Sous Chef - Johannesburg Marriott Hotel Melrose Arch

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 maintaining the operating budget. 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. 

CANDIDATE PROFILE 

Education and Experience

• High school diploma or GED; 4 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; 2 years experience in the culinary, food and beverage, or related professional area.

CORE WORK ACTIVITIES

Ensuring Culinary Standards and Responsibilities are Met

• Manages kitchen shift operations and ensures compliance with all Food & Beverage policies, standards and procedures.
• Estimates daily production needs on a weekly basis and communicates production needs to kitchen personnel daily.
• Assists Executive Chef with all kitchen operations and preparation.
• Prepares and cooks foods of all types, either on a regular basis or for special guests or functions.
• Develops, designs, or creates new applications, ideas, relationships, systems, or products, including artistic contributions.
• Assists in determining how food should be presented and creates decorative food displays.
• Maintains purchasing, receiving and food storage standards.
• Ensures compliance with food handling and sanitation standards.
• Performs all duties of kitchen managers and employees as necessary.
• Recognizes superior quality products, presentations and flavor.
• Ensures compliance with all applicable laws and regulations.
• Follows proper handling and right temperature of all food products.
• Operates and maintains all department equipment and reports malfunctions.
• Checks the quality of raw and cooked food products to ensure that standards are met.

Leading Kitchen Operations

• Supervises and coordinates activities of cooks and workers engaged in food preparation.
• Leads shifts while personally preparing food items and executing requests based on required specifications.
• 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.
• Serves as a role model to demonstrate appropriate behaviors.
• Maintains the productivity level of employees.
• Ensures employees understand expectations and parameters.
• Establishes and maintains open, collaborative relationships with employees and ensures employees do the same within the team.
• Ensures property policies are administered fairly and consistently.
• Communicates performance expectations in accordance with job descriptions for each position.
• Recognizes success performance and produces desired results.                                                   

Ensuring Exceptional Customer Service

• Provides services that are above and beyond for customer satisfaction and retention.
• Manages day-to-day operations, ensuring the quality, standards and meeting the expectations of the customers on a daily basis.
• Sets a positive example for guest relations.
• Empowers employees to provide excellent customer service.
• Interacts with guests to obtain feedback on product quality and service levels.
• Handles guest problems and complaints.

Maintaining Culinary Goals

• Achieves and exceeds goals including performance goals, budget goals, team goals, etc.
• Develops specific goals and plans to prioritize, organize, and accomplish your work.
• Utilizes the Labor Management System to effectively schedule to business demands and for tracking of employee time and attendance.
• Trains employees in safety procedures.

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.
• Improves service by communicating and assisting individuals to understand guest needs, providing guidance, feedback, and individual coaching when needed.
• Participates in the employee performance appraisal process, providing feedback as needed.
• Brings issues to the attention of the department manager and Human Resources as necessary.

Additional Responsibilities 

• Provides information to 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.
• Attends and participates in all pertinent meetings.

MANAGEMENT COMPETENCIES

Leadership

• Adaptability - Determines how change impacts self and others; displays flexibility in adjusting priorities; and communicates both the reasons for change and how it impacts the workplace. 
• Communication - Customizes approach to conveying complex information and ideas to others in a convincing and engaging manner; appropriately interprets verbal and non-verbal behavior; and models active listening to ensure understanding..
• Problem Solving and Decision Making - Models and coaches others on breaking complex issues into manageable parts, identifying and evaluating alternatives and their implications before making decisions, and involving and gaining agreement from others when making key decisions.
• 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 - Sets high standards of performance for self and/or others; assumes responsibility for work objectives; initiates, focuses, and monitors the efforts of self and/or others toward the accomplishment goals; proactively takes action and goes beyond what is required.
• Planning and Organizing - Gathers information and resources required to set a plan of action for self and/or others; prioritizes and arranges work requirements for self and/or others to accomplish goals and ensure work is completed.

Building Relationships

• Coworker Relationships - Interacts with others in a way that builds openness, trust, and confidence in the pursuit of organizational goals and lasting relationships. 
• 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 team assignments 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 to manage everyday operations and generate innovative solutions to approach team, 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).
  • 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 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.