At Ovolo, we don't just serve great food we create memorable experiences with every dish we serve.
Cluster Executive Chef | Pre-Opening & Culinary Excellence
As we prepare to unveil the next chapter of Ovolo Sydney, we're looking for an exceptional Cluster Executive Chef | Pre-Opening & Culinary Excellence to partner with our Executive Chef and culinary leadership team in delivering one of Sydney's most anticipated hotel openings, while driving culinary excellence across our Australian portfolio.
This is a hands-on leadership role for a chef who thrives on the pass, leads by example, and inspires teams through action. You'll be in the kitchen leading service, creating exceptional menus, mentoring and developing chefs, refining dishes, and setting the benchmark for quality, creativity and consistency every single day.
Your journey begins with one of the most exciting hospitality projects in Australia.
As part of the pre-opening team at Ovolo Sydney, you'll play a pivotal role in bringing our exciting new dining concept, "Brunos", to life. Working alongside the leadership team, you'll help develop and launch a vibrant food and beverage destination that delivers memorable guest experiences across every touchpoint; from café, restaurant and bar service to all-day dining, in-room dining, and Conference & Events. This is a rare opportunity to shape a venue from the ground up and leave your culinary fingerprint on a landmark opening.
Once "Brunos" is established, your focus will expand across our Australian hotels, partnering with our Head and Executive Chefs to elevate culinary standards, strengthen operational consistency, inspire menu innovation, and mentor the next generation of culinary talent. While supporting the broader portfolio, you'll continue to oversee the premium culinary experience at Ovolo Sydney, ensuring it remains a flagship destination that reflects our bold personality, creativity and commitment to exceptional hospitality.
What You'll Be Doing
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Locally, you will help shape the culinary identity of one of Sydney’s rebranded luxury hotels by:
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Leading the culinary pre-opening journey from concept through to launch.
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Developing menus across every food and beverage touchpoint, including café, restaurant, bar, all-day dining, in-room dining and Conference & Events.
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Creating recipes, specifications, presentation standards and kitchen operating procedures.
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Leading menu tastings, supplier engagement and premium product sourcing.
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Coaching and developing the kitchen brigade while maintaining exceptional food quality throughout the opening journey.
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Being present during service, leading from the pass and ensuring every plate leaving the kitchen reflects the Ovolo brand.
You'll thrive in a dynamic hotel environment and be equally comfortable leading teams across:
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Conference & Events
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All-Day Dining
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Breakfast
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In-Room Dining
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Restaurant Service
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Bar & Shared Plates
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VIP Experiences & Amenities
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Seasonal Activations & Signature Events
You'll know how to balance creativity, quality, speed and commercial performance without ever compromising the guest experience.
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Drive Culinary Excellence Across Ovolo
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Drive consistency across menus, recipes and presentation standards.
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Champion innovation through seasonal menu development and new concepts. Mentor Executive Chefs and emerging culinary talent.
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Support operational reviews, kitchen optimisation and continuous improvement.
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Ensure every venue consistently delivers the Ovolo food philosophy and guest experience.
About You
You'll bring and have experience in:
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Extensive Executive Chef experience within luxury, boutique or lifestyle hotels.
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Proven success delivering hotel pre-openings.
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Strong operational expertise across restaurants, bars, breakfast, all-day dining, room service and Conference & Events.
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Creating SOPs, Menu Concepts Cards, & setting consistent standards across multiple venues.
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A genuine passion for developing chefs and building high-performing kitchen teams.
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Strong commercial acumen with a solid understanding of food cost, labour productivity and kitchen performance.
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Creativity balanced with operational discipline and attention to detail.
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Managing costs whilst producing exceptional food.
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A hands-on leadership style, you naturally lead from the kitchen, coaching, inspiring and supporting your team through every service.
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Energy, resilience and the ability to thrive in a fast-paced, ever-evolving hospitality environment.
If you're passionate about creating unforgettable dining experiences, love building high-performing teams, and want the opportunity to influence the future of one of Australia's most exciting lifestyle hotel brands, we'd love to hear from you
