Job Ref: VIR1809
Branch: Virgin Hotels Edinburgh
Location: Virgin Hotels Edinburgh
Salary/Benefits: Competitive Salary, plus TRONC great Virgin perks and benefits
Contract type: Permanent
Hours: Full Time
Hours per week: 40 hours per week
Posted date: 08/07/2026
Closing date: 19/08/2026
Your mission:
We are seeking an experienced and passionate Senior Sous Chef to join our vibrant Italian restaurant Eve, located within Virgin Hotels Edinburgh. This is an exciting opportunity for a talented chef who not only excels at creating exceptional Italian cuisine but also enjoys engaging with guests through interactive culinary experiences. Working alongside the Head Chef, you will help lead the kitchen team, maintain exceptional food standards, and become a key ambassador for our restaurant by hosting memorable masterclasses for hotel guests and visitors.
As Senior Sous Chef, you will play a pivotal role in the day-to-day management of the kitchen, ensuring the delivery of authentic Italian dishes that showcase quality ingredients, traditional techniques, and contemporary presentation.
The Details:
What exactly you will be doing…
Training Development
- Lead, coach and develop a high-performing team through consistent training, mentoring and performance management, fostering a culture of continuous learning and excellence.
Communication
- Act as the key link between the kitchen, hotel operations and front-of-house teams, ensuring clear and consistent communication. Manage guest requests, service recovery and operational updates while setting clear expectations for the team each shift.
Leadership
- Provide clear direction and motivation to the team, ensuring standards, service quality and operational excellence are consistently delivered. Lead by example and cultivate a positive, accountable working environment.
Organisation Time Management
- Effectively balance guest needs, team development and business objectives. Adapt quickly to changing business demands while maintaining service standards and operational efficiency.
Operational Management
- Support the Head Chef and Kitchen Manager and Sous Chef in the day-to-day management of the culinary operation, ensuring the outlets, In room dining and events operate in line with company standards, budgets and procedures.
- Take responsibility for departmental leadership in the absence of the Head Chef.
Financial Stock Control
- Support the Kitchen Manager to manage labour costs, scheduling, inventory, food costs, waste control and equipment maintenance to maximise profitability and operational efficiency.
Kitchen Excellence
- Ensure the highest standards of food quality, consistency, recipe compliance, hygiene and presentation across all outlets, including events, in room dining, Eve restaurant and banqueting when required.
- Support the maintenance of accurate recipes, specifications and ordering processes to support smooth kitchen operations.
Training Compliance
- Deliver practical and formal training to all kitchen team members, ensuring compliance with food safety, hygiene, health and safety, and equipment operating procedures.
- Help identify development opportunities and support individual career progression through coaching and regular performance feedback.
Collaboration
- Build strong relationships across all hotel departments, communicating effectively regarding VIP guests, reservations, business levels and operational requirements to deliver a seamless guest experience.
People Management
- Support recruitment, onboarding, performance management and disciplinary processes in partnership with the People Team.
- Promote colleague engagement, accountability, wellbeing and professional growth.
Who we are:
We love what we do and what we do is important! We believe that everyone should leave feeling better – this means not just our guests and owners, but also our teammates. Everyone should go home feeling better because they learned something new or had fun working that day. Therefore, we hire unique individuals who work together to create amazing experiences for our guests. We recognise that every member of the team contributes to the success of the whole organisation. No one is more important than anyone else, and unless we work together, we can’t create that special experience for our guests.
Why work with Virgin Hotels:
- Competitive salary, based on experience
- 28 days paid holiday per year, inclusive of public holidays, with an additional day for each year’s service up to 31 days
- Additional day off for your birthday
- 4x your salary in Life assurance
- Teammate discount on Food Beverage
- Employee Assistance Program, including counselling and legal advice
- Access to the on-site gym
- Free meal when you are on duty
- Learning Development opportunities, including WSET and more
- Lots of teammate events and socials throughout the year
- Access to Virgin Family, which contains various Virgin group discounts and treats!
- Joining a great team being part of Virgin Hotels worldwide!
What qualities and experience are we looking for?
Hands-on experience preparing authentic Italian cuisine, with a strong understanding of traditional and modern Italian cooking techniques.
Enthusiastic, passionate, able to enthuse and motivate others.
- Proven experience leading, coaching and developing kitchen teams in a fast-paced, high-volume operation.
- Strong understanding of food safety, HACCP and health hygiene regulations.
- Experience managing stock control, ordering, food costs and kitchen budgets.
- Demonstrated ability to maintain high culinary standards whilst delivering excellent guest experiences.
- Ability to perform well under pressure and adapt to changing business demands.
- Commercial awareness with a good understanding of food cost control, labour management and profitability.
- Effective problem-solving and decision-making skills.
- High attention to detail and commitment to quality.
Ability to train, mentor and inspire team members at all levels.
Positive, proactive and hands-on leadership style.
Background must-have:
Current, legal and unrestricted ability to work in the United Kingdom.
Proven experience as a Sous Chef in a high-volume, quality-driven kitchen.
Minimum of 2 years' experience working in hotels within a professional kitchen environment.
We believe that our team should be reflective of the world. We welcome all, regardless of race, ethnicity, country of origin, sexual orientation, gender, disability, spiritual beliefs or any other component of identity. Virgin Hotels celebrates diversity and welcomes teammates from all backgrounds.? We are proud to be an inclusive and Equal Opportunity Employer.
REDEFINING LUXURY HOTELS IN EDINBURGH
DISCOVER YOUR PLACE IN THE CITY
Think you know what Scottish luxury looks like? Think again. Situated in the historic India Buildings, Virgin Hotels Edinburgh is reimagining the Old Town, marrying its iconic Victorian architecture with distinctive, contemporary design. Inside the hotel, you’ll experience a world that revolves around you – from our signature chamber design to numerous drinking, dining and entertainment options that you’ll never want to leave. When you do venture out, you’ll find Edinburgh’s top attractions in walking distance. Fancy a stroll around Edinburgh Castle? Easy – it’s only 4 minutes away. Want to snap Victoria Street for your Insta? No sweat, it’s on your doorstep. Buckle up, we put you so close to history it’s basically time travel.
