Head Chef

The Cambridge Belfry; Cambridge; Remote; GBP 42,000 - 62,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Quarterly incentives

Free gym membership

Hotel discounts across The QHotels

Family & friends discounts in The QHot

Job summary

The Cambridge Belfry Hotel & Spa is seeking a hands-on Head Chef to lead the kitchen brigade with front‑line authority. You will balance exceptional food quality with strong organisational skills to ensure every dish is prepared to specification and delivered seamlessly to guests.

As part of a busy hotel, you will drive standards, mentor the team, manage costs, and work under pressure to maintain outstanding guest experiences in a 4* setting.

Qualifications

• Experience as Head Chef in a hotel or high-volume kitchen.
• Strong organisational and planning skills.
• Passion for quality and presentation.
• Ability to lead and motivate a team.

Responsibilities

• Lead and manage kitchen brigade from the front.
• Ensure consistently high-quality, beautifully presented dishes.
• Oversee GP, stock control, and waste management.
• Maintain calm, organised operation under pressure.

Skills

People management

Leadership

Quality control

Budgeting & cost control

Calm under pressure

Job description

Are you a strong people manager?

Do you thrive in a busy kitchen, working together alongside your brigade?

The important stuff:

• Significant incentives - paid quarterly
• Free health club membership (T&Cs apply)
• Discounts across The QHotels Collection
• Family & Friends discounts in hotels across The QHotels Collection
• Support with training & professional qualifications, including course fees!
• Various learning & development available
• Access to an Employee Assistance Program – Hospitality Action
• Refer a friend scheme
• FREE parking
• AND...much, much more!
• Chef whites provided

What will I do?

This is a hands‑on leadership role, leading from the front and setting the standard for your team.

You’ll balance your passion for great food with strong organisation, making sure everything runs smoothly behind the scenes, and every detail is spot on.

You’ll take ownership of everything leaving the kitchen pass, ensuring its consistently high quality, beautifully presented and delivered to specification — because great food is at the heart of a great guest experience.

Is this the role for me?

• Previous experience as a Head Chef
• Experience working in a hotel or busy, high-volume operation
• Conference, banqueting and events catering experience would be a real advantage
• A passion for quality, standards and attention to detail
• Strong people management and leadership skills
• A solid understanding of GP, stock control, costs and waste management
• The ability to stay calm, organised and hands‑on when the pressure is on

If you’re a chef who loves leading from the front, takes pride in exceptional food and knows how to bring a kitchen team together, we’d love to hear from you!

Curious to find out more?

Cambridge Belfry Hotel & Spa is located in Cambourne, 7 miles from Cambridge and is a 4*, 120-bedroom property. Our hotel has The Bridge restaurant and the Lounge bar, and we offer afternoon tea as well as private dining and meetings and event spaces. The leisure facilities include a gym, pool, jacuzzi, sauna, steam room, and a relaxing Elemis spa.

The QHotels Collection are proud to be a Disability Confident employer and we are committed to diversity, inclusion, and equal opportunities for all. We believe everyone should be treated equal so should you require any reasonable adjustments to any stage of the recruitment process, please do not hesitate to let us know so we can make the changes accordingly.

We are thrilled to share that all of our hotels have now been accredited with either a Bronze or Silver Award from Green Tourism!

The QHotels Collection proudly supports the UK Armed Forces and have signed the Armed Forces Covenant achieving the Silver Award.