Chef De Partie

About the roleAs a Chef de Partie at our Brownsea Castle hotel, you'll join a talented kitchen brigade dedicated to providing a first-class experience for Partners and guests. You will be a key player in preparing, presenting, and helping to develop the hotel's culinary offerings.
This is an ideal development opportunity. While working under the Head and Sous Chef, you will be responsible for managing your station and will also take on responsibility for maintaining kitchen operations in their absence, enhancing the kitchen's efficiency and profitability.

At Brownsea Castle

Working on an island, living in a castle with red squirrels at your window sounds like a fantasy but due to the wonderful and unique Brownsea Castle this could be your reality.

It’s our place by the sea, our island getaway across beautiful Poole Harbour offering an escape to our Partners with history and nature in abundance. Guests stay on the National Trust run island in the amazing Tudor castle, set amongst 17 acres of private grounds with stunning Italian gardens and a dedicated beach offering relaxation and beautiful nature walks.

If you are looking for a hotel with a difference, this could be it. You’ll be surrounded by a team of passionate and dedicated hospitality Partners who give our guests the best experience possible. What is different about our guests though is that they are Partners with their friends and family. 

As co-owners in the business, you’ll see this difference in the way your teammates and you approach your job and carry out your responsibilities. With all of the island to explore or using any of the facilities on offer; a croquet lawn, children's play area, badminton, football, cricket, fishing, archery and frisbee golf you can guarantee that our guests will be hungry and looking to recharge with the fantastic food offering we give them.

Boats:  We have our own private boat service from Poole Quay and Salterns Marina to get Partners to and from work, these boats run approximately once an hour between 7am - 11pm. Castello Boat berths in the Marina at Poole and Enterprise at Salterns . 

Car parking: Parking for Poole can be found on BCP Council car park information page - https://www.bcpcouncil.gov.uk/parking/find-a-car-park/quay-visitors-mult... and for Salterns marina there is on road parking on Dorset lakes road, the marina is permit parking only.

Buses: Buses from Salterns stop at 7pm and all staff are required to cover late night shifts beyond the bus times.

Contract type - This contract is a permanent contract.

Working pattern/flexible working: This is an on-site role at our Brownsea Castle hotel. The role requires flexibility to work varied shifts, including weekends and evenings, to support the operational needs of the business.

Earliest start 7:00Am - latest finish 10:00Pm, includes weekend working 

Location: Brownsea Island, Poole - Doorset

Live in option available

Working in a kitchen environment is fast-paced and can feel pressurised. Day-to-day responsibilities will include:

• Supporting the Head Chef and Sous Chef in planning, preparing, and executing the hotel's food offerings to high presentation standards.

• Guiding and developing chef apprentices and the wider kitchen staff, using your expertise to train them.

• Controlling food costs and stock, minimising wastage, and ensuring accuracy of food orders.

• Driving sales by managing food availability and empowering the front-of-house team to effectively upsell.

• Adhering to all legal standards within the catering environment, including allergen management.

• Conducting daily compliance checks (e.g., chemicals, PPE, health and safety) and ensuring all food safety policies are followed.

• Representing the brand by delivering an exceptional and consistent customer experience.

• Embodying the Partnership's values and democratic principles, actively participating in co-ownership and demonstrating a commitment to better business practices.

• Pursuing personal and professional growth to reach your full potential and engaging actively with your profession.

• Valuing and acknowledging the diverse perspectives and experiences within the Partnership.
   

Essential skills/experience you’ll need

• Relevant professional chef qualifications: NVQ L2/3, Apprenticeship L2/3 cookery or equivalent.

• Experience working in a professional kitchen.

• A highly self-motivated and industrious worker with a passion for food, creativity, and flair.

• Ability to work under pressure in a fast-paced environment, delivering high-quality results.

• Comprehensive understanding of HACCP principles and the ability to interpret and enforce food safety and health & safety regulations.

• Strong organisational and planning capabilities.

• Excellent communication skills, with the ability to effectively influence, motivate, and coach a team.

• A collaborative team player with a productivity-focused and customer-centric mindset.
   

Desirable skills/experience you may have

• Food Safety Level 3 qualification.

• City & Guilds 706 1 and 2 or equivalent.

• Food Hygiene Certificate Level 2.

   

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About The Partnership

We’re the largest employee owned business in the UK and home of our cherished brands, John Lewis and Waitrose. We’re not just employees, we’re Partners, driven by our purpose to build a happier world. As we look to our future, there’s never been a more exciting time to join us.  

We’re ruthlessly focused on being brilliant at retail. We continue to innovate, adapt and diversify. Never Knowingly Undersold on price, quality and service in John Lewis and passionately serving food-lovers in Waitrose.   

As Partners we all share the responsibility of ownership and in its rewards. We use our voices to contribute to our success, working together through the good and challenging times, holding true to our behaviours and treating everyone with kindness and respect. 

We all own making the Partnership somewhere we belong. Embracing our differences and creating an environment where we’re free to be ourselves and can THRIVE. Growing ourselves individually, and as a collective. 

As Partners, we make all the difference. And, we all own it.  

Important points to note:  

It’s important to note that some of our roles are subject to pre-employment vetting (which may include DBS checks for successful candidates). If required, you’ll be informed and provided with information about vetting during the recruitment process and we encourage you to complete any vetting documents quickly to avoid delays. Any DBS checks required will be carried out by a third-party registered body and financial probity checks may also be required for some of our roles.  

We occasionally close vacancies early in the event we receive a high volume of applications, and therefore, we recommend you apply early. If you require a reasonable adjustment due to a disability which means you may need longer to complete your application please contact us as soon as possible.

We want all of our Partners to have a good work-life balance and we support flexible working. This might mean flexible or compressed hours, job sharing or shorter hour contracts, where possible. Please discuss this further with the hiring manager during your interview.