Chief Steward

Job Summary

• The Chief Steward is responsible for planning, organizing, supervising, and managing all stewarding operations within the hotel to ensure the highest standards of cleanliness, sanitation, hygiene, and operational support for all food and beverage outlets.
• The role oversees the cleaning, storage, maintenance, and distribution of kitchen equipment, crockery, cutlery, glassware, cookware, buffet equipment, and other food service assets while ensuring compliance with food safety regulations, HACCP standards, occupational health and safety requirements, and luxury hospitality standards.
• The Chief Steward is responsible for leading the stewarding team, maintaining hygienic food production and service environments, managing stewarding inventories, minimizing breakages and losses, controlling operational costs, coordinating waste management, and supporting the Executive Chef and Food & Beverage Department in delivering seamless operations across restaurants, bars, lounges, room service, banquet facilities, conference venues, executive lounges, and outdoor catering operations.

Key Responsibitlies
Stewarding Operations Management:

• Plan, organize, supervise, and coordinate all stewarding activities across the hotel.
• Ensure uninterrupted cleaning, sanitation, and supply of operational equipment to all kitchen and food & beverage outlets.
• Supervise the cleaning and sanitization of kitchen utensils, cookware, crockery, cutlery, glassware, buffet equipment, and service utensils.
• Ensure all stewarding operations comply with hotel Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs).
• Develop daily operational schedules and cleaning programmes.
• Ensure all stewarding areas remain clean, organized, and operational throughout the day.
• Maintain operational readiness for restaurants, banquets, conferences, weddings, and special events.

Cleaning, Sanitation & Hygiene Management:

• Maintain the highest standards of cleanliness and sanitation throughout all kitchen and food service areas.
• Ensure compliance with HACCP principles, food safety regulations, sanitation standards, and environmental health requirements.
• Supervise cleaning schedules for kitchens, food preparation areas, storage rooms, dishwashing areas, garbage rooms, and loading bays.
• Ensure proper cleaning and sanitization of food contact surfaces and equipment.
• Monitor chemical usage and ensure proper dilution, handling, and storage of cleaning chemicals.
• Conduct routine hygiene inspections and implement corrective actions where necessary.
• Ensure compliance with pest control programmes in collaboration with approved service providers.

Equipment, Utensil & Asset Management:

• Oversee the cleaning, storage, maintenance, and distribution of kitchen equipment and food service assets.
• Maintain inventory of crockery, cutlery, glassware, silverware, chinaware, cookware, buffet equipment, chafing dishes, trays, and kitchen utensils.
• Monitor equipment usage to prevent unnecessary breakages and losses.
• Conduct regular inspections of stewarding equipment and storage areas.
• Coordinate repairs or replacement of damaged equipment with the Engineering Department.
• Ensure all equipment is safely stored and readily available for operational use.
• Maintain accountability for all stewarding assets.

Inventory Management & Cost Control:

• Maintain accurate inventory records for stewarding equipment, chemicals, cleaning materials, and operational supplies.
• Monitor usage of cleaning chemicals, consumables, and operational materials to prevent waste.
• Participate in daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly, and annual inventory counts.
• Investigate inventory variances, losses, breakages, and shortages.
• Ensure efficient utilization of operational resources.
• Prepare requisitions for stewarding supplies and equipment.
• Recommend cost-saving initiatives while maintaining service quality.
• Monitor departmental expenses against approved budgets.

Waste Management & Environmental Sustainability:

• Develop and implement effective waste management procedures.
• Supervise waste segregation, recycling, and environmentally responsible disposal practices.
• Ensure garbage collection points remain clean and hygienic.
• Coordinate waste disposal with approved service providers.
• Minimize food waste through proper handling and disposal procedures.
• Promote environmentally sustainable stewarding practices.
• Ensure compliance with environmental health regulations.

Team Leadership & Staff Development:

• Recruit, train, supervise, coach, and motivate stewarding employees.
• Prepare duty rosters, work schedules, and shift assignments.
• Conduct daily briefings and operational meetings.
• Monitor employee attendance, punctuality, grooming, discipline, and productivity.
• Conduct performance evaluations and recommend promotions, training, and disciplinary actions.
• Develop succession plans for supervisory roles.
• Foster teamwork, professionalism, accountability, and continuous improvement.

