Head Chef
Visa sponsorship
Hospitality · Sydney, NSW, Australia · Full-Time · Discussed at interview · Visa: Employer sponsored
Let us be straight about it. This is a Head Chef role at the very top of the trade. A hospitality group with several award-winning restaurants is opening a luxury Modern Japanese fine-dining restaurant in the Sydney CBD in mid 2027, and it wants expressions of interest from proven leaders.
You would run the pass and the brigade with the Executive Chef, a fourth-generation Japanese chef from Osaka. The work covers menu development, sushi, robata, omakase, à la carte and private dining, plus the numbers: food cost, labour, purchasing, budgets and stock. The venue is going into a prestigious new development, designed with an award-winning Japanese architect. The group is clear that its kitchens run on respect, so it wants a humble, confident head who stamps out bullying. Visa sponsorship is considered for exceptional international candidates.
South African chefs who have led Japanese premium kitchens: back your interest with a sharp English CV listing those kitchens and the teams you built. Put together a Japanese fine dining CV for Sydney on Build AI CV.
Key Responsibilities
- Run the brigade and mentor, lead and inspire the chefs in it
- Develop menus and new ideas with the Executive Chef and carry them out
- Oversee sushi, robata, omakase, à la carte and private dining
- Keep quality, consistency and presentation exceptional so guests leave impressed
- Watch food costs, labour, purchasing, budgets, rosters and stock to keep the kitchen profitable
- Recruit, train and develop talented chefs with accountability and operational discipline
- Meet the highest standards of food safety, hygiene and workplace compliance, in a kitchen culture built on professionalism, teamwork and mutual respect
Requirements & Eligibility
- Proven senior leadership experience in acclaimed Japanese premium-dining restaurants or internationally recognised hospitality groups
- Renowned restaurants of comparable calibre on your record are highly regarded
- Exceptional Japanese culinary knowledge and technical ability
- Sharp attention to detail
- Strong commercial understanding of kitchen financial performance, food costs and labour costs
- Demonstrated ability to develop, motivate and retain outstanding kitchen teams
- Excellent communication, organisation and leadership skills
- Staying calm, composed and professional under pressure
Apply: Apply by email · WhatsApp
Visa guide: Skills in Demand (482) Visa Guide for South Africans