Head Chef

Austin, Texas, USA | US$80,000–$100,000 + relocation assistance + E-3 visa support

Experienced Australian chefs, your next chapter could be in Austin, Texas.

Are you a hands-on chef who loves creating exceptional food, leading a kitchen and bringing new ideas to life? Ready for an international move that gives you the opportunity to make a genuine impact?

Citizens Rec is looking for an experienced Head Chef / Executive Chef to join our growing team in Austin, Texas, with opportunities to support our New York locations as we continue to grow.

Founded by two Australians who wanted to bring the café and pub culture they loved back home to the US, Citizens has evolved into Citizens Rec: a modern Australian café and elevated neighbourhood pub. We bring together specialty coffee, scratch-made café favourites, elevated pub classics and globally inspired flavours in a welcoming, playful environment where food and community come together.

We're looking for a chef who shares that philosophy, someone who loves cooking, takes pride in their craft and wants to help shape what comes next.

What's on offer?

• Salary: US$80,000–$100,000 per year, depending on experience, with flexibility for exceptional candidates with broader leadership responsibilities.
• Relocation assistance: Up to US$5,000.
• E-3 visa support: Available for eligible Australian citizens, subject to visa requirements and approval.
• International career opportunity: Relocate to Austin, Texas, and gain experience supporting our New York restaurants.
• Creative ownership: Contribute to menu development, seasonal specials and new dish creation.
• A hands-on leadership role: Lead from the kitchen, not from behind a desk.

This is a role for a chef who wants to stay close to the food while taking ownership of kitchen performance, people development and culinary direction.

You'll lead daily service, develop dishes from concept to plate, build a strong kitchen team and ensure our food consistently reflects the Citizens Rec philosophy: real food, made here.

You'll also have the opportunity to help evolve our menus, introduce fresh ideas and support consistent culinary standards across Austin and New York.

Lead from the kitchen

• Take an active, hands-on role during service, maintaining food quality, consistency, speed and presentation.
• Set the standard for preparation, organisation, cleanliness and kitchen execution.
• Lead, coach and develop your team while creating a positive, accountable kitchen culture.
• Work closely with restaurant management to deliver a smooth, high-performing operation.

Create food worth coming back for

• Develop, test and refine seasonal dishes, daily specials and menu updates.
• Write recipes, standardise portions and specifications, and cost new dishes accurately.
• Bring modern Australian café culture and elevated pub classics to life through fresh ingredients and globally inspired flavours.
• Balance creativity with commercial performance, consistency and the realities of busy restaurant service.

Own kitchen performance

• Manage food costs, purchasing, inventory, waste and stock control.
• Build effective supplier relationships and maintain high ingredient standards.
• Establish practical kitchen systems, procedures and preparation plans.
• Use reporting tools, including Restaurant365, to monitor performance and support informed decisions.

Help shape a growing brand

• Work with leadership to roll out menus and culinary standards across locations.
• Support and develop kitchen leaders and team members across Austin and New York, including travel as required.
• Contribute ideas that strengthen our food offering while preserving the character and quality of the brand.

We're interested in chefs who have developed their skills through real kitchen experience and are ready for their next challenge.

You'll ideally bring:

• Around 5–8 years of professional kitchen experience, including 2–3 years leading a busy, scratch-cooking kitchen.
• Proven experience leading high-volume restaurant service while maintaining quality and consistency.
• A genuine passion for cooking from scratch and working with quality ingredients.
• Demonstrated involvement in menu development, recipe writing, dish testing and food costing.
• Strong commercial understanding of food costs, purchasing, stock control and waste management.
• The ability to train, motivate and retain a kitchen team.
• A practical, hands-on leadership style and the confidence to lead by example.
• Strong organisational skills and the ability to balance culinary creativity with operational discipline.

Experience across café, brunch, modern Australian, contemporary pub or globally inspired menus would be particularly relevant.

Experience with Restaurant365 is advantageous.

Must possess a Bachelor’s degree in Culinary Arts, Hospitality Management, or a related field; OR equivalent extensive, high-level professional kitchen management experience (12+ years) to meet US E-3 specialty occupation standards.

Most importantly, you're a chef who cares about the details, takes pride in what leaves the pass and enjoys helping a team get better.

We believe great hospitality is about more than serving a meal. It's about creating places where people feel welcome, connect with their neighbourhood and want to return.

Our food philosophy centres on thoughtful, scratch-made cooking, quality ingredients and a fresh interpretation of Australian café and pub culture. From breakfast and specialty coffee through to elevated pub classics, dinner and drinks, we want our kitchens to deliver food with character.

You'll be joining a brand built by Australians, with the opportunity to bring your own experience and ideas to a growing business operating across Texas and New York.

If you're ready to take on a new market, develop your leadership and make a meaningful contribution to a growing hospitality brand, we'd love to hear from you.

Location: Austin, Texas, USA, with travel to New York as required

Salary: US$80,000–$100,000 per year, depending on experience

Visa: E-3 visa support available for eligible Australian citizens

To apply, please submit your CV and a brief introduction outlining your kitchen leadership experience, menu development background and interest in relocating to the United States.

Bring your experience. Bring your ideas. Help us bring a little more Australia to America.