Executive Head Chef

Harbour Hotels; Southampton; Hybrid; GBP 55,000 - 60,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Discounted room rates for Crew

25% HarSPA/Temple Spa discounts

25% food & drink discounts

Mental health & wellbeing support

24/7 GP services

Career progression opportunities

Meals on duty

Special uniforms

Job summary

Harbour Hotels in Southampton is seeking an experienced Executive Head Chef to oversee two distinct kitchen operations, including HarBAR on 6th and the Meetings & Events kitchen. You will lead from the front, balance two brigades, and develop menus while driving cost efficiency and guest experiences.

The role requires strategic leadership, hands-on service, and a track record in high-volume luxury hospitality, with a salary of £55,000–£60,000 per annum plus generous tronc.

Qualifications

• Five years' experience in an Executive Head Chef, Head Chef or equivalent senior culinary leadership role.
• Experience in a five-star or luxury hotel environment is highly advantageous.
• Ability to manage two kitchens and multiple brigades with strong cost control.

Responsibilities

• Lead two separate kitchen operations and their brigades across HarBAR on 6th and the Meetings & Events kitchen.
• Develop menus and food concepts aligned with different business areas.
• Maintain high standards of food quality, presentation and service.
• Oversee food costs, labour management, stock control and commercial performance.
• Recruit, develop and retain talent; build succession plans across both brigades.
• Ensure food safety, hygiene and kitchen organisation across both operations.

Skills

Two kitchen operations

Executive leadership

Kitchen leadership

Cost management

High-volume events

Team development

Food quality standards

Strategic mindset

Job description

Harbour Hotels Group Executive Head Chef – Southampton Harbour Hotel & Spa

£55,000–£60,000 per annum + very generous tronc scheme

Hospitality With Personality

At Harbour Hotels, we believe luxury hospitality is about more than beautiful surroundings. It's about the people who create unforgettable experiences within them.

Our growing collection of luxury lifestyle hotels, restaurants and spas can be found in some of the UK's most desirable locations. Each destination is unique, but they all share the same commitment to exceptional hospitality, outstanding service and creating memorable experiences for our guests.

We're looking for people with warmth, energy and personality. People who take ownership, rise to challenges, adapt with confidence and genuinely care about delivering exceptional guest experiences.

If you're passionate about hospitality and want to be part of a business that's ambitious, growing and committed to excellence, we'd love to hear from you.

The Role

We are looking for an experienced and ambitious Executive Head Chef to join Southampton Harbour Hotel & Spa, taking responsibility for two distinct and busy kitchen operations, each with its own brigade of chefs.

The first supports HarBAR on 6th, our vibrant rooftop destination incorporating a restaurant, bar and terrace, with several different food offerings alongside the hotel's breakfast service.

The second is our dedicated Meeting & Events kitchen, with its own brigade, delivering the food operation for our busy Meetings & Events Suite and catering for a range of events and functions, including high-volume events.

It's a complex and varied role requiring someone who can balance the demands of two very different operations, while ensuring exceptional standards of food, service, team development and commercial performance.

This is very much a hands‑on operational role. We want an Executive Head Chef who loves being in the kitchen, leading from the front, supporting their chefs and being visible during service. At the same time, you will need the strategic and commercial capability to oversee multiple teams, manage costs and labour, develop the food offering and ensure both operations perform at a consistently high level.

Working closely with the General Manager and wider hotel leadership team, you will take ownership of:

• Leading two separate kitchen operations and their respective chef brigades
• Overseeing the food operation across HarBAR on 6th, hotel breakfast and the dedicated Meetings & Events kitchen
• Maintaining consistently high standards of food quality, presentation and service
• Being visible and hands‑on within both kitchens, particularly during key services and high‑volume periods
• Leading, developing and inspiring the chefs and kitchen leadership teams across both operations
• Ensuring the Meetings & Events kitchen successfully delivers high‑volume events and functions
• Developing menus and food concepts appropriate to the different areas of the business
• Taking ownership of food costs, labour management, stock control and commercial performance within your areas
• Recruiting, retaining and developing talent and building strong succession plans across both brigades
• Maintaining exceptional standards of food safety, hygiene, compliance and kitchen organisation
• Working collaboratively with the wider hotel leadership team to continually improve the guest experience and commercial performance

About You

We're looking for an experienced culinary leader who combines real operational energy with the ability to think strategically.

This isn't a role for someone who wants to lead from behind a desk. You'll need to enjoy the pace of a busy kitchen, be comfortable leading service and want to be visible with your teams.

Equally, with two separate kitchens, two brigades, multiple food offerings, hotel breakfast and high‑volume Meetings & Events, you'll need the leadership, organisational and commercial skills to manage a complex operation effectively.

Ideally, you will bring around five years' experience in an Executive Head Chef, Head Chef or equivalent senior culinary leadership role within a comparable operation.

Experience within a five‑star or luxury hotel environment would be highly advantageous. However, we are equally interested in experienced chefs from other premium, high‑volume hospitality businesses who can demonstrate that they have successfully led an operation of similar scale and complexity.

You will be:

• Passionate about delivering outstanding food and memorable guest experiences
• An experienced and inspirational leader who knows how to develop, motivate and retain great chefs
• A genuinely hands‑on operator who enjoys being part of service and leading from the front
• Experienced in managing a large, complex or multi‑faced kitchen operation
• Comfortable managing different styles of food service and multiple priorities
• Experienced in high‑volume events and function catering
• Creative, innovative and driven by culinary excellence
• Commercially astute, with strong financial, labour and food cost management skills
• Highly organised and able to perform in a fast‑paced environment
• Confident leading and developing multiple teams
• Committed to maintaining exceptional standards of food quality, hygiene and safety

Most importantly, you'll bring strong leadership, energy and a genuine passion for food, alongside the commercial and strategic mindset needed to lead an operation of this scale.

What's in it for you?

You will receive a salary of £55,000–£60,000 per annum, plus a very generous tronc scheme, alongside our wider Harbour Hotels benefits:

• Discounted room rates for all Crew across all Harbour Hotels
• 25% discount on HarSPA and Temple Spa treatments across our spas
• 25% discount on food and drink across our bars and destination restaurants
• Mental health and wellbeing support for you and your immediate family
• 24/7 GP services for you and your immediate family
• Bespoke nutrition and fitness advice for all Crew
• Group Life Cover
• Access to Stream, our employee wellbeing and lifestyle platform, offering discounts, rewards, financial wellbeing tools and more
• Group and hotel‑based incentive schemes
• Excellent progression opportunities within Harbour Hotels
• Individual and bespoke career and progression pathways
• Unique on‑the‑job training and development, with opportunities for internal promotion within the group
• Meals included whilst on duty
• Sophisticated and unique uniforms designed for Harbour Hotels

Please note that only applicants with the right to work in the UK will be considered for this position.

We look forward to hearing from you.