Head Chef

Immediate start available

We're after an experienced, passionate, hands-on Head Chef to run our Albert Park flagship kitchen. Third Wave BBQ is one of Melbourne's best-known BBQ and burger joints — slow-smoked meats, bold flavours, huge portions, wild specials, and the kind of over-the-top food creations that get people talking. This isn't a quiet, boring kitchen. We want someone who can lead a strong team, keep standards high, and help us keep pushing the brand forward.

The role

Hands-on Head Chef role. You'll own the Albert Park kitchen and make sure food quality, consistency, speed and presentation stay at a high level. You'll work closely with the owners and management team, and you'll have a real say in developing new dishes, improving the menu, and creating the crazy, theatrical specials we're known for.

Day to day, that means:

- Leading, training and managing the kitchen team

- Running service, prep, ordering and kitchen organisation

- Holding the line on food quality, consistency and presentation

- Controlling food costs, wastage and stock levels

- Keeping food safety, hygiene and compliance up to scratch

- Running a clean, professional, well-organised kitchen

- Managing internal auditing

- Working with management on systems, speed of service and kitchen performance

- Building a positive team culture and leading by example — happy to jump in wherever needed

Salary: $95k–$110k + super, negotiable for the right person. Full-time, including nights and weekends.

Why join Third Wave BBQ

- Lead one of Melbourne's best-known BBQ kitchens — a venue people already know and seek out, not a start- from-zero site.

- Real input into the menu. You're not just executing someone else's food. You'll have genuine say in new dishes and a big hand in the bold, creative, viral specials we're known for.

- Work directly with the owners and management — no corporate layers, decisions actually get made.

- Training across the Third Wave group, so you properly learn the smoke craft rather than guessing it.

- Flexibility on shifts. We get that there's a life outside the kitchen.

- Sponsorship is possible for the right candidate already living in Melbourne.

Career growth — this is the big one

Third Wave BBQ is growing fast, with plans to expand to 30 to 50 venues over the next 3 years. For the right person, this role is a launchpad, not a ceiling. As we scale, there are genuine pathways into:

- Senior kitchen leadership across the group

- Menu development — leading dish creation across multiple venues, not just one

- Training — building and mentoring brigades as we open new sites

- Multi-venue operational roles — overseeing kitchens across the network

We promote from within. The Head Chef who helps us get from where we are now to 30–50 venues is the obvious person to help run things when we get there.

What we're looking for

- Previous experience as a Head Chef.

- Strong background in busy, high-volume kitchens.

- Solid leadership and communication — you can train and motivate a team, not just give orders.

- Strong understanding of food costs, stock control and kitchen systems.

- Calm, organised and reliable under pressure — service gets big and you don't lose your head.

- A genuine passion for bold food, BBQ, burgers and creative menu development.

- A hands-on attitude — happy to jump on the line, prep, wash up, whatever the shift needs.

- Full-time availability, including nights and weekends.

BBQ, smoker or American-style cooking experience is a big advantage — but not essential if you're a strong chef and genuinely keen to learn.

Your say on the menu

You'll have real input into new dishes and a big hand in the crazy, over-the-top creations Third Wave is known for off-the-wall specials, the headline drops, the thing people queue for. If you've got ideas, this is the place to use them.

On camera — totally optional

We make a lot of food content for Facebook and Instagram, and it's a big part of the brand. Being in front of the camera is not compulsory and not a requirement of the role — it won't come up in hiring. That said, it'd be a greatextra if you're comfortable occasionally appearing in food videos, helping present new dishes, or being part of behind-the-scenes kitchen content. Plenty of our best chefs stay behind the pass and that's completely fine with us.

Only mention it if it's something you'd actually want to do.

Location

Based at our Albert Park venue, with the occasional need to help out at other Melbourne sites.