Group Executive Chef

COREcruitment Ltd; Greater London; On-site; GBP 90,000 - 95,000; Full time

Job summary

COREcruitment Ltd is partnering with a fast-growing premium casual restaurant group in London to hire a Group Executive Chef. You will build the kitchen engine behind growth, bridging head office and site operations, with scope to shape a structure still being built.

You will own the kitchen playbook, lead openings planned quarterly, coach Head Chefs, manage the P&L and food costs, and travel for international openings as needed.

Qualifications

• Senior executive chef with multi-site group experience
• Proven track record opening multiple sites in a growth phase
• Ability to build standards, training and operational structure from scratch
• Strong financial acumen with control of GP, labour and waste
• Experience developing kitchen leadership teams

Responsibilities

• Own the kitchen playbook for the group, from recipe specs and prep methods to plating
• Lead the kitchen side of new openings, with a quarterly runway of sites
• Work with Operations Director to shape a scalable kitchen structure
• Spend days coaching Head Chefs and driving standards across sites
• Build kitchen leadership pipeline and structured training for new starters
• Own the kitchen P&L, monitor food cost, waste, and site variance
• Run quality audits and HACCP, uphold food safety standards
• Build strong supplier relationships and benchmark receiving standards
• Travel occasionally to support international openings

Skills

Leadership

Opening experience

Systems thinking

Cost control

People development

Ambiguity tolerance

International travel

Growth mindset

Job description

Group Executive Chef - Premium Casual Restaurant Group - London 85-95k

Build the kitchen playbook for a fast-scaling premium restaurant group opening a new site every quarter, with international openings ahead.

COREcruitment is partnering with a fast-growing premium casual restaurant group in London, searching for a Group Executive Chef to build the kitchen engine behind its next stage of growth. This senior Group Executive Chef role bridges head office and restaurant level, with real scope to shape a structure that is still being built.

The Group Executive Chef role

• Own the kitchen playbook for the group, from recipe specs and prep methods to plating, and make sure every site cooks to it.


• Lead the kitchen side of new openings, with a new restaurant planned every quarter and a pipeline of sites in London and beyond.


• Work hand in hand with the Operations Director on the wider operation, shaping a structure that is still being built.


• Spend a couple of days a week in the kitchens, coaching Head Chefs and driving standards across sites.


• Build the kitchen leadership bench, developing future Head Chefs and Sous Chefs as the group grows.


• Design and launch structured training for new starters and set a supportive, high-accountability kitchen culture.


• Own the kitchen profit and loss, with daily and weekly control of food cost, waste and site variance.


• Run regular quality audits and tastings, and drive HACCP, food safety and hygiene standards.


• Build strong supplier relationships with clear receiving benchmarks.


• Travel occasionally to support international openings in North America and the Middle East.

About you

• A senior Executive Chef, Group Chef or Area Chef from a premium casual, high-volume or branded multi-site restaurant group.


• Proven opening experience, ideally several sites in a growth phase.


• Systems-focused, with the ability to build standards, training and operational structure from scratch.


• Commercially sharp, with strong GP, labour and waste control.


• Experienced in developing and motivating Head Chefs and kitchen leadership teams.


• Comfortable with ambiguity and working across head office and restaurant level.


• Prepared for occasional international travel.


• Genuinely excited by a growth story, not just looking for another job.

The package

• 90-95k total package: 70k basic plus tronc, estimated at 20-25k.


• Join early in a fast-scaling group with the chance to shape the business.


• International exposure as the group expands.


• Flagship London opening on the horizon.