Head of Operations - Restaurants & Catering

About the role

A multi-group restaurant and catering business in Nairobi is looking for a Head of Operations to lead operational excellence across its restaurant branches and catering production facilities. The role covers day-to-day performance, operational and financial controls, guest and client experience, management development and preparation for sustainable growth, with regular travel between sites and client or event locations.

Key responsibilities

• Set the operating rhythm: daily flash reports on branch performance, catering sales and events, labour metrics and cash variances; weekly operational reviews with General Managers, chefs and catering leads; monthly P&L reviews with Finance; quarterly business reviews and resource planning.
• Develop and enforce SOPs for restaurants (kitchen output, service, bar, cashiering, storage, cleaning, security, guest recovery) and catering (event planning, production scheduling, food transport, equipment, setup and on-site service).
• Control costs: manage prime costs (food and beverage COGS, labour, waste, purchasing, inventory), support menu engineering, track catering event costs and strengthen waste tracking and inventory turnover.
• Oversee procurement of food, beverage, packaging and equipment, monitor supplier quality, pricing, delivery and credit terms, and coordinate stock movement and catering deliveries.
• Maintain food safety, hygiene, allergen management and incident reporting, and ensure compliance with licensing, public health and workplace safety regulations, keeping teams ready for inspections and audits.
• Coach General Managers, chefs and catering leaders, lead performance reviews, succession planning, training, onboarding and roster planning, and apply fair performance and disciplinary processes.
• Support new openings, renovations and menu launches, identify cross-brand improvements, and report branch and group performance, costs, staffing, compliance, risks and growth readiness to the board and founders.

Required profile

• Experienced multi-site operator who has led operations across restaurant branches and catering or food-production teams.
• Able to design and implement practical SOPs across multiple locations.
• Comfortable with P&Ls, margins, inventory variances, cost controls and labour productivity.
• Visible and hands-on, from the restaurant floor and kitchen to catering setups and planning meetings.
• Calm under pressure, firm but fair, direct and discreet, able to challenge the founder constructively.