Head chef (head of kitchen operations)

HEAD CHEF – HEAD OF KITCHEN OPERATIONS

Lead the Team. Strengthen the Systems. Raise the Standard.

We’re looking for an experienced, hands-on kitchen leader to manage and continuously improve the day-to-day kitchen operations at THIS IS BALI.

You’ll lead the kitchen team, ensure smooth service, strengthen workflows and SOPs, and maintain consistently high standards for food quality, speed, hygiene and cost control.

Working closely with our Executive Chef, you’ll help create a kitchen that is organized, efficient, calm under pressure and ready to support the company’s continued growth.

This role is ideal for someone who enjoys developing people, solving operational challenges and building strong systems – and who has a genuine passion for Indonesian and Nusantara cuisine.

Someone who naturally asks:

•How can today’s service be even smoother than yesterday’s?

•How can we help every cook become better?

•How can we reduce waste while improving quality?

•How can we build systems that make excellence repeatable?

•How can we create a kitchen people are proud to work in?

If you’re passionate about developing people, improving operations, and building a high-performing kitchen, we’d love to meet you.

Your Mission

Your mission is to build a kitchen operation that is:

•Fast

•Consistent

•Organized

•Calm under pressure

•Efficient

•Profitable

•Passionate about quality

•Proud of every plate that leaves the pass

You’ll lead the day-to-day operation of every kitchen function, including:

•Production Kitchen

•Prep Kitchen

•Hot Kitchen

•Plate Assembly & Presentation

•Bar & Dessert Production

•Stewarding

Your success won’t be measured by how loud the kitchen is.

It’ll be measured by how smoothly it runs.

Your First Challenge

Before making major changes, we want you to understand how we operate.

Spend time with the team.

Learn our systems.

Understand our culture.

Identify what’s working.

Spot what’s slowing us down.

Then help us build the next version of THIS IS BALI’s kitchen.

We believe sustainable improvement always beats quick fixes.

What You’ll Build

You’ll help create a kitchen that is:

•Fast

•Consistent every day

•Easy to train

•Clean and organized

•Efficient with labor and food costs

•Built around strong systems

•Passionate about authentic Indonesian cuisine

•A place where people genuinely enjoy working

What You’ll Own

Team Leadership

• Lead, inspire, and develop the kitchen team.
• Build a culture of ownership, accountability, teamwork, and continuous improvement.
• Coach and develop future kitchen leaders.
• Create a positive, high-performance working environment.

Kitchen Performance

• Ensure smooth lunch and dinner service.
• Monitor ticket times and operational performance.
• Coordinate kitchen communication during busy periods.
• Solve operational challenges quickly and calmly.

Operational Excellence

• Continuously improve kitchen workflows.
• Identify bottlenecks and implement better systems.
• Build SOPs that improve consistency and efficiency.
• Create a kitchen that becomes stronger every month.

Food Quality

• Ensure exceptional food quality and consistency.
• Maintain recipe and portion standards.
• Protect the authenticity of our Indonesian and Nusantara dishes while delivering them with consistency every day.
• Ensure every plate leaving the pass meets our quality standards.
• Protect the guest experience through operational excellence.

Inventory & Food Cost

• Manage inventory, ordering, and stock rotation (FIFO).
• Minimize waste and improve food cost performance.
• Work closely with Purchasing and Finance to optimize profitability.

Training & Development

• Train and onboard new team members.
• Conduct coaching and performance reviews.
• Develop clear onboarding and training systems.
• Help every team member grow professionally.

Scheduling & Resource Planning

• Build effective team schedules.
• Ensure the kitchen is properly staffed.
• Plan ahead for busy periods, events, and operational needs.

Continuous Improvement & Performance

• Use operational data and KPIs to improve kitchen performance.
• Monitor trends in food cost, waste, labor productivity, and ticket times.
• Work with leadership to implement improvements that increase quality, efficiency, and profitability.
• Build a culture where every month is better than the last.

Cross-Functional Collaboration

Work closely with our Executive Chef (Head of Culinary & R&D), Front of House, Purchasing, Finance, Operations, and Leadership Team to deliver an exceptional guest experience every day.

We’re Looking For Someone Who…

• Leads by example.
• Loves developing people.
• Stays calm under pressure.
• Notices the small details that make a big difference.
• Naturally builds better systems.
• Takes ownership.
• Communicates clearly and respectfully.
• Believes consistency creates excellence.
• Thinks one step ahead.
• Continuously looks for opportunities to improve.
• Wants to build something bigger than themselves.

Experience

• 5–8 years working in professional kitchens.
• 3–5 years leading kitchen teams.
• Experience in high-volume hospitality or premium casual dining.
• Strong understanding of kitchen operations, inventory management, labor planning, and food cost.
• Experience developing SOPs, training teams, and improving operational performance.
• Strong knowledge of Indonesian and Nusantara cuisine, including traditional cooking techniques, regional ingredients, spices, and flavour profiles.
• Experience leading kitchens that prepare authentic Indonesian cuisine with consistency, efficiency, and high quality.

Additional Requirements

• You have a genuine appreciation for Indonesian and Nusantara cuisine and enjoy preserving its authenticity while delivering it with exceptional operational consistency.
• You are willing to live within a reasonable distance of the restaurant to support the operation and respond quickly whenever leadership is needed.

You’ll Thrive Here If…

• You enjoy coaching people as much as running service.
• You believe strong systems create strong teams.
• You naturally organize, improve, and simplify.
• You enjoy solving problems before they become bigger ones.
• You continuously look for ways to improve quality, speed, and efficiency.
• You take pride in building a kitchen where people love to work.
• You believe authentic Indonesian cuisine deserves world-class execution.

Why Join Us?

You’ll play a key role in building one of Bali’s fastest-growing and most talked-about restaurant brands.

Your work will directly influence:

• Guest satisfaction
• Food quality
• Kitchen culture
• Team development
• Operational efficiency
• Food cost performance
• Speed of service
• The future growth of PT Unicorn Food & Services

Most restaurants are looking for someone to manage today’s kitchen.

We’re looking for someone who wants to build tomorrow’s kitchen.

If you love leading people, building systems, developing future leaders, and creating operational excellence while celebrating the richness of Indonesian cuisine, we’d love to meet you.