Chief Steward

About the role

The First Group Hospitality, a Dubai-headquartered hotel management company, is hiring a Chief Steward in Abu Dhabi. The role oversees daily stewarding operations across kitchens, food and beverage outlets and back-of-house areas, leads and develops the stewarding team, and ensures cleanliness, hygiene and food safety standards.

Key responsibilities

• Oversee and manage daily stewarding operations across kitchens, F&B outlets and back-of-house areas.
• Lead, supervise and develop the stewarding team, prepare staff schedules and allocate duties.
• Keep kitchen equipment, utensils, crockery, cutlery, glassware and food prep areas clean, sanitised and maintained.
• Inspect regularly for compliance with food safety, hygiene, sanitation and HACCP standards.
• Monitor staff performance, attendance, grooming, productivity and adherence to policies.
• Train stewards on cleaning procedures, equipment handling, chemical use and workplace safety.
• Manage inventories of cleaning supplies, chemicals and equipment, and control breakages, losses and wastage.
• Coordinate stewarding for VIP functions, private events, banquets and special occasions.
• Work with the Executive Chef, F&B management and other departments, and ensure waste segregation, recycling and pest control.
• Report equipment defects, maintenance needs and safety hazards, and maintain records of cleaning schedules, inspections, inventories and reports.
• Support budgeting, purchasing and cost control, and comply with local food safety regulations and luxury hospitality standards.

Required profile

• Minimum 4-5 years of stewarding experience, preferably in luxury hotels, resorts, private members' clubs or high-end hospitality.
• At least 2 years in a supervisory or senior stewarding position with proven team leadership.
• Ability to coordinate stewarding for large-scale events and high-volume F&B operations.
• Flexible hours, including evenings, weekends and public holidays.

Required skills

• Knowledge of kitchen hygiene, sanitation, food safety regulations and HACCP standards.
• Experience managing stewarding operations, staff scheduling and resource allocation.
• Inventory management, breakage control, purchasing and cost optimisation.
• Leadership, communication, delegation and team-management skills.
• Basic computer literacy and experience preparing operational reports.