Executive Chef

About the Role

Hyatt Regency Nairobi is seeking a highly skilled Executive Chef to oversee and lead the comprehensive culinary operations across all food and beverage outlets including restaurants, bars, banquets, events, in-room dining, and employee dining services. This senior leadership position demands a culinary expert who can blend creativity with business acumen, uphold operational excellence, and demonstrate strong people management capabilities.

Primary Responsibilities

• Develop and implement the overall culinary vision and strategy for the hotel.
• Design and execute menus from initial concept through recipe creation, costing, plating, and optimization.
• Manage all aspects of food cost, kitchen profitability, purchasing processes, inventory control, yield enhancement, portion management, and waste reduction.
• Oversee large-scale banquets, conferences, and peak operational times with efficiency.
• Establish and maintain streamlined kitchen workflows, production planning, and operational controls.
• Ensure consistently high standards for food quality, presentation, hygiene, and safety compliance.
• Lead, mentor, and cultivate a diverse, multi-generational culinary team with a strong focus on talent development and succession planning.
• Drive culinary innovation while ensuring practicality and commercial viability of concepts.
• Collaborate closely with the General Manager and senior leadership on culinary strategy, guest experience enhancement, and business results.
• Maintain calm and decisive leadership, especially in high-pressure and challenging situations.

Qualifications and Experience

• Diploma or Bachelor's Degree in Culinary Arts, Hospitality Management, Hotel Management, or a related field from an accredited institution.
• Professional culinary certification is strongly preferred.
• At least 10 years of progressive culinary experience within the hotel sector.
• A minimum of 3 years in senior culinary leadership roles such as Executive Chef or Executive Sous Chef in reputable hotels.
• Proven track record managing multiple culinary outlets and significant banquet/event operations.
• Solid ownership of food cost management, menu pricing, purchasing, yield optimization, inventory oversight, and kitchen profitability.
• Experience creating and launching menus from concept to operational rollout.
• Demonstrated leadership of large, diverse culinary teams.
• Experience with international hotel or hospitality brands is essential.
• Prior experience with Hyatt is a considerable advantage.
• Anticipated preference for candidates experienced in luxury or upper-upscale hotel environments.

Desired Leadership Traits

• Maintains composure and clarity for decision-making under pressure.
• Ability to translate culinary concepts into strategic and commercially viable operations.
• Strong commercial insight balancing creativity with cost control and profitability.
• Creative vision for developing innovative culinary concepts and menus.
• Confident leadership presence capable of influencing experienced culinary teams and senior management.
• Proactive problem-solving approach emphasizing accountability and practical solutions.
• Effective at managing diverse teams across cultural and generational lines.
• Disciplined operations management ensuring consistency and execution.

Additional Advantages

• Track record in improving food costs and culinary profitability.
• Successful initiatives in reducing food waste and enhancing yield.
• Experience launching new restaurants or culinary ventures.
• Demonstrated success managing large conferences, banquets, and high-volume events.
• Proven ability to build strong talent pipelines and improve team engagement and retention.
• Experience turning around underperforming culinary departments.
• Consistently delivering high standards within complex, international hotel settings.

Application Instructions

Candidates are invited to submit detailed curriculum vitae highlighting relevant experiences and qualifications. Only applicants with credentials closely aligned with the requirements will be considered.