Head Chef, Premium Rooftop Dining, Melbourne

Client Profile

Our client is a leading hospitality operator recognised for delivering premium dining experiences in some of Melbourne's most sought-after venues. Renowned for exceptional food, service and atmosphere, the business continues to invest in innovation and growth, creating memorable guest experiences while offering outstanding career opportunities for hospitality professionals.

Job Description

Reporting to senior operational leadership, the Head Chef will take ownership of the kitchen, leading a high-performing brigade while maintaining exceptional culinary standards, operational efficiency and commercial performance. This role will also play a key part in the launch of an exciting new dining space within the existing venue, scheduled to open in March 2027. You will oversee menu development, recruit and develop the kitchen team, and ensure a seamless launch while continuing to deliver exceptional service in a premium, high-volume environment.

Key responsibilities include:

• Leading, mentoring and developing the kitchen brigade.
• Developing and launching the menu for the new dining space.
• Recruiting, onboarding and training the kitchen team ahead of the launch.
• Managing food cost, labour budgets and kitchen profitability.
• Maintaining exceptional food quality, presentation and consistency.
• Ensuring compliance with food safety and workplace health standards.
• Leading service in a hands-on capacity, with approximately 80% of your time spent in the kitchen and 20% focused on administration and planning.

Candidate Profile

You are an experienced Head Chef with a proven background leading premium, high-volume kitchens. You enjoy building high-performing teams, thrive in service and are excited by the opportunity to help deliver a significant new chapter within an already successful hospitality operation.

You will bring:

• Previous Head Chef experience within premium restaurants, hotels or hospitality groups.
• Experience developing menus and leading successful menu launches.
• Proven ability to recruit, mentor and develop high-performing teams.
• Strong commercial acumen with sound financial management skills.
• A hands-on leadership style with a passion for quality and consistency.
• Excellent organisational and communication skills.

Offer

This is a rare opportunity to shape the culinary direction of an established premium venue while leading the launch of an exciting new dining experience. You will join a respected hospitality business that values creativity, collaboration and operational excellence, with a competitive salary package commensurate with experience.

To learn more about this role, submit your CV or contact Lee via [email protected] for a confidential discussion.

By applying to this role, you are agreeing to the terms set out in Hastings People's privacy policy available at the Hastings People website.