Sous Chef | Crowne Plaza Christchurch

Crowne Plaza Hotels & Resorts; Christchurch; On-site; NZD 65,000 - 85,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Paid birthday leave

Daily laundered uniform

Additional parental leave benefits

Flexible work options

Accommodation and dining discounts

Job summary

Crowne Plaza Christchurch is seeking a hands-on Sous Chef to lead and develop our kitchen team in a dynamic hotel environment. You’ll drive service, uphold culinary standards, and contribute to innovative dining concepts under the executive chef’s guidance.

Ideal candidates bring 5+ years in professional kitchens, with 2+ years in chef de partie or sous chef roles, plus hotel kitchen experience and strong leadership, planning, and communication skills. NZ rights required.

Qualifications

• Hands-on leader with ability to coach and motivate a team
• Minimum 5 years in a professional kitchen
• Minimum 2+ years in Chef de Partie or Sous Chef roles; hotel kitchen experience preferred
• Excellent organisational and time-management abilities; strong planning
• Strong communication; autonomous and positive attitude

Responsibilities

• Lead kitchen operations during service, ensuring smooth execution
• Oversee food preparation, cooking, plating, and quality control for consistency
• Drive team performance through training, mentoring, and coaching
• Manage stock, ordering, labour, portion control, and waste to hit food cost targets
• Champion food safety, hygiene, HACCP compliance, and safety policies
• Contribute to menu innovation and guest dining experiences under the executive chef

Skills

Leadership

Team coaching

Communication

Time management

Planning

Culinary skills

Food safety

Menu development

Job description

Jora New Zealand will close on 9th September 2026. Thank you for being with us, we are cheering you on as you continue your career journey.

Crowne Plaza Hotels & Resorts – Christchurch, South Island

Crowne Plaza Christchurch is located in the heart of downtown Christchurch, right opposite Victoria Square and just a short walk from major attractions, including the Avon River, Town Hall, Art Gallery, Te Pae Conference Centre and the modern dining and shopping precincts.

Our Kitchen department is the heart and centre of the hotel, and you could be joining this great team as a Sous Chef with us!

This is an opportunity for a creative and strategic leader to be involved in a large culinary operation and lead the development of innovative and market‑leading dining concepts. This is your chance to truly shape the narrative of upscale dining.

Every day is different, but you’ll mostly be:

Leading kitchen operations during service, ensuring smooth and efficient execution while making operational decisions in the absence of senior leadership.

Maintain exceptional culinary standards by overseeing food preparation, cooking, plating, and quality control to ensure consistency in presentation, portioning, and taste.

Drive team performance and development through training, mentoring, and coaching staff, fostering a culture of accountability, promoting professionalism, mutual respect and continuous improvement.

Manage kitchen resources effectively, including stock control, ordering, labour utilisation, portion control, and waste minimisation to achieve food cost targets.

Champion food safety, cleanliness, and workplace safety, ensuring full compliance with food safety regulations, hygiene standards, and health & safety policies in accordance with HACCAP.

Contribute to menu innovation and guest satisfaction by developing dishes and specials, accommodating dietary requirements, and delivering memorable dining experiences, under the directions of our executive chef.

What we need from you:

You’ll be a hands‑on leader with the ability to positively coach and motivate the team to succeed and develop them towards their goals.

Ideally you will have at least 5 years’ experience in a professional kitchen environment with minimum 2+ years in a Chef de partie or sous chef position. Experience in a hotel kitchen would be advantageous.

Excellent organisational and time‑management abilities, with a strong focus on planning and delivering consistent results under pressure.

You also need to bring great communication skills, a proven track record of working autonomously and a positive approach.

You’ll be a motivated team player with strong culinary skills and a real passion for food.

You’ll be available to work a rotating 7‑day roster including mornings, evenings, weekends and public holidays.

You must have the right to live and work in New Zealand.

What we offer

You’ll be rewarded for your hard work with a suite of benefits that supports you and your family’s wellbeing, including:

• paid birthday leave
• daily laundered uniform
• additional parental leave benefits
• flexible work options

Your career journey will be supported through our lifelong development program, IHG career milestone celebrations, and transfer of entitlements as you move and grow with IHG. In addition to the always‑popular hotel perks like accommodation and food & beverage discounts, our discount retail platform makes your pay go even further. We are proud to be IHG and we know you will be too.

So, join us and you’ll become part of our ever‑growing global family.

Please note that we will only consider candidates who can prove their valid rights to live and work in New Zealand.