About Petworth Places: Petworth Places trading as Market Town Developments Ltd is made up of several teams of dedicated people building a destination hospitality and food and beverage business with Stay, Eat, Visit at the heart of the business. Our core businesses are located in the beautiful South Downs market town of Petworth, West Sussex, and the historic market town of West Malling in Kent. Responsibilities: The Head Chef will be responsible for: Strategic Business Development: Have a clear vision of how to create destination restaurants with a wonderful dining experience, and to be able to execute all aspects of the vision. Create a pricing policy which enhances GPs and reflects the excellence of the food but ensures take-up and profitability. Create seasonal menus using local and sustainable produce which will bring to life our restaurants, exciting our guests with fresh and tantalising dishes. Have a wide understanding of the hospitality industry and food; keep abreast of trends and new methods, and keep ahead in the industry. Collaborate with relevant teams on beverage selection and management to enhance menu choices, drive up-sell and complete the overall experience in the restaurants. Create culinary experiences on line and in restaurant and at other group venues to deliver exceptional food and strengthen the brand. Menu Development: Create menus that reflect the vision of the restaurant, and produce a consistently high-level output; ensure they are in step with local demographic needs and also attract a wider audience to Petworth for a destination restaurant. Source local and exceptional ingredients (both in-house and 3rd party), create good working relationships with suppliers and control GPs against target in the kitchens. People Management: Staff the kitchens with the people who have the right skills, training and development to become part of world-class teams and support the Restaurant Manager to deliver excellence every day to every customer. Scout for local and national talent to bring into the kitchens and enhance the team. Keep Food Safety and Hygiene as a core discipline in the kitchen; have proven experience in this area and a real desire to adhere to all legislative requirements. Support in managing the daily responsibilities of kitchen team. Support in managing the annual food and consumable budget ensuring this is tracked and spent accordingly. Experience and Qualifications: The successful candidate will possess the following: Education, Experience and Licensing Requirements: City & Guilds diplomas in professional cookery. BTEC HND in professional cookery and / or a foundation degree in culinary arts. Health and safety and food hygiene certificates. Desired Qualifications / Skills: Efficient time management and organisational skills, and the ability to multitask. Attention to detail. Proven ability to manage budgets. Professional and proactive work ethic. High competence in project and stakeholder management. Understanding of luxury market. Strong B2C experience, especially working in complex markets and being able to simplify. Excellent understanding of using audience understanding and data to shape, influence, amend and optimise plans. Competency in Microsoft applications including Word, Excel, and Outlook. Other Important Traits: Just as important as the technical requirements of the job are the less tangible elements that will help the right candidate achieve outstanding results: Passion for food, quality ingredients, and travel. Interest in heritage, culture, craftsmanship, and artisanal excellence. Leadership and demonstrable teamwork skills. Friendly and accommodating manner, with excellent interpersonal, written and oral communication skills. A good balance between strategic planning and hands-on delivery. Creative ‘outside of the box’ thinking. Ability to influence at a senior level to secure strategic partnerships. Diplomacy to have difficult conversations as needed. Benefits: Competitive Salary. Staff discounts at all group outlets. Employee Assistance Programme. Holiday entitlement of 28 days per annum including Bank Holidays (for full time roles). Learning and development opportunities.