Sous Chef - Armstrong Barbecue | Full time | $80,000 p.a. starting | Mt Duneed, Geelong

Armstrong Barbecue is a Texas-style smokehouse in Geelong, cooking low and slow over hardwood and serving 1,500 guests between Thursday night and Sunday. We're building toward being the best barbecue in the country, and we travel to Texas regularly to learn from the best in the business.

This is a newly created, senior kitchen leadership role reporting directly to the Head Chef. We need someone who can genuinely lead a team — take a crew of mixed experience levels and get them working together, coordinated, and accountable, every service.

What you'll be doing:
Leading the team during service — setting the tone, directing workflow, holding people accountable
Stepping in for the Head Chef when needed
Running pitroom operations across our two 1000-gallon offset smokers
Training and developing junior kitchen staff
Contributing to specials and menu development
Managing prep, stock, and food safety compliance

What you'll need:
Proven, hands-on experience leading kitchen teams — this matters more than years on the tools




Experience running high-volume, high-pressure service
Confidence to correct mistakes and hold standards without hesitation
No experience on large offset pits required — we'll train you — but a genuine interest in live fire cooking and barbecue
A team-first mindset
Unrestricted driver's licence

What's in it for you:
$80,000 p.a. starting, based on experience
We cap crew hours at 40 per week — no routine 45 hour weeks
A transparent path toward Head Chef as we grow
Possible trip to Texas to learn from the best
Real input into menu and specials

Schedule: Wednesday–Sunday, weekends and public holidays as required

Apply with your resume and a short cover letter to [email protected]. Tell us about a team you've led and what's got you excited about barbecue right now.

Pay: $75,000.00 – $80,000.00 per year

Experience
Commercial Kitchen : 5 years (Required)

Language:
Fluent English (Required)

Work Authorisation:
Australia (Required)

Work Location: In person

📌 Sous Chef Mount Duneed
🏢 Armstrong Barbecue
📍 Mount Duneed