Corporate Head Chef

The Corporate Head Chef will be responsible for overseeing all culinary operations across the mine’s catering facilities in Zambia, ensuring that employees, management, contractors and visitors receive high-quality, nutritious, hygienic and cost-effective meals. The role requires strong leadership, large-scale catering experience, excellent food-cost management and the ability to maintain consistent standards in a remote mining environment.
The successful candidate must be able to manage high-volume food production, develop menus, supervise kitchen teams and ensure compliance with food safety, occupational health and safety, and relevant Zambian regulatory requirements.

1. Key duties and responsibilities
2. Corporate culinary management

• Oversee all kitchen and food production operations across the mine’s catering facilities.
• Develop and implement standardised recipes, menus, portion sizes and presentation standards.
• Ensure consistency in food quality, taste, nutritional value and service delivery.
• Plan and manage catering for daily employee meals, executive dining, VIP guests, meetings, functions and special events.
• Establish and implement standard operating procedures (SOPs) for all kitchen operations.
• Conduct regular kitchen inspections and quality audits.
• Introduce innovative, practical and cost-effective menu options suitable for a diverse workforce.

1. Menu planning and nutrition

• Design balanced menus that provide nutritious meals for employees working in demanding mining conditions.
• Plan daily, weekly and monthly menus, including breakfast, lunch, dinner and shift meals.
• Accommodate special dietary requirements, allergies, religious preferences and medically prescribed diets where required.
• Incorporate local Zambian ingredients and cuisine alongside international menu options.
• Ensure menu variety and appropriate portion sizes while controlling food costs.
• Review menus according to seasonal availability, supplier pricing and employee feedback.

1. High-volume catering and production

• Plan food production according to employee numbers, shift schedules and daily occupancy.
• Ensure sufficient meals are prepared and available during peak service periods and shift changes.
• Manage bulk cooking, food holding, temperature control, storage and safe distribution.
• Forecast food quantities to minimise shortages, waste and overproduction.
• Coordinate kitchen operations to ensure uninterrupted catering services in a remote mine environment.
• Establish contingency plans for supply disruptions, equipment failures and unexpected increases in meal requirements.

1. Financial and food-cost management

• Prepare and manage kitchen operating budgets in line with company requirements.
• Monitor food costs, labour costs, wastage, stock usage and cost per meal.
• Implement portion control, standardised recipes and yield management.
• Monitor food-cost variances and implement corrective measures.
• Oversee stocktaking, stock rotation, receiving procedures and inventory control.
• Investigate discrepancies, spoilage, over-ordering and unexplained stock losses.
• Work with procurement and finance teams to improve purchasing efficiency and cost control.
• Prepare monthly reports on food costs, stock consumption, wastage and operational performance.

1. Procurement and supplier management

• Work closely with procurement teams to source quality ingredients at competitive prices.
• Evaluate suppliers based on quality, reliability, pricing, food safety and delivery performance.
• Ensure that all deliveries are inspected for quality, quantity, expiry dates and temperature compliance.
• Maintain appropriate stock levels and minimum/maximum stock controls.
• Develop alternative sourcing plans for remote-site supply challenges.
• Ensure proper storage of dry goods, refrigerated products and frozen stock.

1. Food safety, hygiene and compliance

• Ensure compliance with the Zambian Food Safety Act, 2019 and applicable food-handling and public health requirements.

Qualifications and experience
Essential qualifications

• A recognised qualification in Professional Cookery, Culinary Arts, Food Production or Hospitality Management.
• A relevant culinary diploma or equivalent professional qualification.
• Formal training in food safety, hygiene and HACCP principles.
• Additional training in catering management, food-cost control or hospitality operations would be advantageous.

Experience requirements

• Minimum of 8–10 years' experience in professional kitchen operations, preferably within large-scale catering, mining, industrial catering, remote-site catering or a comparable high-volume environment.
• At least 3–5 years in a senior leadership position, such as Executive Chef, Corporate Chef, Group Head Chef or Catering Operations Manager.
• Proven experience managing high-volume food production for a large workforce.
• Demonstrated experience managing multiple kitchens, catering outlets or remote-site food operations.
• Strong knowledge of budgeting, food-cost management, stock control, procurement and supplier negotiations.
• Experience managing multicultural teams and developing local employees.
• Experience working in Africa or remote locations would be a strong advantage.