Head Chef - Busy Hotel & Events Operation

Reading, Berkshire | £40,000-£45,000 + Benefits

A fantastic opportunity has arisen for an experienced Head Chef to take the lead in the kitchen of a busy and well-established hotel in the Reading area.

This is a varied and commercially focused operation, combining simple hotel dining, conferences, corporate events, weddings and private functions. We are looking for a confident Head Chef who enjoys leading from the front, developing people and delivering consistently across a busy kitchen.

This is an excellent opportunity for a Head Chef who wants to join a well-established operation and make a genuine impact on both the food offering and the kitchen team.

The Role

You will take overall responsibility for the day-to-day kitchen operation, ensuring that food quality, consistency, presentation and service standards are all on point whilst maintaining and health, safe and positive working culture.

Key responsibilities will include:

• Leading, motivating and developing the kitchen brigade
• Taking ownership of the hotel's food offering across restaurant, banqueting, conferences and events
• Managing weddings, private functions and events
• Creating and maintaining menus that are commercially viable and reflect current food trends
• Ensuring consistently high standards of food quality, presentation and hygiene
• Managing food GP, purchasing, stock control and waste
• Working closely with the wider management team to maximise the commercial performance of the F&B operation
• Recruiting, training and developing chefs at all levels
• Managing rotas and labour costs in line with business levels
• Ensuring full compliance with food safety, HACCP and health & safety requirements
• Building strong relationships with suppliers and maintaining excellent product standards
• Being a visible, hands-on leader within the kitchen

About You

We are looking for an established Head Chef or an experienced Senior Sous Chef ready to take the next step, ideally with a background in a busy hotel, conference, events or high-volume hospitality environment.

You will be:

• A passionate chef who takes genuine pride in the food you produce
• An experienced and confident kitchen leader
• Comfortable managing both restaurant and high-volume banqueting operations
• Commercially aware, with a good understanding of GP, labour and stock control
• Highly organised and able to remain calm under pressure
• Passionate about developing and retaining a strong kitchen brigade
• Hands-on and happy to lead by example
• Creative enough to develop the offering, whilst understanding the importance of consistency and commerciality
• A strong communicator who works well with other departments

The Package

• £40,000-£45,000 basic salary, depending on experience
• Excellent company benefits
• Career development opportunities
• Staff benefits and discounts
• Supportive management environment
• The opportunity to take ownership of a varied and busy kitchen operation

This is a great opportunity for a people-focused, commercially minded Chef who enjoys the variety that comes with hotel, conference, wedding and events catering.

Interested? Apply in confidence for further information.