Head Chef / Executive Chef | 5 Star Hotel | West of Ireland

Red D are recruiting an experienced, commercially astute Head Chef / Executive Chef for a leading 5 Star Hotel in the West of Ireland.

This is an excellent opportunity for an accomplished culinary leader to take responsibility for the food operation within a luxury hotel, working as part of the Senior Leadership Team and playing a key role in the continued development of its culinary offering.

With multiple food and beverage outlets, a busy events and banqueting operation and a strong focus on quality, the hotel requires a Head Chef / Executive Chef who combines excellent culinary standards with strong leadership, creativity and commercial awareness.

We are looking for someone who enjoys leading from the front, takes pride in developing talented kitchen teams and understands how to deliver exceptional food while managing the financial performance of a substantial kitchen operation.

The Role

As Head Chef / Executive Chef, you will have overall responsibility for the hotel’s culinary operation, working closely with the senior management team to deliver consistently high standards of food, service and financial performance.

Key responsibilities will include:

• Leading, managing and developing the culinary teams across the hotel
• Taking overall responsibility for kitchen operations across multiple food and beverage outlets, restaurant dining, private dining, events and banqueting
• Developing creative, commercially successful menus that reflect the hotel’s 5 Star positioning and commitment to quality
• Maintaining exceptional standards of food preparation, cooking, presentation and consistency
• Driving the continued development of the hotel’s culinary offering, introducing new ideas and seasonal menus
• Ensuring the smooth running of busy service periods across all kitchen operations
• Taking full responsibility for food costs, menu costings, gross profit margins, purchasing and kitchen labour costs
• Managing kitchen budgets, forecasting, stock control and overall operational efficiency
• Building strong relationships with suppliers, with an emphasis on quality ingredients, seasonal produce and value
• Recruiting, training, mentoring and developing a strong culinary management team
• Creating a positive, professional kitchen culture built around teamwork, accountability, respect and high standards
• Maintaining excellent HACCP, food safety, hygiene and regulatory compliance standards
• Working closely with Food & Beverage and the wider Senior Leadership Team to continually improve the dining experience and commercial performance of the hotel

What We Are Looking For

We are looking for an experienced Head Chef / Executive Chef with the culinary ability, leadership skills and commercial understanding to manage a substantial 5 Star hotel kitchen operation.

The successful candidate will ideally have:

• A minimum of three years’ experience as a Head Chef or Executive Chef within a luxury hotel, resort or comparable high-quality hospitality operation
• Previous experience in a 5 Star hotel or a similarly demanding culinary environment
• Strong experience managing multiple food outlets, restaurant operations and large-scale events and banqueting
• Excellent culinary knowledge with a passion for quality ingredients, menu development and presentation
• Proven experience leading, motivating and developing large kitchen teams
• Strong commercial awareness, particularly in food cost management, menu engineering, gross profit margins, purchasing and labour control
• Experience managing kitchen budgets and delivering agreed financial targets
• Excellent organisational skills and the ability to maintain standards across several busy service periods
• A thorough understanding of HACCP, food safety and kitchen compliance
• Strong communication skills and the confidence to contribute at Senior Leadership Team level
• A hands-on leadership approach with the ability to develop a strong second-tier management team

We are particularly interested in speaking with Head Chefs and Executive Chefs who have experience in luxury hotels with substantial food and beverage operations and who are ready to take ownership of the culinary direction of a leading 5 Star property.

Salary & Benefits

An excellent salary and benefits package is available for the successful Head Chef / Executive Chef, including:

• Excellent salary, reflecting experience
• Performance-related bonus based on agreed KPIs
• Additional company benefits

This is an opportunity for an ambitious Head Chef / Executive Chef to lead a significant culinary operation, influence the hotel’s food direction and become an important member of the senior management team.

We can only consider candidates with full, unrestricted permission to live and work in the EU.

UK passport holders are also welcome to apply.

About Red D

Red D Recruitment | Executive & Senior Hospitality, Tourism and C-Suite Recruitment

We’ve been in hospitality and executive recruitment for over 30 years. We know the industry, we know the people, and we know how to make the right match.

We recruit senior and executive talent across hospitality, tourism and people-first businesses in Ireland and internationally. From GMs and department heads to C-suite and board-level roles, we work with companies who care about who they hire and leaders who know their worth.

We’re not about buzzwords, databases or quick wins. We’re about relationships, insight and results that last.

Our Recruitment Specialisms

Hotels & Resorts
General Manager, Hotel Manager, Deputy General Manager, Operations Manager, Resort Manager and senior hotel leadership appointments.

Food & Beverage and Culinary
Director of Food & Beverage, Food & Beverage Manager, Executive Chef, Head Chef, Executive Sous Chef, Restaurant Manager, Bar Manager, Banqueting Manager and senior culinary and hospitality appointments.

Sales, Marketing & Commercial
Commercial Director, Director of Sales & Marketing, Director of Sales, Sales Manager, Marketing Director, Marketing Manager and senior commercial appointments.

Revenue, Distribution & Reservations
Director of Revenue, Cluster Director of Revenue, Revenue Manager, Cluster Revenue Manager, Director of Reservations, Cluster Reservations Manager and senior revenue management appointments.

People & Culture / Human Resources
Director of People & Culture, HR Director, Head of HR, Human Resources Manager, People & Culture Manager and senior HR appointments.

Finance
Chief Financial Officer, CFO, Finance Director, Director of Finance, Financial Controller and senior finance leadership appointments.

Rooms & Guest Experience
Director of Rooms, Rooms Division Manager, Front Office Manager, Executive Accommodation Manager, Executive Housekeeper, Head Housekeeper, Guest Relations Manager and senior rooms division appointments.

Spa, Wellness & Leisure
Spa Director, Spa Manager, Wellness Manager, Leisure Manager and senior spa and wellness appointments.

Tourism & Visitor Attractions
General Manager, Visitor Attraction Manager, Operations Manager, Commercial Manager, Head of Visitor Experience and senior tourism leadership appointments.

Workplace Catering & Hospitality
Operations Director, Operations Manager, Area Manager, General Manager, Senior General Manager, Hospitality Manager, Business Development Manager, Executive Chef and senior workplace dining and contract catering appointments.

Executive, C-Suite & Board Appointments
Chief Executive Officer, CEO, Chief Operating Officer, COO, Chief Financial Officer, CFO, Chief Commercial Officer, CCO, Chief People Officer, CPO and board-level appointments including Non-Executive Director, Independent Non-Executive Director and other senior executive and board appointments.

Equal Opportunities

Red D Recruitment is committed to equal opportunities and welcomes applications from people of all genders, backgrounds and identities. Selection is based on merit, skills and experience.

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