Kynd at Hampton Manor, Solihull | Full-time | 4-day week | From £40,000 including tips | Award-Winning Restaurant
Kynd is looking for a sous chef who leads as well as they cook.
Set within the walled garden at Hampton Manor, Kynd is a 40–50 cover à la carte restaurant recently named one of the UK's top restaurants by Condé Nast Traveller. We sit alongside our sister restaurant Grace & Savour (Michelin star, 4 AA Rosettes), under Chef Director David Taylor, and we share the same ethos: British produce sourced direct from the farmers who grow it — much of it from the walled garden we cook in — taken at its absolute peak and celebrated in flavour-filled dishes.
This is a kitchen for people who want to cook — over fire, in a wood-fired oven, handmade pasta, fermentation — with regular dish projects and genuine involvement in menu development.
The role
You'll be the right hand to our Head Chef, Alex Hardy. This is a leadership role as much as it is a chef role cooking on the stove — and it's the role for someone preparing to run their own kitchen one day. You'll be developed with that in mind.
You'll help run the kitchen day to day, keep standards where they belong and play a central part in developing both the Kynd experience and the people delivering it.
What that looks like in practice:
- Supporting Alex in leading, coaching and developing the kitchen team
- Running service with confidence and calm under pressure
- Maintaining and improving kitchen routines, prep systems and standards
- Contributing to dish development and seasonal menu changes
- Championing our farm-first sourcing and helping the team understand the "why" behind it
Who we're looking for
- A genuine leader: experience managing and developing people, and the emotional intelligence to bring a team with you
- Solid, well-rounded cooking foundations — you understand ingredients, technique and seasonality deeply
- Typically at least 4–5 years in professional kitchens; Michelin or AA Rosette experience is a bonus, not a requirement
- Proven ability to run a section and stay composed in a high-pressure environment
- Energy, positivity, punctuality and a strong team ethic
- A love for the craft and a real appetite to keep learning
What's in it for you
- From £40,000 per year including tips — adjusted to reflect where you are as a candidate
- 4-day working week — a proper one, protected by how we build our rotas
- A clear development path: we invest in our sous chefs becoming head chefs
- Leadership that takes your growth seriously — regular one-to-one development conversations, not just an annual review. Our culture is built on people feeling safe, seen and celebrated, and we hire leaders who protect that
- Time and space to work on your craft: cooking, knife work, technique, fermentation
- Employee discount and free parking
- Well connected: Birmingham city centre is 15 minutes by direct train; London is 1 hour 40
How to apply
Send your CV with a short cover letter telling us about your leadership experience and what draws you to how we cook. We look forward to hearing from you.
Applicants must be able to reliably commute to Solihull or plan to relocate before starting.
Job Type: Full-time
Pay: From £40,000.00 per year
Benefits:
- Discounted or free food
- Employee discount
- Free parking
- On-site parking
Ability to commute/relocate:
- Solihull B92: reliably commute or plan to relocate before starting work (required)
Experience:
- high quality Kitchen: 5 years (required)
Work authorisation:
- United Kingdom (required)
Work Location: In person
