HEAD CHEF (THAI CUISINE)

Head Chef (Thai Cuisine) — Operations & R&D Lead

Company: Kluay Tod Thai (Singapore)

Employment: Full-time | Reports to: Director/Owner | Comp: Base S$8,500/month

Role Purpose

Own the full culinary and kitchen operations for Kluay Tod Thai—from product R&D and menu engineering to food safety systems, supply chain, people leadership, catering/events, and profitability. This is a builder role for scale (multi-outlet and events).

1. Culinary R&D & Menu Engineering (Revenue Growth)

• Lead continuous R&D: seasonal Thai desserts, Mango Sticky Rice innovations (parfait/roll/pops), frozen banana programme, LTOs, and event-exclusive items.
• Run structured trials: taste panels, A/B pricing, yield tests, shelf-life studies; maintain a recipe database with version control.
• Conduct menu engineering (CM%, contribution margin, item mix) to drive AOV and attach rates (dips, toppings, drinks).
• Standardize plating guides, build photos/videos for training and marketing use.

1. Food Safety, Quality Systems & Compliance (Risk & Brand Protection)

• Establish and maintain FSMS/HACCP-aligned SOPs: personal hygiene, allergen control, batch tracking, oil-change logs, temp logs, cleaning schedules, pest control coordination.
• Lead internal audits and close CAPAs; prepare for NEA inspections, incident investigations, and recall drills.
• Develop allergen and nutritional matrices; implement claims management (vegetarian, no-MSG).
• Own workplace safety in kitchen (RA/HIRARC, LOTO for fryers, fire warden coordination, first-aid readiness).

1. Supply Chain, Procurement & Cost Control (Gross Margin)

• Full procurement ownership: vendor selection, tenders/quotations, SLA set-up, price locks, and substitution rules.
• Implement PAR levels, FEFO stock rotation, waste analytics, and monthly stocktakes with variance <1.5%.
• Negotiate coconut/pandan/banana/sweet potato contracts; manage packaging sourcing and sustainability options.
• Maintain food cost ≤ 28–32% (by concept), shrinkage ≤ 2%, and fryer-oil usage KPIs.

1. Operations Leadership & Scalability (Speed & Consistency)

• Design kitchen layout/flow, equipment spec (fryers, holding, blast chill for R&D), and preventive maintenance plans.
• Build SOPs & training for mise en place, cook-to-order, queue management, expo, and delivery pick-ups.
• Implement digital ops: POS recipe lock, barcode/QR for prep sheets, inventory system, and production planning boards.
• Create opening/closing checklists, mystery-shopper programme, and service recovery playbooks.

1. People: Hiring, Training & Scheduling (Capability)

• Manpower planning and rostering for stall + events; OT control; leave planning.
• Recruit, train, certify and appraise kitchen team (locals, S Pass, Work Permits).
• Run skills ladder with pay bands, cross-training, and succession planning for new outlets.

1. Events & Catering (New Profit Streams)

• Architect events/catering playbook: onsite fryer rigs, food safety pack, logistics checklist, and menu bundles.
• Pre-cost every event; target 30%+ gross margin; manage client tastings, BEOs, and on-site execution.

1. Finance & Reporting (Accountability)

• Co-own weekly P&L with management: sales, COGS, labour %, waste, utilities, repair & maintenance.
• Submit weekly dashboards and monthly ops review with corrective actions.
• Plan capex for new outlets; prepare ROI cases for equipment and menu launches.