Executive Head Chef

RBH; Coldharbour; On-site; GBP 60,000 - 70,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Discounted hotel room rates for you &"

Birthday leave

Course Sponsorship

30% F&B discount at RBH hotels

Refer a Friend (£250 per referral)

Flexible working arrangements

Wagestream – get paid when you want

Life Insurance

Employee Assistance Programme

Free meals on duty

Job summary

RBH Hospitality Management seeks an Executive Head Chef to lead the culinary vision at Wotton House Hotel. You will be a hands-on leader in a busy, high-volume operation, shaping menus and directing the brigade.

You will champion local and seasonal ingredients, work with on-site gardens and be responsible for a £2.7m annual food revenue, while maintaining exceptional standards and a positive kitchen culture. This role offers creative autonomy within a supportive team.

Qualifications

• Experience as Executive Head Chef or Head Chef in a high-volume hotel.
• Hands-on leader who thrives in busy environments.
• Creative chef with a passion for great food.
• Strong people management and ability to foster a positive kitchen culture.

Responsibilities

• Own the Wotton Food Story and develop a distinctive food identity.
• Lead from the front in a high-volume operation.
• Champion local sourcing and seasonal produce.
• Create innovative menus balancing creativity and commercial performance.
• Develop and coach kitchen team to learn and progress.
• Drive quality across restaurant dining, weddings, events.
• Take commercial responsibility for a £2.7m operation.
• Ensure food safety, allergens, hygiene and kitchen organisation.

Skills

Executive leadership

Hospitality operations

Menu development

Local and seasonal sourcing

Team mentoring

Food cost & procurement

Job description

JOIN US

At RBH we believe our people are our biggest assets and understand the value in putting them first. Our approach to diversity in the workplace, health & wellbeing, sustainability and individuality sets us apart from our competitors and is one of the reasons we are rated

Top 30 Best Places to Work in Hospitality!

We are passionate about the industry and always on the lookout for new talent to join us on our journey...

We are now searching for an Executive Head Chef to take the culinary lead at Wotton House - a hands‑on leader with the creativity, ambition and experience to shape our menus, develop our people and bring the Wotton Food Story to life.

With a salary of £60,000–£70,000 per annum, dependent on experience, this is an opportunity to take real ownership of a significant food operation, responsible for delivering £2.7m of annual food revenue within a hotel turning over in excess of £10m annually.

If you're a chef who loves to lead from the front, think outside the box and create food that people remember, we'd love to hear from you.

OUR HOTEL

Set within 13 acres of beautiful Surrey countryside, Wotton House is a unique destination hotel full of history, character and individuality.

Our food operation is diverse and fast-paced – from high-volume weddings, conferences and events to restaurant dining, afternoon teas, private events and special celebrations.

At the heart of it all is the Wotton Food Story. We want to celebrate seasonality, provenance and fantastic ingredients while giving our chefs the freedom to be creative, playful and a little unexpected.

And there is plenty here to work with.

With the freedom to source locally, grow ingredients on our own grounds, harvest seasonal crops and even use honey produced by our own Wotton House bees, we want our Executive Head Chef to make the most of what surrounds us and turn it into part of the story on the plate.

Without a heavily prescribed brand food concept, you'll have the autonomy to put your own stamp on Wotton House, develop our food identity and create something genuinely distinctive.

Our Benefits

• Discounted hotel room rates for you and your friends & family
• An additional day's leave for your birthday
• Enhanced Maternity, adoption & shared parental leave
• Course Sponsorship
• 30% F&B discount at RBH hotels
• Refer a Friend scheme (earn £250 for each referral up to 5 referrals)
• Flexible working arrangements
• Wagestream – choose how and when you get paid
• Life Insurance
• Employee Assistance Programme
• Social and wellness events and activities all year round
• Free meals on duty saving you over £1,000 per year

And much, much more!

A DAY IN THE LIFE OF AN EXECUTIVE HEAD CHEF AT WOTTON HOUSE HOTEL

What You'll Be Doing...

• Own the Wotton Food Story – lead our culinary vision and develop a distinctive food identity across the hotel.
• Lead from the front – be a visible, hands‑on leader who thrives in a busy, high-volume operation and isn't afraid to get stuck in alongside the brigade.
• Make the most of Wotton – champion local and seasonal sourcing, using ingredients grown on our grounds and produce such as honey from our own bees to bring our story to life.
• Bring creativity to the kitchen – think outside the box, challenge the norm and use the freedom of the role to introduce fresh ideas, flavours and experiences.
• Lead and inspire your brigade – build a positive, high‑performing kitchen culture where people feel supported, challenged and proud of what they do.
• Develop your people – coach, mentor and nurture talent, creating opportunities for our chefs to learn and progress.
• Create exceptional menus – balancing creativity, seasonality, guest expectations and commercial performance.
• Deliver quality at every level – from individual restaurant dining to weddings, conferences and large-scale events.
• Own the numbers – take commercial responsibility for a food operation generating approximately £2.7m in annual revenue, managing food costs, labour, purchasing, stock, waste and supplier relationships.
• Champion high standards – take ownership of food safety, allergens, hygiene, compliance and kitchen organisation.
• Work collaboratively – as part of the hotel's leadership team, partner with F&B, Operations, Sales and Events to create memorable guest experiences.

What We Need From You

• An experienced Executive Head Chef or Head Chef, ideally from a high-volume hotel, M&E or similarly diverse hospitality operation.
• A hands‑on leader who leads from the front and is comfortable operating at pace across multiple food outlets and large events.
• A creative chef who is passionate about great food and isn't afraid to try something different.
• A strong people manager who can motivate, develop and bring the best out of their team.
• An inspiring leader who can combine high standards and accountability with a positive kitchen culture.
• Strong commercial awareness, including food GP, labour, purchasing, stock and waste management.
• Experience developing menus that are both exciting and commercially successful.
• Confidence delivering quality across both high-volume M&E and events and individual dining experiences.
• A collaborative and approachable style, with strong relationships across kitchen and front-of-house teams.
• The energy, personality and ambition to make Wotton's food offering your own.

We're not looking for someone to simply maintain what's already here. We want someone who sees the potential in Wotton House and wants to create, evolve and make an impact.

Come and help us write the next chapter of the Wotton Food Story!

EQUAL OPPORTUNITIES

RBH Hospitality Management is an equal opportunity employer. We believe in hiring a diverse workforce and sustaining an inclusive, people-first culture. If at any point throughout our process you require reasonable adjustments, please contact [e-mail].