Support to Kitchen & Food & Beverage Operations:

• Ensure continuous availability of clean equipment for kitchen production and food service.
• Coordinate with the Executive Chef to support food production schedules.
• Support banquet and conference operations by ensuring timely availability of equipment.
• Coordinate setup and breakdown of banquet equipment.
• Assist Food & Beverage outlets with operational equipment requirements.
• Respond promptly to urgent operational requests from departments.

Health, Safety & Regulatory Compliance:

• Ensure compliance with occupational health and safety regulations.
• Conduct routine safety inspections of stewarding areas.
• Ensure proper use of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE).
• Monitor safe operation of dishwashing machines and cleaning equipment.
• Investigate accidents and incidents involving stewarding staff.
• Maintain emergency response procedures for stewarding operations.
• Ensure compliance with local regulatory requirements.

Coordination with Other Departments:

• Work closely with the Executive Chef on kitchen sanitation and operational support.
• Coordinate with the Director of Food & Beverage regarding operational requirements.
• Liaise with Housekeeping on cleaning standards and sanitation programmes.
• Coordinate with Engineering regarding maintenance of stewarding equipment.
• Work with Procurement and Stores to ensure uninterrupted supply of cleaning materials and operational equipment.
• Collaborate with Security regarding asset protection and loss prevention.
• Support Conference & Banquet Service operations during major events.

Reporting & Administration:

• Prepare daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly, and annual stewarding reports.
• Maintain cleaning schedules, sanitation logs, equipment inventories, chemical usage records, and maintenance reports.
• Monitor departmental Key Performance Indicators (KPIs).
• Report operational challenges, inventory shortages, and maintenance issues promptly.
• Maintain complete documentation for audits and regulatory inspections.

Compliance & Continuous Improvement:

• Ensure compliance with hotel policies, SOPs, HACCP standards, food safety regulations, and statutory requirements.
• Participate in internal and external audits.
• Review stewarding procedures and recommend operational improvements.
• Introduce innovative cleaning technologies and best practices.
• Promote efficient resource utilization and environmental sustainability.
• Drive continuous improvement in hygiene standards, operational efficiency, and service support.

Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)

• Hygiene and sanitation inspection score.
• HACCP compliance score.
• Internal and external audit results.
• Equipment availability rate.
• Breakage and loss percentage.
• Inventory accuracy.
• Stewarding supply cost variance.
• Waste management efficiency.
• Timeliness of equipment turnaround.
• Kitchen and Food & Beverage department satisfaction ratings.
• Staff productivity.
• Employee attendance and punctuality.
• Training completion rate.
• Workplace accident frequency.
• Compliance with cleaning schedules.

Qualifications & Experience
Education:

• Bachelor's Degree or Higher National Diploma (HND) in Hospitality Management, Hotel Management, Food & Beverage Management, Environmental Health, or a related discipline.
• Diploma holders with substantial stewarding management experience may also be considered.

Experience:

• Minimum of 5–7 years of progressive experience in stewarding operations within reputable hotels or hospitality establishments.
• At least 3 years in a supervisory or managerial stewarding position.
• Experience in a superior luxury hotel or internationally branded hospitality establishment is highly preferred.
• Proven experience managing stewarding operations for restaurants, banquets, conferences, and large-scale events.

Professional Certifications (Preferred):

• HACCP Certification.
• Food Safety Level 3 Certification.
• Occupational Health & Safety Certification.
• Environmental Health Certification.
• First Aid and Fire Safety Certification.

Skills & Competencies:

• Stewarding Operations Management.
• Sanitation and Hygiene Management.
• HACCP and Food Safety Compliance.
• Inventory and Asset Management.
• Cost Control and Budget Management.
• Waste Management.
• Leadership and Team Development.
• Occupational Health & Safety.
• Communication and Interpersonal Skills.
• Planning and Organizational Skills.
• Problem Solving and Decision-Making.
• Report Writing.
• Microsoft Office Suite.
• Hospitality Operations Management.

Application Closing Date
30th August, 2026.

Method of Application
Interested and qualified candidates should forward their CV to: using "Chief Steward_Aba" as the subject of the email.

Note

• Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.
• Applicants must be available for a physical interview in Aba, also must be residing or have accomodation in Aba.

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