Head Chef – MoPA Nunawading & The Museum Café

MoPA is Australia's most acclaimed network of Children's Museums, with sites in Geelong, Sandringham, Nunawading and Thomastown. Since opening our first museum in 2020, we've become known for world-class play-based learning and unforgettable family experiences.

Our Nunawading site runs a single commercial kitchen that feeds two very different customers. On one side is the MoPA program — café items for visiting families, plus party platters and catering for the children's parties and events that fill our weekends. On the other is The Museum Café, a standalone café outside of the museum with its own customers, its own identity and its own food offering. Both come out of the one kitchen. You run that kitchen.

The Role: Head Chef

This is a rare role because it's really two briefs held together by one person.

Deliver the MoPA program

The museum trades every day of the year, and on weekends becomes a busy function venue. You'll prepare fresh café items, party platters, snack packs and catering orders — all to MoPA standards, with Fridays as your big prep day for the weekend rush.

Own and grow The Museum Café

The café sits outside the MoPA brand guidelines, which means real creative freedom. We want you working hand-in-hand with our creative team to reimagine its menu and offering and build it into something we're genuinely proud of — presentation, seasonal changes, the feel of the whole thing.

Same kitchen, same team, two standards of excellence to hit at once. This is a hands‑on, morning‑based role (no late nights) but you'll need to be available across weekends and school holidays which are our peak times. You lead from the front and you're happiest on the tools.

Key Responsibilities





- Take ownership of The Museum Café — developing the menu and offering alongside our creative team to lift it into something distinctive
- Manage daily food operations across both the café and museum, ensuring cleanliness, safety and efficiency
- Prepare and present fresh café food, plus party platters, snack packs and catering items to a consistently high standard
- Accurately execute catering orders for multiple concurrent functions, including dietary and special requirements
- Lead Friday prep and manage stock ordering to stay ahead of busy weekends
- Order, receive and manage stock while minimising waste
- Lead and train a small team of kitchen hands, maintaining high standards consistently
- Work closely with the café, creative and guest services teams to support parties, functions and promotions

About You

You're not just a great cook — you're a natural organiser with genuine creative drive. You thrive in a busy, high-energy environment, and you take pride in knowing your work shapes both a standalone café's reputation and the guest experience across the whole museum.

To be considered, you will:

- Have proven experience as a Head Chef, Chef or Kitchen Lead in a busy café, catering or hospitality setting
- Bring real ideas to menu development and presentation — you want to build something, not just maintain it
- Be confident managing stock, ordering and food safety compliance
- Enjoy leading a small team, giving guidance and holding high standards
- Be comfortable working weekends and school holidays (our busiest times)
- Be a chef who genuinely thrives in a family environment

Our Cultural Foundations

At MoPA, we hire for heart. We believe kindness, positivity and playfulness are essential ingredients in everything we do. Our team comes from diverse backgrounds but shares a passion for providing safe, creative and joyful experiences for families.

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📌 Head Chef – MoPA Nunawading & The Museum Café (Williamstown)
🏢 Museum of Play and Art
📍 Williamstown