breakfast mise en place efficiency, egg station technique, and proper holding temperatures.  Morning Handover: Conduct a thorough handover with the morning kitchen team (if any overlap) or with the Executive Chef, ensuring zero ambiguity about breakfast readiness.

6. Hygiene, Safety & Compliance  HACCP Compliance (Night Hours): Rigorously enforce hygiene protocols during night shifts, including proper temperature logging for overnight stored items, allergen separation, and cleaning schedules.  Night Checklists: Complete nightly opening checks (equipment readiness, ingredient freshness, station mise en place) and closing checks (proper storage, cleaning schedules, waste logging) before handover.  Equipment Care: Ensure all breakfast-specific equipment (egg griddle, toaster, juice machine, bain-maries) is cleaned nightly and any maintenance issues are reported immediately.

Candidate Profile

Experience  3–5 years of kitchen experience, with at least 2 years in a breakfast chef, night chef, or junior sous chef role in a 3, 4, or 5-star hotel  Proven experience managing a high-volume breakfast buffet (100+ covers per service)  Night shift experience in a hospitality kitchen is highly desirable

Education  Culinary diploma or equivalent professional kitchen training with a strong bias in Pastry and Bakery.  Food Safety and HACCP certification (mandatory)

Technical Skills  Strong knowledge of breakfast cooking techniques (eggs every style, hot and cold buffets, bakery basics, fresh juices and smoothies)  Ability to cost recipes and manage food cost percentage  Proficient in kitchen hygiene and temperature logging systems  Basic proficiency with kitchen inventory and ordering systems

Language Requirements  Mandatory: Fluent English  Highly desirable: Swahili for communicating with local kitchen assistants

Personal Attributes & Leadership Qualities

 Night shift ready: Comfortable working overnight hours (typically 9:00pm – 6:00am or similar) and maintaining high energy levels throughout  Self-sufficient: Able to lead the kitchen without constant supervision, making independent decisions during night hours  Calm under pressure: Handles sudden guest surges, special requests, and last-minute VIP arrivals during night shifts without losing composure  Eye for detail: Notices when preparation is falling behind, a chafing dish will run low, or a display looks untidy  Team player: Works seamlessly with the night duty manager and morning service team to ensure smooth handovers  Waste-conscious: Actively looks for ways to repurpose leftovers (e.g., day-old bread into bread pudding or French toast)  Reliable & punctual: Night operations require absolute dependability; late arrivals or absences disrupt the entire hotel & morning service

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