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Four days in the kitchen. Three days to yourself.

We're looking for an experienced Sous Chef to take a leading role in our established pub kitchen in Woodburn, in the heart of the Northern Rivers.

We know hospitality can be demanding, so we've structured this position differently.

You'll work a genuine four-day week, giving you three days off each week, along with one full weekend off every month.

For someone relocating to the area, we can also provide short-term accommodation while you get settled.

Most importantly, this isn't a Sous Chef role with nowhere to go. We're looking for someone who wants to take ownership of a kitchen, develop their management skills and ultimately progress into our Head Chef position.

The role

You'll be the senior chef responsible for the day-to-day running of kitchen service.

You'll be supported by two other qualified chefs, an apprentice and additional casual kitchen staff, particularly during our busier services.

Our Food & Beverage Manager is an experienced former Head Chef who previously ran the kitchen. He remains responsible for overall F&B operations and will provide support, mentoring and oversight, but isn't rostered into the kitchen.

That means you'll have the opportunity to genuinely lead the kitchen while still having an experienced operator there to support you.

Our pub trades seven days a week for lunch and dinner, with Friday through Sunday our busiest services.

What you'll be doing

You'll take responsibility for:

• Leading and running lunch and dinner services
• Maintaining food quality, consistency and presentation
• Organising prep and sections
• Leading and supporting the kitchen team
• Training and mentoring our apprentice and junior staff
• Stock rotation, portion control and waste management
• Maintaining food safety and kitchen standards
• Working closely with front-of-house management
• Assisting with ordering and stocktakes
• Developing your skills in rostering, food costing, menu development and supplier management

As you develop in the position, you'll progressively take on more responsibility for the commercial and management side of the kitchen.

What we're looking for

We're looking for a chef who is confident enough to run a busy service and ambitious enough to want their own kitchen in the future.

You'll ideally have:

• Trade qualifications and solid experience as a professional chef
• Sous Chef experience, or strong senior Chef de Partie experience with the ability to step up
• Experience in a busy pub, club or high-volume restaurant environment
• Strong service and organisational skills
• The ability to lead a kitchen team calmly and respectfully
• Good understanding of food cost, portion control and waste
• High standards around food safety and cleanliness
• A genuine interest in developing your kitchen management skills

Just as importantly, we're looking for someone reliable, level-headed and good to work with.