Head Chef

Novotel & ibis Balikpapan; Queenstown; On-site; NZD 90,000 - 150,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Staff meals provided

Uniforms provided

Accor benefits

Parental leave

40 hours per week

Job summary

Novotel Queenstown Lakeside is seeking an experienced Head Chef to lead Elements Restaurant & Lounge, overseeing breakfast through events, with a focus on contemporary seasonal cuisine and strong local connections.

You will drive menu development, cost control, supplier relationships and a hands-on leadership style, while ensuring food safety, quality and a memorable guest experience in Queenstown’s vibrant culinary scene.

Qualifications

• Proven experience as Head Chef or Senior Kitchen Leader.
• Demonstrated history of leading and inspiring high-performing kitchen teams.
• Strong commercial understanding including food and labour cost management.
• Excellent knowledge of food safety systems, FCP and audit/inspection requirements.
• Experience operating in a hotel, high-volume restaurant or multi-outlet environment.
• Strong menu development and costing capability.
• Established knowledge of Queenstown region, producers and suppliers.
• Existing relationships with local suppliers or ability to build them quickly.
• Passion for seasonal, locally sourced produce.
• Good communication and organisational skills.
• Hands-on, visible leadership style.
• Balance of culinary creativity with operational discipline.
• Availability to work weekends and public holidays.

Responsibilities

• Lead and inspire the kitchen team across breakfast, lunch, dinner, lounge, room service and events.
• Set and maintain high standards of food quality, consistency and presentation.
• Develop seasonal menus that showcase Queenstown, Central Otago and wider South Island.
• Build relationships with local producers, growers, farmers, fishermen and suppliers.
• Understand what Queenstown can offer culinarily and translate it into the menu.
• Ensure the kitchen operates efficiently with strong control of costs, labour, purchasing, stock and waste.
• Lead menu costing, recipe development and food margin management.
• Manage rostering, recruitment, training, performance and development.
• Ensure compliance with food safety, hygiene and regulatory requirements.
• Maintain preparedness for food safety inspections, audits and compliance.
• Collaborate with hotel leadership, F&B and Events teams to deliver a seamless guest experience.
• Attend and contribute to meetings on health & safety, revenue management, cost control and performance.
• Champion sustainability, seasonality and responsible sourcing.
• Evolve Novotel Queenstown’s culinary identity and position it as a Queenstown regional expression.

Skills

Head chef experience

Team leadership

Cost management

Food safety

Hotel/large venue ops

Menu costing

Local knowledge

Seasonal produce

Supplier relations

Seasonal sourcing

Communication

Hands-on leadership

Commercial creativity

Availability

Job description

Novotel Queenstown Lakeside is looking for an experienced and inspiring Head Chef to lead the kitchen team at Elements Restaurant & Lounge.

Located in the heart of Queenstown on Lake Whakatipu, Elements Restaurant & Lounge is Novotel’s principal dining operation, offering breakfast, lunch, dinner, lounge, functions and events, with a focus on contemporary seasonal cuisine showcasing produce from Central Otago and the wider South Island.

This is an opportunity for a proven hands – on senior chef to lead the culinary direction of Novotel Queenstown bringing fresh ideas, strong local connections and a genuine sense of Queenstown to the food offering. We’re particularly interested in candidates established in Queenstown or with strong regional connections and knowledge of local producers, suppliers and the seasonal opportunities across Queenstown and Central Otago.

• Lead and inspire the kitchen team across breakfast, lunch, dinner, lounge, room service and events.

• Set and maintain high standards of food quality, consistency and presentation.

• Develop seasonal menus that showcase the best of Queenstown, Central Otago and the wider South Island.

• Build and maintain strong relationships with local producers, growers, farmers, fishermen and suppliers.

• Bring a strong understanding of what Queenstown as a region can offer from a culinary perspective.

• Ensure the kitchen operates efficiently and commercially, with strong control of food costs, labour, purchasing, stock and waste.

• Lead menu costing, recipe development and food margin management.

• Manage kitchen rostering, recruitment, training, performance and development.

• Ensure the operation remains fully compliant with food safety, hygiene and regulatory requirements.

• Maintain a high level of preparedness for food safety inspections, audits and compliance requirements.

• Work closely with the hotel's leadership, Food & Beverage and Events teams to deliver a seamless guest experience.

• Attend and actively participate in meetings, contributing proactively to health & safety, revenue management, cost control, and operational performance.

• Champion sustainability, seasonality and responsible sourcing wherever possible.

• Continue to evolve Novotel Queenstown’s culinary identity and position it as a genuine expression of the Queenstown region.

We are particularly interested in hearing from candidates who bring proven senior leadership experience and strong connections to the Queenstown food community.

You will ideally have:

• Proven experience as a Head Chef, Executive Chef or senior kitchen leader.

• A demonstrated history of leading, developing and inspiring high-performing kitchen teams.

• Strong commercial understanding, including food and labour cost management.

• Excellent knowledge of food safety systems, FCP and audit/inspection requirements.

• Experience operating in a hotel, high-volume restaurant or multi-outlet environment.

• Strong menu development and costing capability.

• Established knowledge of Queenstown and the surrounding region, including its food scene, producers and suppliers.

• An understanding of the exceptional produce available across Central Otago and the wider South Island.

• Existing relationships with local suppliers, or the credibility and network to build those relationships quickly.

• A genuine passion for seasonal, locally sourced produce.

• Poses strong communication and organisation skills

• A hands‑on, visible leadership style.

• The ability to balance culinary creativity with operational and commercial discipline.

• Availability to work rostered shifts, including weekends and public holidays, as required by the business.

Why work for Novotel, Queenstown?

• Staff meals provided while on shift

• Uniforms, washed and laundered daily.

• Incredible AccorHeartist Benefits- including discounted Food & Beverage + Accommodation Worldwide

• Accor's Parental Leave Scheme

• Full Time 40 hours per week

• Place of Employment will be Novotel Queenstown Lakeside 6 Earl Street

  Our commitment to Diversity & Inclusion:We are an inclusive company, and our ambition is to attract, recruit and promote diverse talent. We offer reasonable adjustments to support you. If you require an adjustment to be made during the recruitment process, you're welcome to let us know.