Head Chef

We are currently seeking for passionate and dynamic Kitchen professionals who pride themselves on their ability to deliver extraordinary levels of customer service and provide creative solutions to our guests.

As Head Chef, you are responsible for the overall leadership, creative direction and day-to-day management of the hotel's culinary operation, ensuring consistent food quality, operational efficiency, commercial performance and guest satisfaction across all food production areas.

The role has a particular focus on Distrikt Social, taking full ownership of its culinary identity, menu development, food quality and ongoing creative direction, while simultaneously leading the hotel's wider culinary operation, including Breakfast, In-Room Dining, Meetings & Events and other hotel food production.

Reporting directly to the Hotel Manager, the Head Chef is the hotel's senior culinary leader and is accountable for balancing creative restaurant development with strong operational and commercial discipline.

General Duties and Responsibilities

Distrikt Social – Culinary & Creative Leadership

• Take full culinary ownership of Distrikt Social, ensuring consistent execution and continued development of its concept and food identity across the restaurant & bar as well as the grab & go areas.
• Lead the creative direction and evolution of the menu, including new dishes, seasonal changes, menu engineering and relevant culinary experiences.
• Ensure all dishes consistently meet established standards for taste, presentation, portion and value.
• Maintain comprehensive recipes, presentation standards, portion specifications and food costing.
• Regularly review market trends and the competitive landscape to ensure the venue remains relevant, distinctive and commercially competitive.
• Work closely with the Food & Beverage Manager on the promotional calendar, special events, activations and other initiatives designed to drive the venue.
• Contribute directly to increasing covers, average spend, revenue and profitability through the continued development of the culinary proposition.
• Maintain a visible presence during key service periods and actively use guest feedback and operational observations to improve the offering.  

Hotel Culinary Operations

• Take overall responsibility for the day-to-day culinary operation across Breakfast, In-Room Dining, Meetings & Events and other hotel food production.
• Ensure consistent food quality, presentation and operational standards across all culinary areas.
• Lead food production planning, staffing, purchasing and operational requirements according to forecasted business levels.
• Ensure breakfast consistently meets established brand, quality and guest satisfaction standards.
• Ensure In-Room Dining food production is delivered consistently, efficiently and according to established recipes and presentation standards.
• Lead culinary planning and execution for Meetings & Events, ensuring menus, production, timing and quality are aligned with event requirements.
• Ensure effective coordination and prioritisation between Distrikt Social and the hotel's other culinary operations, particularly where production facilities and resources are shared.
• Continuously identify opportunities to improve kitchen efficiency, productivity, food quality and guest satisfaction. 

Commercial & Financial Performance

• Take accountability for culinary-related financial performance and contribute to the achievement of the hotel's F&B revenue and profitability objectives through the continuous development of the food proposition.
• Control food cost through effective purchasing, portion control, inventory management, menu engineering and waste reduction.
• Review food cost, productivity and operational performance regularly and implement corrective actions where required.
• Manage culinary labour deployment and productivity according to business levels.
• Work with the General Manager and Food & Beverage team on menu pricing, product development and commercial opportunities.
• Ensure creative decisions are supported by sound commercial rationale and appropriate cost structures. 

Quality, Food Safety & Operational Standards

• Maintain the highest standards of hygiene and food safety through strict adherence to the Food Safety Management System, local regulations and hotel policies.
• Ensure appropriate standards of food preparation, storage, production and service across all kitchen areas.
• Maintain appropriate kitchen cleanliness, equipment maintenance and safe working practices.
• Ensure the culinary operation complies with all environmental, health and safety policies and procedures. 

People Leadership

• Lead, coach and develop the culinary team, establishing clear responsibilities and accountability across Distrikt Social and hotel operations.
• Build a strong kitchen leadership structure capable of supporting the different operational requirements of the hotel.
• Conduct regular kitchen briefings and ensure effective communication of business levels, events, guest requirements and operational priorities.
• Manage culinary scheduling and deployment to ensure appropriate coverage across Distrikt Social, Breakfast, In-Room Dining and Meetings & Events.
• Identify training and development requirements and actively build the technical and leadership capabilities of the culinary team.
• Foster effective collaboration between Kitchen, Food & Beverage Service, Purchasing, Engineering and other hotel departments. 

Key Role Expectation

The Head Chef is the senior culinary leader of the hotel and carries two complementary areas of accountability:

• Distrikt Social — act as the culinary owner of the venue, leading its creative direction and continuously developing its food identity, quality, market relevance and commercial performance.
• Hotel Culinary Operations — lead the operational delivery of Breakfast, In-Room Dining, Meetings & Events and all other hotel food production, ensuring consistent standards, efficiency and financial discipline.

Success in this position requires a chef who combines the creativity and commercial mindset of an independent restaurant Head Chef with the operational leadership capability required to manage a full-service hotel kitchen.

Education, Qualifications & Experiences

You should have a professional kitchen apprenticeship or chefs training course and at least five years experiences in quality establishments with a pastry, bakery, butchery, a la carte, banquet and buffet styles. The ability to communicate well in English and a proven track of food preparation, presentation and preservation knowledge is an essential.

Knowledge & Competencies

The ideal candidate will be flexible and well organized with good managerial skills in order to be able to work with different levels in a multicultural workforce. Highly developed training and leadership skills, along with the ability to build a strong team are essential. You will have an eye for detail and be pro-active. You are positively spirited and passionate about food, customer driven with a hands on approach and possess following additional competencies:

Understanding the Business
Teambuilding
Planning for Business
Leading People
Valuing Diversity
Managing Operations
Customer Focus
Adaptability
Influencing Outcomes
Drive for Results