A Day in the Life of a Head Chef at Holiday Inn Express M27 J7
As Head Chef, you'll take the lead in our small but busy kitchen, ensuring our guests receive consistently high-quality food while maintaining excellent operational standards. Working closely with the Food & Beverage Manager & Team, you'll oversee all aspects of kitchen operations, from breakfast service through to evening dining, creating a positive and productive environment for your team.
We believe a healthy work-life balance is important, which is why this role operates with no split shifts. You'll work a mixture of morning and evening shifts, allowing you to focus on delivering great food while maintaining balance outside of work.
What You'll Be Doing…
Your responsibilities will include, but are not limited to:
- Leading, motivating, and developing the kitchen team to deliver exceptional food and service.
- Managing daily kitchen operations across breakfast and evening service.
- Preparing, cooking, and presenting dishes to a consistently high standard.
- Managing stock ordering, stock levels, and supplier relationships to ensure efficient kitchen operations.
- Maintaining effective stock rotation procedures and minimising waste.
- Ensuring all allergen information is accurate, up to date, and communicated correctly.
- Monitoring food quality, presentation, and portion control standards.
- Ensuring the kitchen remains clean, organised, and fully compliant with food safety and health & safety regulations.
- Managing kitchen cleaning schedules and maintaining excellent hygiene standards.
- Supporting recruitment, training, and performance management within the kitchen team.
- Working closely with the Food & Beverage team to deliver a seamless guest experience.
- Driving a positive kitchen culture built on teamwork, communication, and high standards.
What We Need From You…
We hire primarily based on personality and potential, but to succeed in this role, you'll ideally have:
- Previous experience in a Head Chef, Sous Chef, or senior kitchen leadership role.
- Strong leadership skills with the ability to motivate and develop a team.
- Excellent organisational and time management skills.
- Experience managing stock, ordering, food costs, and kitchen budgets.
- A thorough understanding of food hygiene, allergens, and health & safety requirements.
- The ability to remain calm and effective under pressure in a busy environment.
- Strong attention to detail and commitment to food quality.
- Excellent communication and teamwork skills.
- Flexibility to work a combination of morning and evening shifts, including weekends.
- A proactive, hands-on approach and a passion for delivering great food and great guest experiences.
If you're ready to lead a small but busy kitchen, develop a great team, and take pride in delivering quality food and service, we'd love to hear from you. Apply today and become part of our growing team at Holiday Inn Express M27 J7.
Job Type: Full-time
Pay: £29,000.00-£32,000.00 per year
Benefits:
- Discounted or free food
- Employee discount
- On-site parking
Ability to commute/relocate:
- Southampton SO30 3XA: reliably commute or plan to relocate before starting work (required)
Licence/Certification:
- UK Driver's Licence (required)
Work authorisation:
- United Kingdom (required)
Work Location: In person
