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).
Key Responsibilities
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.
2) 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).
3) 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.
4) 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.
5) 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.
6) 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.
7) 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.
