Head Chef

Were looking for a chef whos spent time in kitchens with Michelin or rosette recognition, and who now wants to bring that discipline to menus that are accessible but never compromise on quality. Someone who can walk into a site thats under pressure and steady it without taking over, and who gets real satisfaction from building up a team rather than just running one. Someone whos just as comfortable talking wage percentages and dish costs in a finance meeting as they are running a Saturday night pass.

This is a Multi-Sire Head Chef role focused on our Open House sites, The Lighterman and The Broadcaster, working closely with our Executive Chef to keep food standards high and consistent across both(Youll also flex out to support The Italian Greyhound and Boxcar as needed), so youll be trusted to read a room and know what kind of input it needs, whether thats picking up a knife, mentoring a team, picking apart a rota, or picking through some admin.

Our Head Chefs run their own kitchens as their own businesses, and this role is not about taking that over. Its about reading where each one needs support, whether thats coaching, developing a junior team, or getting stuck into service on a tough night. When a Head Chef is away, your job is to hold standards steady, not to reinvent how they run things.

Youll bring:

• Michelin or rosette-level training or experience, and the standards that come with it

• A genuine love of food, with a deep understanding of ingredients, flavour and technique, and the confidence to teach and inspire junior chefs by leading from the front

• Creative, but grounded, you develop dishes and systems a team can actually execute under pressure, not just ideas that work once in a test kitchen

• A track record in high-volume kitchens, events, and seasonal menu development

• Real commercial confidence: wage management, dish costing, GP, and supplier negotiation, and the ability to hold your own in a finance conversation, not just a kitchen one

• Comfort dipping in and out of established teams, quickly earning trust and getting the best out of people who dont report to you day to day

• A close working relationship with front of house, understanding that food is only half the job

• Confidence working near founders and owners, ideally with experience doing so

• A real way with people, someone who reads what a team needs, adapts to their strengths, lifts morale, and makes a kitchen a better place to work

A week in the life

No two weeks look the same, and thats the nature of the role. Expect a mix of full days embedded in one kitchen, running a section, coaching, training up a Sous Chef, and shorter site visits where youre checking standards and catching up with each Head Chef. Youll carve out time for the commercial side too, wages, dish costs, supplier pricing, and bring what you find into regular check-ins with the Executive Chef, not just flagging issues but talking through the calls together.

Evenings and weekends are part of the job, not the exception. This is hospitality, and the sites are often at their busiest exactly when everyone else is off, so youll be on the floor for events, high covers, and the moments that need an extra pair of hands or a steadying presence. Some weeks will be heavier on coaching and development, others heavier on being hands-on through a tough service, and reading which one a given week needs is a big part of the role.

Why work with us

Youll be part of a wider group of restaurants and bars, not just one site, with dining discounts that reflect that. Youll eat well on shift too, staff meals and refreshments are part of the job, not an afterthought.

This is a role with genuine reach. Youll work across kitchens, alongside an Executive Chef who wants to develop you, not just deploy you, and with founders who are close to the food and easy to reach.

Your holiday allowance grows with your time here too, an extra day a year up to a maximum of five, and youll get early access to your earned wages via Stream.

Technical ability can make you a great chef, but it doesnt make you a great leader. Were looking for someone who fits our culture, lifts the people around them, leads with a smile, creates a buzz in the kitchen and earns respect through actions, not ego.