South Africa: Group Executive Chef | Hospitality Group | Ct Or Jhb posted by J D Specialized Recruitment

is partnering with a dynamic and growing hospitality group with established restaurant brands in Johannesburg and Cape Town to recruit an experienced & energetic The Group Executive Chef will lead the culinary direction across the group’s restaurant portfolio, with a strong operational focus on Cape Town. This is a senior, hands-on leadership role suited to an accomplished chef who seamlessly blends strategic culinary vision with operational excellence, strong people leadership, and the confidence to be highly visible during service — acting as a true face of the brand within the kitchens. The role is responsible for driving, maintaining, and evolving culinary standards across multiple brands, ensuring consistency, innovation, cost control, and a positive, high-performance kitchen culture. The Group Executive Chef will play a key role in menu development, team leadership and training, supplier relationships, and active service leadership, while working closely with senior management to support the commercial and brand objectives of the business. Key Responsibilities · Drive and oversee menu development across all group brands, ensuring alignment with brand identity and market positioning · Maintain consistent food quality, presentation, and execution across Johannesburg and Cape Town · Lead menu rollouts, refinements, and seasonal updates (menu development and training form part of the role, though not the sole focus) · Take primary responsibility for Cape Town kitchen operations, including recruitment, training, and leadership of the full back-of-house teams · Establish strong kitchen structures, systems, and standards within the Cape Town restaurants · Be actively present in the kitchens, including working hands-on shifts during service · Lead by example during busy services — visible, engaged, and respected by the teams · Drive kitchen discipline, service flow, and operational consistency · Recruit, train, mentor, and retain strong back-of-house teams · Foster a professional, respectful, and high-performance kitchen culture · Develop future leaders within the kitchens through structured training and coaching · Oversee food costings, GP control, wastage management, and stock discipline · Work closely with management to ensure budgets, margins, and operational efficiencies are met · Build and maintain strong relationships with key suppliers · Negotiate pricing, manage product quality, and ensure reliable supply chains · Collaborate closely with senior management and restaurant leadership teams Essential Experience & Attributes · Proven experience as an Executive Chef / Group Executive Chef within a multi-outlet hospitality or restaurant group · A stable and credible career track record · Strong understanding of food costings, menu engineering, and operational controls · Excellent communication and leadership skills · Confident, professional, and comfortable being highly visible in service · Natural authority in the kitchen with a calm, respected leadership style · Professional, composed, and brand-conscious · A “seen” chef — confident on the floor and in the kitchen, with a subtle celebrity chef presence · Passionate about people development and team success · Flexible to frequently travel between Joburg and Cape Town · Excellent market related salary PLEASE NOTE – Although we appreciate all applications, we will only reply to those candidates who meet our clients specific requirements. Thank you for your understanding