Head Chef

We're opening a brand-new client site with a fully equipped, brand-new kitchen, and we're looking for a Head Chef to shape it from day one. You'll lead the pre-opening phase: setting up the kitchen, developing the menus, and building your own team.

Start date: December 2026

Salary: Starting €3,200 gross per month (average €2,100 net monthly)

Recruitment process: Interviews with HR, the Regional Lead and our culinary team, followed by a culinary tasting

Your role

As the culinary lead of the site, you take full ownership of the kitchen: food quality, menus, food safety, food cost and team performance.

You'll directly manage the Sous Chef, your deputy, who runs day-to-day execution. Through them, you'll lead a team of Cooks, Assistant Cooks and cleaning staff.

Reporting to the Site Manager and following the Regional Chef's culinary guidelines, you'll make sure the kitchen consistently delivers high-quality meals that meet client expectations, company standards and budget targets.

Leadership, Team Management and Sous Chef Supervision:

• Directly manage the Sous Chef: set clear objectives, define the scope of delegated responsibilities, review performance, and provide regular coaching so that the Sous Chef can run the kitchen independently in the Head Chef’s absence.
• Define the kitchen organisation (roles, stations, and task allocation for Cooks, Assistant Cooks, and cleaning staff) and adjust it to service volumes and client needs.
• Validate team schedules, overtime, attendance records, and payroll inputs prepared by the Sous Chef before they are submitted to the Site Manager and HR, keeping labour costs within budget.
• Lead recruitment for the kitchen team together with the Site Manager and HR, including interviews, trade tests, and the onboarding of new hires.
• Conduct annual performance reviews for the Sous Chef and kitchen staff, identify training needs, and build individual development plans.
• Address performance or behavioural issues promptly and fairly, in coordination with the Site Manager and HR.

Menu Strategy and Culinary Standards:

• Own the site’s menu offer: design menu cycles and seasonal menus with the support of the Sous Chef, in line with client expectations, the contracted offer, the Regional Chef’s guidelines, and budget targets.
• Hold final approval on all menus, recipes, and new dishes before they are served.
• Create and maintain standardised recipe sheets (ingredients, quantities, portion sizes, method, allergens, and plating photos) so that every dish can be reproduced consistently by any member of the team.
• Ensure that dietary requirements and allergens are managed and communicated in line with applicable regulations.
• Organise tastings with the team and, where relevant, with the client before introducing new dishes.

Quality Control and Service Standards:

• Be present in the kitchen during key service periods and check taste, temperature, portioning, and presentation at the pass.
• Carry out regular quality audits of dishes and service, and define corrective actions with the Sous Chef when standards are not met.
• Collect and analyse client and guest feedback (surveys, complaints, direct exchanges) and translate it into concrete menu or process improvements.

Client Relationship and Events:

• Act as the culinary point of contact for the client, in coordination with the Site Manager: present menus, take part in client meetings, and handle culinary requests.
• Handle escalated food-related complaints and ensure that corrective actions are implemented and followed up.
• Plan and supervise special events, internal catering, and client-specific requests, from menu proposal and costing to execution, delegating preparation to the Sous Chef as needed.

Hygiene, HACCP and Food Safety:

• Hold overall responsibility for the site’s HACCP plan and its correct implementation.
• Verify that daily HACCP documentation completed by the Sous Chef and the team (checklists, temperature records, cleaning schedules, traceability) is accurate and up to date.
• Prepare the kitchen for internal audits and health inspections, and lead the implementation of corrective actions with the support of the Regional Food Safety Manager.
• Ensure that all team members receive food safety and hygiene training and that the certifications required by local regulations are up to date.

Food Cost, Purchasing and Budget:

• Set food cost targets per menu and per dish in line with the site budget, and track actual versus target food cost every month.
• Review the orders, inventories, and food cost figures managed by the Sous Chef, and act on any deviation (menu engineering, portion control, supplier changes, waste reduction).
• Take part in supplier selection and evaluation in coordination with the Regional Procurement Manager.
• Validate monthly stock counts and contribute to the preparation of the kitchen’s annual budget with the Site Manager.

Requirements

• Fluency in english
• Willingness to travel abroad for training purposes
• Minimum 5 years of experience in a professional kitchen, including at least 2 years as Head Chef or Sous Chef, ideally in corporate or contract catering