Culinary Collective
Group Executive Chef
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Group Executive Chef - Heard.
Burgers worth gathering for.
Heard. is a premium fast-casual smash burger concept from 2 Michelin-starred chef Jordan Bailey, born from a desire to take an everyday classic and make it quietly exceptional. We combine top-quality, thoughtfully sourced ingredients with the rigour and technique of the world’s best kitchens. No gimmicks, no shortcuts - just maximum flavour done right.
After a massive year touring the UK’s biggest events and launching our permanent homes in Borough and Soho, we are looking forward to our next chapter. With our third and fourth sites on the horizon, we are preparing the business for rapid scale, global expansion, and long-term franchise readiness.
To get us there, we are looking for a Group Executive Chef who thinks like a culinary director and operates like a systems engineer. You won't just be running kitchens; you will take full ownership of the "Heard Kitchen Engine" - building the operational infrastructure, standardising site execution, locking down commercial performance, and developing our future culinary leaders.
The Heard Package
- Salary: £85,000 - £95,000 per year (depending on experience)
- Holiday: Unlimited paid holiday. We trust you to manage your time, your team, and your results.
- Benefits: Access to benefits platform from day one including 50% off food and drink in our sites, cycle to work scheme and high street discounts.
- The Food: A monthly meal for you and four guests, on us.
- Your Birthday off!
What You’ll Do
You will operate across four core responsibility pillars, bridging head office strategy with restaurant-level operational reality:
Talent & People Development
- Build the Kitchen Leadership Bench: Identify, train, and develop internal talent, actively building our pipeline of future Head Chefs and Sous Chefs as the group expands.
- Set the Cultural Tone: Set a cold-to-warm shift in kitchen energy - building a supportive, high-accountability environment where feedback is generous and BOH/FOH operate as one team.
- Structured Onboarding: Design and launch structured kitchen training programmes so new hires hit our quality benchmarks quickly.
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Quality, Standards & Global Scalability
- Own the Heard Kitchen Playbook: Document, update, and enforce our cross-site standardisation - from prep methods and plating to equipment usage and comprehensive recipe specs, making the business “franchise-ready” and prepared for global expansion.
- Taste Obsessively & Audit: Conduct regular quality audits and rotating tastings across all locations to catch slippage in quality, presentation, or portioning long before the guest does.
- International Openings & Travel: Occasional International travel to lead site launches and conduct follow-up standards audits. You will work closely with location-dedicated Exec Chefs and Head Chefs who run those restaurants day-to-day, ensuring our global footprint maintains the exact same standard as our London homes.
- EHO & Compliance Readiness: Drive flawless HACCP compliance, food safety, and hygiene standards, keeping every site audit-ready every single day.
Commercial Performance & Supplier Partnerships
- Own the Kitchen P&L: Maintain daily/weekly control of Food COGS, waste streams, and site variance. Implement systems that protect gross margins without compromising product quality.
- Supplier Relations & Timely Feedback: Build strong, accountable relationships with our supply chain network. Set clear receiving benchmarks, conduct routine vendor checks, and provide immediate, actionable feedback to suppliers to ensure material consistency and optimal commercial pricing.
- Labour Efficiency: Partner with Head Chefs to build operational schedules that protect team well-being while hitting labour targets and shift-prep readiness.
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Menu Implementation & Creative Synergy
- Bridge Concept to Execution: Work side-by-side with our dedicated Development Chef. While they drive core R&D, your creative input and culinary ideas are very much welcomed and encouraged.
- Feasibility & Rollouts: Ensure every new dish, special, or seasonal LTO can be executed flawlessly and consistently within the physical confines, equipment, and speed requirements of our kitchens. Coordinate seamless menu rollouts across sites - ensuring line readiness, stock availability, and full team training prior to launch day.
What You Bring
- Multi-Site Culinary Leadership: Proven experience as an Executive Chef, Group Head Chef, or Operations Chef managing multiple high-volume, premium fast-casual or high-standard restaurants.
- Systems & Operations Mindset: Obsessed with documentation, consistency, and building scalable frameworks that outlive any single individual.
- Commercial Acumen: Deep fluency in kitchen P&Ls, food margin control, stock tracking systems, and supplier contract negotiations.
- Flexibility for Travel: Willing and excited to travel internationally to oversee new country openings and support our local international culinary leaders.
- Collaborative Spirit: The ability to work seamlessly with Head Office, site Head Chefs, and our Development Chef - combining operational precision with culinary creativity.
This is an opportunity to define the operational DNA of a high-growth food brand, not simply manage a group of restaurants. So, if you are a grounded culinary leader who takes systems and food seriously but leaves the stuffy formality at the door, we would love to hear from you.
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