Head Chef

Ovolo Group; Sydney; On-site; AUD 100,000 - 150,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Hotel accommodation benefits

Discounts across F&B outlets

Career development opportunities

Wellbeing programmes

Community programmes

Job summary

Ovolo Sydney seeks an inspired head chef to lead a high‑voltage kitchen as Bruno's takes shape. You will shape menus, kitchen culture and the overall food experience with creative freedom from pre-opening to daily operations.

You will manage a diverse operation across breakfast, café service, restaurant and events, ensuring quality, consistency and commercial performance while mentoring your team to excel.

Qualifications

• Proven experience as a Head Chef or senior role in a high‑volume kitchen.
• Strong leadership to develop and motivate a diverse kitchen team.
• Experience with pre-opening concepts and menu launches.
• Excellent understanding of food costs, stock control and profitability.
• Commitment to quality, consistency and guest experience.

Responsibilities

• Lead kitchen operation from pre-opening through daily service.
• Develop creative, commercially viable menus for Bruno's café, restaurant, bar and events.
• Set standards for food preparation, presentation and hygiene.
• Oversee tastings, supplier relationships and product sourcing.
• Coach and build a high‑performing kitchen team.
• Hands-on during service and ensure consistency across dishes.
• Collaborate with GM and hotel leadership to deliver guest experiences.

Skills

Leadership

Menu development

Kitchen operations

Food quality

Food safety

People development

Job description

Ovolo Sydney

This is an opportunity to make your mark. We're looking for a chef who is passionate about food, thrives in a busy kitchen, leads from the front and knows how to bring out the best in their team.

You'll play a key role in the pre-opening and launch of our new dining concept, Bruno's, helping shape the menus, kitchen culture and overall food experience. Working closely with the General Manager and hotel leadership team, you'll have the creative freedom to develop something special while ensuring the operation delivers on quality, consistency and commercial performance.

From breakfast and café service through to restaurant dining, bar menus, in-room dining and Conference & Events, you'll lead a diverse kitchen operation where no two days are quite the same.

If you love creating great food, building great teams and having the freedom to do things a little differently, this could be your next big move.

What You'll Be Doing

• You'll take ownership of the kitchen operation, leading the team, developing the food offering and setting the standards from pre-opening through to day-to-day operations.


• Your responsibilities will include:


• Playing a leading role in the pre-opening journey, from kitchen preparation and menu development through to launch.


• Developing exciting, commercially sustainable menus across Bruno's café, restaurant, bar, all-day dining and Conference & Events.


• Creating recipes, menu specifications, food presentation standards and kitchen procedures.


• Leading food tastings, supplier relationships and product sourcing.


• Building, coaching and developing a motivated, high-performing kitchen team.


• Being hands‑on during service, leading from the pass and ensuring consistency across every dish.


• Maintaining exceptional standards of food quality, presentation, hygiene and food safety.


• Managing food costs, labour, stock control, wastage and kitchen profitability.


• Working closely with the General Manager and wider hotel team to deliver an outstanding guest experience.


• Bringing fresh ideas, seasonal menus and new food experiences to the table.


• Creating a kitchen environment where people feel supported, challenged and proud of what they do.

You'll oversee a varied hotel food operation encompassing:

• Breakfast and café service


• Restaurant and all-day dining


• Bar food and shared plates


• In-room dining


• Conference & Events


• VIP guest experiences and amenities


• Seasonal activations and special events


• You'll understand how to balance creativity with the realities of a busy hotel kitchen. Great food needs to be memorable, consistent and commercially sustainable

The Culinary Leader We're Looking For

We want someone who brings personality, energy and passion into the kitchen.

• You'll be a natural leader who is comfortable rolling up their sleeves, supporting the team through service and setting the standard through your own actions.


• You'll also have the confidence to challenge the norm, introduce new ideas and create a food offering that reflects Ovolo's personality.


• About You


• Proven experience as a Head Chef, Executive Chef or Senior Sous Chef ready to take the next step.


• Experience in a quality restaurant, boutique hotel, lifestyle hotel or premium hospitality environment.


• Experience with pre-openings, menu launches or new hospitality concepts will be highly regarded.


• Strong operational experience across multiple food service environments.


• A creative approach to menu development, seasonal produce and contemporary food trends.


• Commercially minded, with a sound understanding of food costs, labour management, stock control and kitchen profitability.


• Strong knowledge of food safety, hygiene standards and kitchen compliance.


• A natural ability to lead, motivate and develop chefs at all levels.


• Organised, resilient and able to thrive in a fast‑paced environment.


• A hands‑on approach with the ability to lead from the kitchen, not just behind a desk.


• Most importantly, you'll believe that great hospitality starts with great people. You'll bring energy to the kitchen, take pride in what leaves the pass and genuinely enjoy seeing your team succeed.

What's In It For You?

• The opportunity to be part of an exciting new chapter for Ovolo Sydney and help build a dining destination from the ground up.


• Creative freedom to develop menus, introduce new concepts and put your own stamp on the kitchen.


• The chance to work with a brilliant team across one of Australia's coolest lifestyle hotel brands.


• A supportive leadership team that encourages individuality, fresh thinking and entrepreneurial ideas.


• Hotel accommodation benefits and discounts across our fabulous F&B outlets.
  Opportunities for career development and progression across Ovolo's hotels in Australia, Hong Kong and Indonesia.


• Access to our wellbeing programmes to help you stay fit and fabulous.


• Opportunities to make a difference through our community programmes.


• An environment where you can bring your personality to work, have fun and genuinely enjoy what you do.

Ready to Make Your Mark?

If you're a passionate chef who loves leading from the front, creating memorable food experiences and building a kitchen team that takes pride in what they do, we'd love to hear from you.

Bring your creativity, your energy and your love of food.