Head Pizza Chef – Posto Semplice, Howick

Head Pizza Chef – Posto Semplice, Howick

Semplice Limited · Permanent, full-time · Howick and St Heliers, Auckland

$77,000 per year · Guaranteed 35 hours per week (equivalent to $42.31 per hour), worked across a seven-day roster: evening service at Posto Semplice in Howick (typically Wednesday or Thursday to Sunday) plus two to three daytime production shifts at the Semplice bakery in St Heliers.

ABOUT THE ROLE

Posto Semplice is a small Italian café and Neapolitan wood-fired pizzeria in Howick, open for dinner five nights a week. It is part of Semplice Limited, whose bakery in St Heliers produces the bread, cornetti and pastries sold at both venues and supplies a growing wholesale range to other cafés. We are now adding focaccia and pizza al taglio to that wholesale range, and we are looking for one person to lead all of it.

As Head Pizza Chef you will lead the pizzeria kitchen at Posto and own pizza and focaccia production across both sites: the dough programme, the recipes, the production schedule, the quality, the ordering and the training of the people who make it. You will report directly to the owner, run the Posto kitchen on service nights (on your own on quieter nights, with a junior chef or kitchen hand alongside you on busy ones) and work with the Bakery Operations Manager and the bakers at St Heliers during the day.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

Dough and production: own the dough programme for both sites (pre-ferments, long cold fermentation, high-hydration doughs), set the daily and weekly production schedule, and mix, bulk-ferment, ball and prove pizza dough for Posto and focaccia and pizza al taglio dough for the bakery cabinet and wholesale orders. Scale recipes to volume while holding the quality of a single tray.

Service: lead evening service at Posto Semplice, running the wood-fired oven and the pass, solo on quieter nights and with a junior chef or kitchen hand on busy ones. Manage the order flow with front of house and delivery platforms, and set the standard for speed, consistency and presentation. Manage the oven and wood supply.

Menu and product development: develop and refine the pizza menu, specials and seasonal items, and the focaccia and pizza al taglio range for the bakery and wholesale customers, in consultation with the owner. Cost every item, maintain recipe cards and specifications, and keep food cost within the agreed target.

Purchasing and stock control: order flour, cheese, cured meats, tomatoes and all pizzeria ingredients, manage supplier relationships, maintain par levels, carry out stock counts, check deliveries against invoices, control waste and keep purchasing within budget across both sites.

Stock movement between sites: transport dough, product and stock between the St Heliers bakery and Posto in Howick on production days, keeping the cold chain and delivery records in order.

People: recruit, induct, train and supervise pizza chefs, junior chefs and kitchen hands at Posto, and train bakers at St Heliers in focaccia and pizza al taglio production. Build the kitchen roster within the agreed labour budget, manage timesheets and leave in the rostering and payroll systems, and run short regular training sessions on dough handling and oven work.

Wholesale production: plan daily production against confirmed wholesale and venue orders, pack and label product for dispatch to Posto and to wholesale customers, and keep production records.

Compliance and equipment: operate both kitchens in line with their registered Food Control Plans, including temperature records, allergen management and cleaning schedules; maintain health and safety standards in the kitchen, including safe manual handling of dough and flour; and look after the wood-fired oven, mixers and production equipment, arranging servicing when needed.

Reporting: give the owner a short weekly report covering production volumes, wastage, food cost and staffing, and attend a weekly operations catch-up.

WHAT WE'RE LOOKING FOR

Essential: at least two years' professional experience making Neapolitan-style pizza, meaning high-hydration, long-fermented dough baked in a wood-fired or high-temperature oven. Experience limited to other pizza styles (thin-crust, pan, American or conventional pizzeria dough) is not enough on its own: a practical dough and oven trial is part of the selection process.

At least three years' professional experience as a chef overall. Strong dough skills: pre-ferments (biga or poolish), long cold fermentation and high-hydration doughs, with bakery production experience (bread, sourdough, focaccia or pizza al taglio) at volume. Experience leading a section or a small kitchen team and training junior staff. Experience with ordering, stock control and working to food-cost and wastage targets. Food safety training relevant to a registered Food Control Plan, or willingness to complete it on starting. Able to transport stock between St Heliers and Howick on production days; a current driver licence and your own vehicle are preferred. Fluent English. Available for evening and weekend service and for early daytime production shifts. Calm under pressure, exacting about quality and happy to teach others what you know.

HOW TO APPLY

Apply through this listing with your CV and a short note about the pizza you make, the doughs you work with and the ovens you have worked on. Please answer the application questions about your current right to work in New Zealand.

Pay: $77,000.00 per year

Application Question(s):

• Are you a NZ resident or citizen? If not, what is your visa status? (applications without replies to this question will be disregarded)
• How many years' experience do you have making Neapolitan-style pizza in a wood-fired or high-temperature oven, and where?

Work Location: In person