Sous Chef

Our client, a leading international aviation catering organisation, is seeking an experienced Japanese Sous Chef to lead culinary production and specialist menu development for airline customers. This is a hands-on leadership role combining Japanese culinary expertise, menu development, customer engagement and operational management. Key areas of focus:

• Lead daily kitchen operations and high-volume food production
• Develop and deliver authentic Japanese and specialist menus
• Create recipes and support menu tastings, presentations, wet runs and launches
• Present menus and culinary concepts to customers in fluent spoken and written Japanese
• Lead, train and develop culinary teams
• Ensure exceptional standards across quality, food safety, HACCP and presentation
• Drive efficiency, consistency and continuous improvement
• Manage operational challenges, resources and food production requirements The successful candidate will have 7+ years' professional chef experience, including 3 - 5 years at Sous Chef or Head Chef level, with strong Japanese culinary expertise. Experience in airline catering, 5-star hospitality or high-volume food production would be highly advantageous. Fluent spoken and written Japanese is essential, as the role involves customer-facing menu presentations and engagement. This is a full-time role based in Colindale, with occasional travel for customer engagements, menu changes and launches. This role has an exciting package on offer. If you have the culinary expertise, leadership experience and Japanese language skills required, apply today! Oliver Sanderson is an award-winning executive search firm recognised for path-breaking contributions to ED&I and digital recruitment innovation by the House of Lords, Global Recruiter, APSCo, the Recruiter Awards, and in the 2022 Platinum Jubilee Album for a "transformational contribution" to UK business. We specialise in finding talent at board and senior leadership level for FTSE 100, FTSE 350, Fortune 500, and PE-backed businesses.