An Exciting Opportunity has arisen at Doddington Hall & Gardens for a Sous Chef to support our Head Banqueting Chef to lead and drive our busy Coach House Wedding, Events & Tearoom venue.

Doddington Hall & Gardens: Begun in 1595 by Robert Smythson, one of England’s foremost Elizabethan Architects, Doddington Hall was completed in 1600 and has never been sold or cleared out since. An example of a fine late Elizabethan Mansion, it is still a lived-in and much loved family home, alive with history and interest.

The Coach House : A stylishly refurbished Elizabethan building with its own secluded garden and delightful, light, airy and modern extension.

Our Philosophy: Here at Doddington Hall we are proud to showcase quality, seasonal produce from our own estate and local suppliers. We have our own herd of Lincoln Red Cattle for all our beef dishes, rare breed pigs for our pork dishes, plentiful game, our own honey and foraged wild garlic along with fantastic year-round produce from our walled Kitchen Garden. Beyond the estate we seek out the best local growers and producers from Lincolnshire and surrounding counties.

Sustainability: We are determined to be as environmentally friendly as possible, considering our impact on tomorrow as well as today.

Our Sous Chef will be tasked with assisting the Head Banqueting Chef in managing and leading the Coach House Wedding & Events Venue which is production, public catering, conference, banqueting and wedding, high volume based.

The ideal candidate for the position must possess the ability to lead with a passion that inspires their team.

This is a fast paced and challenging environment, and the ideal candidate must have previous experience working within a senior kitchen position, be financially focussed and self-motivated, sales driven, talented and passionate about delivering exceptional customer service.

Under the direction of the Head Banqueting Chef, the Sous chef will be developed to support in managing all Coach House Wedding & Events Venue operations on a day-to-day basis to assure optimum performance and continual improvement. They must help coordinate, direct, and motivate their team. They will support everyday operations to achieve profitability, guest satisfaction and efficiency while maintaining the highest of standards set at Doddington Hall & Gardens.

EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE:

Three years related experience in a 4 to 5 Star Hotel, Banqueting Venue or Restaurant and must be used to different styles of service, including high volume.

THE IDEAL CANDIDATE WILL HAVE THE FOLLOWING:

Commercial awareness and understand how decisions impact the business financially.

Strong leadership skills in order to lead and motivate an existing and established, hardworking team to develop ideas.

Ability to coach team members in learning the same skills.

Excellent communication, interpersonal and leadership skills.

Excellent track record of maximising sales and surpassing targets.

Ability to execute budgets on a daily, monthly and annual basis.

Ability to organise multiple projects; manage and prioritise multiple tasks and meet deadlines.

Analysis and decision-making skills

Organisational skills, attention to detail and ability to deliver high standards.

Ability to manage and build multiple relationships with key departments.

Ability to run with a pro-active and ambitious attitude.

Ability to multi-task, work under pressure and prioritise needs.

Proven time management and negotiation skills.

Excellent IT skills.

Great administrative skills.

DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES INCLUDE:

• Assisting with menu planning and associated costings (to include seasonal menus, special dietary requirement menus, and ad hoc promotional menus. To help arrange food tastings prior to implementation).
• Assisting with overseeing the Coach House Wedding & Events Venue KPIs, ensuring they are met efficiently and effectively.
• Being responsible for the successful delivery of food margin.
• Overseeing the quality of all food served from the department, with additional emphasis on consistency and quality presentation.
• Assisting with leading, training, coaching and developing the Coach House Wedding & Events Venue team.
• Being accountable for the Coach House Wedding & Events Venue team payroll costs, and achieving the prescribed budgets.
• Liaising with food suppliers to ensure competitive pricing is achieved across the board.
• Supporting the head Banqueting Chef at both a tactical and strategic level, managing and continuously developing all aspects of the Coach House Wedding & Events Venue.
• Providing a clear vision for its strategic direction, whilst taking personal responsibility for identifying additional sales and marketing opportunities.
• Ensuring customer service excellence is consistently delivered, and revenues and profitability are maximised.
• Assisting with regular operations team meetings with the Coach House Wedding & Events Venue Team, Front of House and Sales Teams, on a daily / weekly basis to discuss routine operational matters, sales targets and guest feedback, and action taken for service recovery, and also any staff issues…
• Identifying staff learning needs and assisting with development.
• Working with the Head Banqueting Chef and Marketing Department to develop and drive revenue strategies, and to ensure all distribution channels are optimised, and being innovative in identifying market strategies to stay ahead of the competition, involving all marketing platforms including social media.
• Keeping up to date with industry trends and competition, to ensure the department surpasses consumer demands.
• Assisting the Head Banqueting Chef with formulating and establish operating procedures and goals.
• Being proactive in suggesting and debating alternative methods and procedures in solving concerns and assuring that we exceed the expectations and satisfaction of our guests.
• Ensuring all food hygiene regulations are adhered to and that the Coach House is kept to a high standard of cleanliness and with procedures systematically enforced to conform to all EHO food regulation standards and HACCP guidelines.
• Ensuring all activities are carried out in full compliance with the company’s operating standards and cleaning procedures and in accordance with all legal, health and safety, and Covid-19 prevention requirements.
• Any other duties assigned.

HOURS: 45 hours per week, 5 out of 7 days, to include early mornings, evenings and weekends.

SALARY : £22,000 - £24,000 OTE (dependent upon experience).

We offer an attractive benefits package including staff discounts to our retail stores & long service initiatives.

Closing date for applications is Tuesday 1st April 2025.

If you have not received a reply by Friday 11th April 2025, please assume you have been unsuccessful on this occasion.

We reserve the right to end the recruitment process early if we receive a high level of appropriate applications, therefore we suggest interested candidates apply early.

Job Types: Full-time, Permanent

Salary: £28,284.00-£29,242.00 per year dependent upon experience

Benefits:

• Employee discount
• On-site parking

Schedule:

• Monday to Friday
• Weekends

Experience:

• Chef: 3 years (preferred)

Work remotely:

• No

Job Types: Full-time, Permanent

Pay: £28,284.00-£29,242.00 per year

Benefits:

• Company events
• Discounted or free food
• Employee discount
• Free parking
• On-site parking
• Store discount

Experience:

• Chef: 3 years (required)

Work Location: In person

Application deadline: 01/04/2025
Reference ID: SOUSDODD25
Expected start date: 12/05/2025