Executive Chef – Lead High-Volume Kitchen at Luxury London Hotel

The Standard, London has firmly established itself as one of the capital’s most dynamic lifestyle hotels. Set in King’s Cross within the hotel’s iconic brutalist building, The Standard brings its design-led and culture-driven philosophy to the heart of the city. Worldwide The Standard is synonymous with culturally relevant dining, and our restaurants, bars and rooftop terraces are legendary.

In London, Isla restaurant and garden terrace offers seasonal, produce-led menus and minimal-intervention wines; Double Standard blends American diner spirit with classic pub culture; The Rooftop launches a new concept each Spring/Summer; Decimo celebrates bold Mexican-Spanish cooking over fire and specialist cocktails, with skyline views accessed via our iconic red‑pill lift; while 8th & 9th Floor Townhouse and In Room Dining set the stage for events. The Standard’s signature mix of playful and sophisticated hospitality continues to grow.

We are now looking for a talented and inspiring Executive Chef who will lead our Main Kitchen and the evolution of our culinary programme.

Your role

As the Executive Chef for The Standard, London, you will work in partnership with the General Manager, Director of F&B and our Regional Food & Culinary teams to lead, evolve and continuously elevate the hotel’s food programme across the Main Kitchen, which includes Isla, Double Standard, The Rooftop (seasonal), Events, and In Room Dining. As Executive Chef you will be a strong operator capable of balancing concept integrity with commercial performance to ensure productivity and profit are maintained at optimum levels.

You will be passionate about cooking, with an exceptional working knowledge of complex, high-volume kitchen operations, and your extensive understanding of the latest food trends and the London restaurant scene will allow you to evolve our offerings in a way that delivers exceptional culinary experiences.

Kitchen leadership is central to this role, from daily sourcing of ingredients, development and production of dishes, product control, stock management and food cost oversight, to maintaining rigorous food hygiene and health and safety standards. Your keen eye for detail means you never miss a thing, and your visible presence within the operation ensures that standards are upheld meticulously across every service.

As a natural leader, you remain calm during challenging situations and lead from the front. You will also motivate, coach and develop the kitchen brigade, fostering a culture of accountability and creativity. This is not a “Standard” Executive Chef role. You will need stamina and passion, be highly social and confident, handle pressure with composure, thrive in a high-volume, high-energy environment and operate seamlessly as part of the wider senior management team.

Qualifications

• A minimum of 3-5 years’ experience as an Executive Chef or Head Chef gained within a similar Lifestyle Hotel or high-level restaurant.
• A solid understanding of the London culinary scene, emerging trends and competitors, local business requirements and understanding of the local labour market.
• Excellent commercial understanding, combined with imaginative blue‑sky thinking to create an exciting, continually evolving culinary destination.
• Good experience in menu engineering, recipe costing and food control.
• Strong skills leading and managing a kitchen brigade.
• Experience across a range of senior management disciplines, with exceptional attention to detail and the ability to work on multiple projects simultaneously.
• Strong project management skills, ideally gained through previously relaunching or opening restaurants.
• A flexible approach to working hours which may include some late finishes and weekends (this is not a 9-5 role).

Benefits

• All applicants must be eligible to live and work in the United Kingdom. Documented evidence of eligibility will be required from candidates prior to commencing employment.
• Meals on duty
• 28 Days Holiday rising to 33 days with service
• Pension Scheme
• Life Assurance (4 x Annual Salary)
• Medical Assistance (including online GP and Physio)
• Employee Assistance Programme with Well‑being service
• Membership to Headspace Meditation app
• Discount platform including GYM
• Worldwide Travel Discounts via The Standard Advantage platform
• Employee & Family Rates across all Standard and Hyatt properties worldwide
• Growth and Development opportunities internationally with Hyatt In‑house Experience Programme
• F&B Discounts ranging from 25‑50%
• Recruitment Referral Bonus up to £1,000
• Tuition Aid Scheme & subsidised training
• Season Ticket Loan & Bike 2 Work Scheme
• Social Committee with regular monthly social activities

If you think you have what it takes to be our Executive Chef at The Standard, London we’d love to hear from you!