HEAD CHEF | AQUA DINING

Sydney Restaurant Group; Sydney; On-site; AUD 150,000 - 210,000; Full time

Job summary

Sydney Restaurant Group is seeking a Head Chef for Aqua Dining at Milsons Point, Sydney. This hands-on leadership role requires delivering outstanding food, leading a high-performance brigade and driving commercial results in a premium dining environment.

You'll partner with SRG's Executive Chef and Head of Culinary to translate culinary direction into exceptional execution, build a culture of accountability, and shape Aqua's next chapter in a landmark harbour setting.

Qualifications

• Proven experience leading a kitchen brigade as a Head Chef or senior sous chef ready to step into full leadership.
• Strong culinary foundation with ability to develop capability in others.
• Experience in premium or fine dining where consistency and guest expectations matter.
• Commercially minded approach to food cost, COGS, labour, purchasing and waste.
• Ability to build, lead and retain a capable team with coaching and succession development.
• Capable of managing busy services with composure and sound decision-making under pressure.
• Rigorous approach to food safety, allergen controls, compliance and kitchen standards.

Responsibilities

• Lead the brigade and drive culinary execution across all services.
• Translate culinary direction into exceptional food and a well-drilled kitchen.
• Build a high-performing kitchen culture with capable leaders and clear responsibilities.
• Own food cost, portion control and waste to improve commercial performance.
• Collaborate with senior culinary leadership and front-of-house to deliver the Aqua dining experience.

Skills

Head Chef leadership

Kitchen management

Premium dining

Food cost control

Staff development

Communication with FOH

Job description

Sydney Restaurant Group - Milsons Point NSW

HEAD CHEF | AQUA DINING

Lead the kitchen. Shape the next chapter. Leave your mark.

Aqua Dining | Milsons Point, Sydney | Full-time, Permanent

Some kitchens are places you work. Others are places that define your career.

Aqua Dining is preparing to reopen above North Sydney Olympic Pool, overlooking Sydney Harbour, the Harbour Bridge and the Opera House. As one of the venues at the heart of SRG Hospitality's story, Aqua is entering an exciting new chapter and we're looking for an exceptional Head Chef to help define it.

This is an opportunity for a chef who has earned their place at the pass, knows what excellence looks like, and has the leadership and commercial acumen to build a kitchen that delivers it consistently.

We're not looking for someone to simply run a kitchen. We're looking for someone to set its standard.

THE OPPORTUNITY

As Head Chef, you will take ownership of Aqua Dining's kitchen performance, leading the brigade, driving culinary execution and establishing the disciplines that underpin an outstanding restaurant.

Working in partnership with SRG's Executive Chef and Head of Culinary, you will translate culinary direction into exceptional food, a well-drilled kitchen and a team that takes genuine pride in its work.

You'll have the opportunity to help shape the kitchen for Aqua's next chapter building capability, establishing high-performance routines and creating a culture where great cooking and great leadership go hand in hand.

This is a hands-on leadership role. Your influence will be felt in the quality of every plate, the confidence of every cook and the performance of every service.

WHAT YOU'LL OWN

The food. The standard. Every service.

You set the benchmark for culinary execution. From flavour and presentation to portioning and consistency, you take personal accountability for what leaves the pass. You understand the brief, respect the detail and never accept "good enough" when better is achievable.

The kitchen. The rhythm. The execution.

You establish the preparation, briefing, service and close routines that keep a kitchen performing at its best. You know how to manage the pace and pressure of a demanding service without compromising quality, safety or the team.

The numbers. The discipline. The result.

You understand that culinary excellence and commercial performance must work together. You take ownership of food cost, COGS, portion control, waste, kitchen labour and procurement, using the numbers to make better decisions and improve performance.

The people. The culture. The future.

You build a brigade that wants to perform. You develop your Sous Chef and emerging leaders, coach your team to higher standards and address performance issues directly and constructively. You create an environment where talented chefs are challenged, respected and given room to grow.

The responsibility. No shortcuts.

Food safety, allergen management, HACCP and workplace safety are non-negotiable. You establish systems that work in practice, hold the team accountable and ensure standards are maintained through every service.

WHO WE'RE LOOKING FOR

You're an accomplished kitchen leader who combines genuine culinary ability with the judgement, discipline and maturity to lead a premium dining operation.

You will bring:

• Proven experience leading a kitchen brigade as a Head Chef, or as a highly capable senior Sous Chef ready to step into full kitchen leadership.
• A strong culinary foundation, with the ability to execute to a high standard and develop that capability in others.
• Experience in premium dining, fine dining or another demanding restaurant environment where consistency and guest expectations matter.
• A commercially minded approach to food cost, COGS, labour, purchasing, portion control and waste.
• The ability to build, lead and retain a capable team, with a genuine commitment to coaching and succession development.
• Confidence managing busy services, maintaining composure under pressure and making sound decisions when it counts.
• A rigorous approach to food safety, allergen controls, compliance and kitchen standards.
• The communication skills and professional maturity to work closely with senior culinary leadership and the front-of-house team.

You lead from the front, but you don't need to be the loudest person in the kitchen. Your standards, preparation, consistency and example earn the team's respect.

You take ownership when things go wrong, give credit when things go right and understand that the best kitchens are built through people, systems and craft, not ego.

WHY AQUA. WHY SRG.

A landmark venue with a new chapter ahead.

Aqua offers an extraordinary Sydney Harbour setting and the opportunity to help shape the next era of a venue with a long-standing place in Sydney's dining landscape.

A platform to build something that lasts.

You'll have the opportunity to establish the standards, routines and team culture that define Aqua's kitchen - with the support of SRG's culinary leadership and the broader business.

A hospitality group with genuine breadth.

SRG Hospitality is a family-owned group spanning premium restaurants, waterfront destinations, events and hotel food and beverage. That breadth offers exposure to different concepts, experienced operators and opportunities to develop your career beyond a single kitchen.

A culture built on craft, ownership and people.

At SRG, our values are Heart, Ownership, Craft and Together. We believe great hospitality comes from people who care about their work, take responsibility for their decisions, pursue excellence in the details and support the people around them.

We want our leaders to embody those values - not just talk about them.

WHAT SUCCESS LOOKS LIKE

You'll know you're succeeding when:

• Aqua delivers consistently exceptional food, service after service.
• The kitchen is prepared, disciplined and confident before every service begins.
• Food cost, labour and waste are actively managed, with clear accountability for results.
• Your team is developing, your future leaders are growing and strong people want to work in your kitchen.
• Food safety and allergen standards are embedded in daily practice.
• The kitchen operates as an integral part of the wider Aqua experience.

READY TO LEAD AQUA’S NEXT CHAPTER?

If you have the culinary capability, commercial discipline and leadership presence to build an outstanding kitchen, we'd like to hear from you.

Tell us about the kitchens you've led, the teams you've developed and the standards you believe every great kitchen should uphold.

Applicants must have full working rights in Australia.

SRG Hospitality is an equal opportunity employer and welcomes applications from people of all backgrounds, abilities, and identities.