Operations Chef - Essex -

Loungers; Essex; On-site; GBP 40,000 - 50,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading hospitality group in Essex is seeking an Operations Chef to oversee multiple sites. The role focuses on managing kitchen teams, ensuring high standards of food quality, and fostering a motivated workplace culture. Candidates should have a strong background in hospitality management, excellent leadership skills, and a hands-on approach to training. This position offers a competitive salary and significant opportunities for personal development.

Benefits

Competitive salary + annual bonus

Management Share Plan programme

Company car allowance

Full expenses and mileage

Personal development opportunities

Annual Ops trip

50% discount on food

Staff party - Loungefest

Qualifications

• Proven ability to inspire and lead a large team.
• Experience managing KPIs and commercial decisions.
• Hands-on approach to hospitality operations.

Responsibilities

• Manage multiple kitchen teams across sites.
• Lead training and development of kitchen staff.
• Ensure compliance with health and safety standards.
• Report on kitchen performance metrics.

Skills

Leadership

Team motivation

Communication

Attention to detail

Education

Experience in hospitality management

Job description

Operations Chef – Essex

Our Lounge Operations Chefs play a pivotal role in the success of our business.

Working alongside an Operations Manager you will manage an area of c.8-10 sites maximum, remaining close to our teams and our customers every day.

What makes a Lounge is the people that work there; your team will be your absolute number 1 priority, spotting amazing talent and celebrating success, creating a real buzz and a sense of belonging for our team, and developing great managers and leaders through training, coaching and mentoring.

We're about unrelenting standards, we absolutely love people who never settle and our ultimate goal is that every customer leaves happy.

Responsibilities

• Relentlessly hunt to find and hire great kitchen talent to join Lounge at all levels, with a specific focus on building a high performing and loyal team of Heads Chefs and Sous Chefs.
• Getting the best out of your team by understanding what makes them tick as individuals, ensuring there are clear priorities in place for each site and a strong culture of honest two-way feedback in the kitchens.
• Make the most of your time in a week by frequently visiting your sites to get stuck into service, poke your head in every nook and cranny, help to train and coach your kitchen teams.
• Developing the capability and confidence of your Head Chef team through clear development plans and opportunities for improvement.
• Ensure Head Chefs prioritise the development of their own kitchen teams, training and coaching Chefs and Sous Chefs to progress within the Company.
• Know the details of our menu specs and kitchen processes inside‑out to spot issues or opportunities during visits and step in hands‑on where needed.
• Ensure all kitchens are delivering the unique Lounge Commitments, including fair rotas, 121 conversations every 6 months and the things that make Lounges a unique place to work.
• Lead training and engagement of kitchen teams to deliver seamless menu changes and ever better food quality.
• Help plan and execute the delivery of 14 Great Kitchen Shifts across your sites, including quality forecasting, ordering and rotas.
• Care about the community your Lounges operate in, partnering with your Ops Manager to connect with the local environment.
• Work closely with your Ops Manager to develop, plan and execute all operational aspects for your Lounges, staying exceptionally close to the detail of your lounges, your team, customers, standards and processes.
• Add your own unique footprint to how you lead your people and deliver our Ops expectations back‑of‑house.
• Conduct high‑impact visits and be visibly hands‑on with kitchen teams, leading from the front to demonstrate what good looks like.
• Work daily with your Ops Manager to stay aligned on P&Ls, rota management, shift reporting, team/talent risks and rolling out Company initiatives.
• Deliver daily and weekly Ops Chef expectations, ensuring rotas are submitted on time, orders are accepted, stock takes completed and everything in between.
• Report daily on all aspects of kitchen performance: stock details, PARs, safety concerns and more.
• Own kitchen H&S standards and practices, ensuring site leaders deliver expectations to keep teams and customers safe at all times.
• Deliver on key performance indicators: customer wait times, Net Promoter Score, gross profit, food safety expectations (EHO, NSF).

Qualities and Values

• You believe in yourself, your leadership, your team, and our cause.
• You are honest and own up to what’s not going right.
• You genuinely care for your team and keep them motivated and engaged.
• You command the detail, managing stocks, rotas, labour, H&S and every nooks & crannies of the sites.
• You never settle; you obsess about learning from yesterday and getting better every day.
• You lead your team your own way, bringing your true self to work.

Experience and Background

• Senior leadership in a large single site or multi‑site hospitality operation, with proven ability to inspire and motivate large teams.
• Familiarity with managing through clear KPIs and making commercial decisions to deliver EBITDA and revenue targets.
• Background in front or back of house leading, with a hands‑on approach and passion for hospitality.
• Experience across bars, restaurants or cafés, with multi‑site knowledge and the ability to manage competing priorities.

Benefits

• Competitive salary + annual achievable bonus paid 2x a year.
• Opportunity to participate in the Loungers Management Share Plan programme.
• Company car allowance.
• Full expenses and mileage provided.
• Great opportunity for personal development and career progression in a fast growing business.
• Annual Ops trip to somewhere sunny.
• 50% discount on food from day 1.
• The best staff party – Loungefest (see our video).