Head Chef - Modern African Restaurant, Pre-Opening

An exciting opportunity is available for a Head Chef to lead the kitchen of a new modern African restaurant opening in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. This is a founding culinary leadership role at the pre-opening stage, with the chance to build the menu, the brigade and the kitchen's operating discipline from the ground up. The restaurant is backed by an established international restaurant group and brings contemporary, ingredient-led and story-led cooking rooted in African provenance to the Dubai market. Heritage, fire and gathering around a shared table sit at the heart of the concept. The successful Head Chef will have genuine creative ownership of the menu and the kitchen culture, and will co-own the direction of the concept rather than simply execute a brief. The Head Chef reports to the General Manager and the CEO, and owns the menu, the kitchen team, kitchen commercials, sourcing and food safety. We are looking for a creative cook with a real point of view and credibility in African or African-influenced cooking, who leads through inspiration, runs a disciplined and profitable kitchen, and builds a team people want to join.

Responsibilities

• Own the menu end to end: concept development, seasonality, dish creation, costing, specials and consistency at volume.
• Build a modern menu around African and African-influenced regional ingredients, spices and techniques, and tell the story behind every dish to guests and staff.
• Develop and refresh the menu over time in response to guest feedback, seasonality and commercial performance.
• Recruit, train, roster and retain the kitchen brigade, building a respectful culture with no shouting and no unnecessary churn.
• Coach and develop chefs at every level, creating a visible pipeline of talent and internal promotion.
• Lead pre-opening recruitment and training so the opening brigade understands the standards and why they matter.
• Lead from the pass during service, setting the tone and standard for the kitchen.
• Own kitchen commercials, including food cost of sales, gross margin, portion control, wastage, stock management and supplier negotiation.
• Deliver the kitchen's contribution to the venue P&L, working with the General Manager on labour, cost of sales and profitability targets.
• Implement disciplined systems for ordering, stock control, prep planning and kitchen scheduling.
• Build direct relationships with growers, fishermen, butchers and specialist suppliers of African and regional produce, protecting provenance and ingredient quality.
• Own food safety, HACCP, hygiene and kitchen compliance, maintaining full compliance with Dubai Municipality and UAE food safety regulations and consistently clean audits.
• Partner with the General Manager as an equal on the venue's overall direction, and with the General Manager and Bar Manager on pairings, the guest journey, events and activations.
• Contribute to the wider group management team, sharing ideas and talent and supporting other venues in the portfolio.

Requirements

• Head Chef, or strong Sous Chef, experience in a premium, high-volume restaurant, ideally within African, African-influenced or a closely related cuisine.
• Menus you have personally written and can talk through commercially, from concept to costing.
• Demonstrable control of food cost and wastage in a high-volume kitchen.
• A track record of training chefs who have progressed within the team or the industry.
• Pre-opening experience, including recruitment, training, kitchen set-up and launch, is highly advantageous.
• Strong sourcing instincts and supplier relationships for specialist produce.
• Sound knowledge of HACCP and food safety compliance.
• People-first, collaborative leadership: energy, presence with guests in the dining room, creativity and a team player mindset.
• Fluent English.
• Must already be based in, and hold the right to work in, the United Arab Emirates.

Benefits

• Salary: AED 25,000 per month total package (basic salary plus housing, transport and other allowances).
• Incentive scheme to be confirmed.
• Annual leave in line with UAE labour law.
• Duty meals provided.
• Uniform provided.
• Medical insurance and work visa sponsorship.
• Further benefits to be confirmed during the recruitment process.

Additional Information

This is a permanent, full-time position working 6 days per week, reporting to the General Manager and the CEO. The target start date is 30 September 2026, as the restaurant is in its pre-opening phase, so early availability is a strong advantage. Candidates must currently be based in the United Arab Emirates and hold the right to work in the UAE; the employer will sponsor the work visa for the successful candidate. To apply, please submit your CV with a short note on your standout achievement to date and its commercial result, together with your availability and notice period. Shortlisted candidates will be invited to an introductory conversation, followed by a formal interview and a tasting.

Disclaimer

We appreciate your interest in this vacancy. Due to the high number of applications we receive, only candidates selected to move to the next stage of the recruitment process can be contacted. Radiant does not charge any fee to candidates.