A Head of Food and Beverage is needed for a farm-to-fork luxury country hotel and wellness retreat in West Dorset. Senior, hands-on F&B leadership seat with full ownership of daily service, bespoke events, SOPs, and team performance.
Permanent, full-time. Immediate start. Up to £60,000 gross per annum, depending on experience, plus package. Relocation assistance available where required, including staff accommodation or rental support. West Dorset, UK.
The concept, offering, and setting are established. The priority is to appoint a Head of F&B who leads from the front, brings structure to the operation, raises service standards, and embeds SOPs for consistency and accountability.
What you will lead:
- Breakfast, lunch, and dinner service across the property.
- Private dining, bespoke guest experiences, retreat groups, family stays, and corporate events.
- SOPs, planning, mise-en-place, and performance benchmarks.
- A small service team including multiple supervisors. Rota planning, labour-cost awareness, daily briefings, and performance management.
- Stock, procurement, supplier relationships, and audit processes across food, beverage, and OS&E.
- FSA and HACCP compliance, food safety, hygiene, and health and safety.
Reporting to the General Manager, working closely with the Head Chef and Hotel Manager in weekly operational meetings.
What you bring:
- Proven experience already as a Head of Food and Beverage, F&B Manager, or equivalent senior F&B leadership role within luxury hotels, retreats, private members' clubs, or premium restaurants. This is not a step-up role.
- Strong hands-on floor leadership with visible presence in service.
- Experience implementing and enforcing SOPs and service standards.
- Strong people leadership: coach, develop, manage.
- Planning capability across rotas, service preparation, and team efficiency.
- Calm, professional communication and strong presence under pressure.
- Flexibility for early mornings, evenings, and weekends.
- Right to work in the UK.
Strong advantage: event service or retreat programming experience; VIP or UHNW guest experience; WSET Level 2 or similar; track record of improving service standards within an operation that requires tighter structure and leadership.