Executive Chef Pre-Opening & Culinary Excellence

Ovolo Group; Sydney; On-site; AUD 180,000 - 240,000; Full time

Job summary

Ovolo Sydney is approaching its pre-opening phase and seeks an exceptional Executive Chef to lead culinary excellence across café, restaurant, bar, all‑day dining and events. You will own the kitchen, drive the culinary vision, and shape the Brunos concept into a premier dining destination in Sydney.

You will manage pre-opening and day‑to‑day operations, develop menus, set standards and coach a high‑performing kitchen brigade while delivering outstanding guest experiences and commercial outcomes.

Qualifications

• Extensive Executive Chef experience in luxury or premium hotel settings.
• Proven track record delivering hotel pre-opening culinary operations.
• Ability to develop and implement menus, SOPs and kitchen standards.

Responsibilities

• Lead culinary pre-opening journey from concept to launch across café, restaurant, bar, all‑day dining and events.
• Create recipes, specifications, presentation standards and kitchen procedures.
• Mentor and develop chefs while maintaining food quality, consistency and brand standards.
• Manage food costs, labour productivity, stock control and kitchen profitability.

Skills

Executive Chef experience

Hotel pre-opening

Menu development

Leadership & team development

Cost control

Job description

As we prepare to unveil the next chapter of Ovolo Sydney, we're looking for an exceptional Executive Chef | Pre-Opening & Culinary Excellence to lead our culinary operation and bring one of Sydney's most exciting new hotel dining destinations to life.

This is a hands-on leadership role for a chef who thrives on the pass, leads by example and inspires their team through action. You'll be responsible for the culinary vision, standards and performance of Ovolo Sydney, from pre-opening through to day-to-day operation.

Your journey begins with one of the most exciting hospitality projects in Sydney.

As part of the pre-opening team, you'll play a pivotal role in bringing our new dining concept, Brunos, to life. Working alongside the hotel leadership team, you'll develop and launch a vibrant food and beverage destination that delivers memorable guest experiences across every touchpoint; from café, restaurant and bar service to all-day dining, in-room dining and Conference & Events.

This is a rare opportunity to shape a venue from the ground up and leave your culinary fingerprint on a landmark hotel opening.

What You'll Be Doing

You’ll lead the culinary operation at Ovolo Sydney, taking ownership of the kitchen, the food offering and the team behind it.

You’ll be responsible for:

• Leading the culinary pre-opening journey from concept through to launch.
• Developing and delivering menus across café, restaurant, bar, all-day dining, in-room dining and Conference & Events.
• Creating recipes, specifications, presentation standards and kitchen operating procedures.
• Leading menu tastings, supplier engagement and premium product sourcing.
• Building, coaching and developing a high-performing kitchen brigade.
• Setting and maintaining exceptional standards for food quality, consistency, presentation and service.
• Being hands-on during service, leading from the pass and ensuring every plate leaving the kitchen reflects the Ovolo brand.
• Working closely with the General Manager and hotel leadership team to deliver the overall commercial and guest experience strategy.
• Managing food costs, labour productivity, stock control and kitchen profitability.
• Driving continuous improvement across the kitchen operation without losing the creativity and personality that makes Ovolo different.

You’ll be equally comfortable leading a diverse hotel kitchen operation across:

• Conference & Events
• All-Day Dining
• Breakfast
• In-Room Dining
• Restaurant Service
• Bar & Shared Plates
• VIP Experiences & Amenities
• Seasonal Activations & Signature Events

You’ll know how to balance creativity, quality, speed and commercial performance because exceptional food needs to taste great and make commercial sense.

Culinary Leadership

As Executive Chef, you’ll be the culinary leader of Ovolo Sydney and the person who sets the standard for the entire kitchen operation.

This incudes;

• Create a distinctive culinary identity for Ovolo Sydney.
• Champion seasonal menu development, innovation and new food concepts.
• Establish consistent recipes, menu specifications and presentation standards.
• Build a kitchen culture where people want to work, learn and grow.
• Mentor and develop chefs at all levels, creating a strong internal talent pipeline.
• Work collaboratively with the wider hotel team to ensure food is at the heart of the guest experience.
• Stay connected to the kitchen and the team rather than leading from behind a desk.

About You

• Extensive Executive Chef experience within a luxury, boutique, lifestyle or premium hotel environment.
• Proven experience delivering a hotel or major hospitality pre-opening. Strong operational expertise across restaurants, bars, breakfast, all-day dining, room service and Conference & Events.
• Experience developing menus, recipes, menu concept cards, SOPs and consistent kitchen standards.
• A genuine passion for developing chefs and building high-performing kitchen teams. Strong commercial acumen and a solid understanding of food cost, labour productivity, stock control and kitchen performance.
• Creativity balanced with operational discipline and attention to detail.
• The ability to manage costs while continuing to deliver exceptional food and guest experiences.
• A hands-on leadership style; you're a chef who naturally leads from the kitchen, coaches through service and isn't afraid to get stuck in.
• Energy, resilience and the ability to thrive in a fast-paced, ever-evolving hospitality environment.
• Most importantly, you'll understand that great hospitality starts with great people. You'll be a leader who brings energy to the kitchen, develops your team, takes pride in what leaves the pass and isn't afraid to challenge the norm.

If you're passionate about creating unforgettable dining experiences, love building high-performing kitchen teams and want the opportunity to put your mark on one of Sydney's most exciting new lifestyle hotel openings, we'd love to hear from you.

What you’ll get...

• Well, there's the chance to shine in a brilliant team environment in the coolest new hotel brand in Australia, Hong Kong and now Indonesia, bring your personality and sense of fun to work and the most amazing team to work with.
• Whether it's career opportunities, job enrichment or a supportive work environment, if you are ready for this challenge, then we are ready for you
• Receive Hotel benefits in rooms and our fabulous F&B outlets
• Stay Fit and Fabulous; be involved in our Wellbeing Programmes
• Develop relationships and make a difference to other people’s lives through our Community Programme
• Autonomous role with oodles of creative license & chance to showcase your entrepreneurial talent