About us
Drifter is built for curious travellers, free spirits, and people who care about great spaces and great experiences. Across our Australian and New Zealand properties, we blend the comfort of a hotel with the social energy of a modern hostel, creating places where travellers connect, locals drop in, and something's usually happening.
At Drifter Christchurch, that's not just about accommodation. Rambler is our bar and kitchen, a place for travellers and locals to eat, drink and settle in.
We’re looking for a Head Chef to lead the kitchen. Someone who knows their way around a busy service, knows how to get the best out of a team, and cares about what leaves the pass.
What you’ll be doing
Great food has a way of bringing people together. Whether it's guests staying with us, locals dropping in for dinner, or travellers swapping stories over a long lunch, the kitchen plays a huge role in creating the atmosphere and experience that makes Rambler memorable.
You’ll lead the kitchen day to day, from what leaves the pass to the people, costs and standards behind it all. You’ll work closely with the Venue Manager and front-of-house team, keeping communication strong and service running smoothly from kitchen to floor.
This is a hands-on role. You’ll be in the kitchen with your team, setting the standard, keeping things moving when it gets busy and making sure everyone knows what good looks like.
You’ll also have the freedom to keep pushing things forward, whether that’s developing your team, refining the menu, tightening up how the kitchen runs or finding better ways of doing things.
You’ll be a good fit if…
You’re a strong kitchen leader who cares as much about the team behind the food as the food itself.
You know how to keep standards high without creating a kitchen people dread coming to. You’re calm under pressure, commercially switched on and comfortable making decisions when service gets busy.
You might already be running a kitchen, or you might be a strong Sous Chef ready to step into your first Head Chef role.
You’ll bring experience across the things that matter: leading and developing a team, managing food and labour costs, stock and ordering, food safety, kitchen operations and delivering consistently strong service.
Most importantly, you’re hands-on. You notice what needs doing, you get involved, and you take pride in leading a kitchen that runs well and feels good to work in.
What you can expect at Drifter
You’ll join a growing hospitality business that’s still small enough for your ideas to matter.
We’re professional, but not stuffy. We don’t believe in unnecessary hierarchy, endless meetings, or making things harder than they need to be. We trust good people to do good work.
We’re a welcoming and inclusive workplace and proudly welcome team members from all races, places, gender expressions and beliefs.
Alongside that, you’ll have:
Discounted stays across Drifter properties for you, your family and your travel crew
Discounts on brands you actually use, including JB Hi-Fi, Uber Eats and more
Access to online learning and development opportunities
Paid birthday leave for permanent team members
A paid volunteering day each year to support a cause that matters to you
Enhanced parental leave
Free counselling and wellbeing support through our Employee Assistance Program
Annual flu vaccinations covered
Opportunities to grow with the business as we continue to expand across Australia and New Zealand
Visa support available for exceptional people looking to build a long-term career with Drifter
One last thing…
We hire on character as much as capability, so your cover letter matters.
We're not looking for a summary of your work history, we'll get that from your CV. Tell us a bit about yourself. What do you love about working in kitchens? What does a great kitchen look like to you? And what would you bring to Rambler?
Most importantly, make it sound like you. We’d much rather read something genuine and personal than something polished, generic or written by AI.
Any questions? Email us directly at [email protected]