Join White Rabbit Hospitality as Senior Sous Chef, Graduate Cambridge | OTE £44,500 per annum
Some kitchens just feed people. This one sits on the River Cam, and it's looking for its next leader.
Picture it: punts drifting past the window, the buzz of a full service behind you, and a brigade that looks to you to set the standard. Graduate Cambridge is one of the city's most beautiful hotels, and we're hiring a Senior Sous Chef to help lead its kitchen. This is the role for a chef who's done waiting in the wings and is ready to run the pass, shape the food and build a team that's proud to wear the whites.
Who we are
We're White Rabbit Hospitality, the team behind some of the UK's most celebrated hotels and restaurants, including Rusacks St Andrews and The Randolph Oxford. At Graduate Cambridge, that reputation comes alive through Garden House and our wider food offer, where seasonal British cooking meets warm, characterful hospitality right on the riverside. As Senior Sous Chef, you won't just be part of that story, you'll help write the next chapter of it.
Why this role is different
This isn't a role where you keep your head down and wait your turn. As Senior Sous Chef, you're second in command and the beating heart of the kitchen. You'll own the pass when the Head Chef is off, set the tempo of every service, and take real responsibility for the food, the team and the numbers. Do it well, and Head Chef isn't a someday, it's a when. We're looking for the chef who already cooks like the kitchen is theirs.
What we stand for
Our values aren't a poster on the wall. They show up in every service, every shift and every plate that leaves your pass.
Our Values – In Every Service
- HOSPITALITY IS AT OUR CORE: Every plate you send is somebody's reason to come back. You lead a brigade that cooks with care and never forgets the guest waiting at the other end of it.
- WE DO THE RIGHT THING: You hold the line on food safety, hygiene and respect for great produce, and you set the standard the rest of the team follows, even when no one's watching.
- WE PURSUE EXCELLENCE: Consistency, timing, seasoning, presentation. You chase the details others miss, because that's the difference between good and unforgettable.
- WE ARE ALL ENTREPRENEURS: You think like an owner. You watch the GP, kill the waste, sharpen the ordering, and bring the ideas that make the menu and the kitchen better.
What Will You Be Doing?
- Leading the kitchen shoulder to shoulder with the Executive Chef, and taking the reins entirely when they're off
- Setting the pace and holding the standard across every section, every single service
- Building, training and inspiring the brigade, from your Commis to your Chefs de Partie
- Owning food safety, allergen management and HACCP compliance without compromise
- Keeping a tight grip on GP, food cost, stock, ordering and waste
- Bringing creativity to specials, menu development and seasonal change
- Running a clean, organised, calm kitchen that fires on time, every time
- Working hand in glove with front of house to make every service feel effortless
What Do You Need?
- Proven experience as a Senior Sous Chef, or a hungry Sous Chef ready for the step up, ideally in a hotel or quality restaurant kitchen
- A natural leader who gets the best out of a team and lifts the people around them
- Strong command of food safety, allergens, HACCP and kitchen compliance
- A commercial head for GP, food cost, ordering and waste
- Calm, consistent and unshakeable when the tickets pile up
- Real passion for great food, high standards and growing the next generation of chefs
- The right to work in the UK
What We Offer:
Aside from an OTE salary of £44,500 per annum, we provide:
- A senior leadership role in one of Cambridge's most beautiful riverside kitchens
- A genuine, supported path to Head Chef
- Team member dining discounts across the entire White Rabbit Hospitality portfolio
- Ongoing training and development as the property and the wider group grow
- A supportive People Team and a culture where team members are valued, not numbered
- Meals on duty and a professional, well-run kitchen you'll be proud to lead
- A seat in a fast-growing, ambitious group with real opportunities across the UK and beyond
Grow with us
Graduate Cambridge is part of something much bigger. As Senior Sous Chef with White Rabbit Hospitality, your next move is yours to earn, whether that's Head Chef here or a leadership role elsewhere in the group, backed by the training, exposure and opportunity of a business growing fast across the UK and beyond.
Ready to Lead Something Special?
If you're a driven, people-first chef who takes pride in every plate and wants to lead a kitchen in one of England's most beautiful cities, we want to hear from you. Bring your standards. We'll bring the river view.
Apply now to become Senior Sous Chef with White Rabbit Hospitality, Graduate Cambridge.
