Head of Food and Beverage for a Luxury Country Hotel and Wellness Retreat in West Dorset

The Opportunity

A Head of Food and Beverage is required for a farm-to-fork luxury country hotel and wellness retreat in West Dorset. This is a senior, hands-on leadership role: lead daily food and beverage operations across breakfast, lunch, and dinner service, oversee bespoke events for private groups, family stays, and corporate retreats, and embed the SOPs that turn a strong concept into a consistently delivered guest experience. Permanent, full-time. Immediate start.

About the property and the role

The property is a farm-to-fork luxury country hotel and wellness retreat in West Dorset. The concept, offering, and setting are already established. The priority now is to appoint a Head of Food and Beverage who can lead from the front, bring structure to the operation, raise service standards, and embed the SOPs that drive consistency, accountability, and operational excellence.

The Head of F&B reports directly to the General Manager and works closely with the Head Chef and Hotel Manager in weekly operational meetings. The role sits at the centre of the F&B operation, with visible floor presence across service and full ownership of the structure behind it.

The role is hands-on. The right candidate enjoys being in service, leading teams on the floor, and managing both the guest experience and the operational detail behind it. The cultural register is warm, polished, and discreet, in keeping with a luxury country hotel and wellness retreat environment.

Why this role

This is a senior F&B leadership opportunity inside a luxury hospitality environment, not a step-up from an Assistant F&B Manager or Restaurant Manager role. The property is hiring for confirmed Head of Food and Beverage experience, or equivalent senior F&B leadership in luxury hotels, retreats, private members' clubs, or premium restaurants. The judgement to set tone, to embed structure, and to manage performance fairly and decisively is non-negotiable.

For an experienced F&B leader who wants the variety of a country-hotel and wellness retreat operation, the autonomy to shape SOPs and standards across a full department, and a leadership team that protects quality, this brief offers all of it.

Key Responsibilities

Food and beverage service leadership

• Lead from the floor across breakfast, lunch, and dinner service, holding a consistently high standard of hospitality.
• Set the tone, pace, and expectations for service through visible, hands-on leadership.
• Deliver a warm, polished, and discreet guest experience in keeping with a luxury country hotel and wellness retreat.
• Drive consistency in presentation, service flow, and guest interaction across all F&B touchpoints.

SOPs, structure, and operational excellence

• Build, implement, and maintain clear SOPs across service delivery, set-up, timing, closing procedures, and compliance.
• Introduce stronger planning and mise-en-place processes to improve efficiency and reduce reactive service issues.
• Establish and monitor performance benchmarks across service quality, cleanliness, consistency, and guest feedback.
• Create the structure across the F&B operation that supports smooth daily service and stronger team performance.

Team leadership and development

• Lead, coach, and develop a small service team, including multiple supervisors.
• Set clear responsibilities, expectations, and accountability across the department.
• Produce rotas in advance with contingency planning and strong labour-cost awareness.
• Maintain high standards of communication through daily briefings, handovers, feedback, and performance management.
• Manage underperformance fairly, confidently, and decisively where required.

Events, retreats, and bespoke guest service

• Coordinate food and beverage delivery for retreat groups, special occasions, and corporate stays.
• Bring creativity and attention to detail to service moments and events without compromising operational discipline.
• Work closely with the Head Chef on menus, dietary requirements, allergens, and special guest requests.
• Ensure a seamless guest journey across regular dining service and bespoke event experiences.

Commercial and stock management

• Support the General Manager and Head Chef on revenue optimisation and F&B profitability.
• Maintain strong control of stock, procurement, supplier relationships, and audit processes across food, beverage, and OS&E.
• Identify sensible opportunities to enhance spend through food, beverage, and guest experience upselling.
• Balance high service standards with operational efficiency and cost control.

Compliance, food safety, and best practice

• Hold the highest standards of hygiene, cleanliness, and food safety across all service areas.
• Ensure compliance with relevant FSA and HACCP standards and internal procedures.
• Uphold best practice across health and safety, service preparation, and operational discipline.

Requirements

Must-haves

• Proven experience already as a Head of Food and Beverage, F&B Manager, or equivalent senior F&B leadership role within luxury hotels, retreats, private members' clubs, or premium restaurants. This is not a step-up role.
• Strong hands-on floor leadership style with a visible presence in service.
• Experience implementing and enforcing SOPs, service standards, and operational governance.
• Strong people leadership skills with the ability to coach, develop, and manage teams effectively.
• Excellent planning capability across rotas, service preparation, team efficiency, and guest volumes.
• Calm, professional communication skills and strong presence under pressure.
• Comfortable running weekly 1:1 check-ins with the General Manager with clear agendas, actions, and follow-up.
• Flexibility to work early mornings, evenings, and weekends as the operation requires.
• Right to work in the UK.

Strong advantage

• Experience with event service, special occasion dining, or retreat programming.
• Confidence working with VIP or UHNW guest expectations.
• WSET Level 2 or similar wine knowledge.
• Experience improving service standards within an operation that requires tighter structure and leadership.

Working at this property

The property runs a service-led operation: breakfast, lunch, and dinner across regular dining, with private dining, bespoke guest experiences, retreat groups, family stays, and corporate events around it. The week has rhythm and pressure; early mornings, evenings, and weekends are part of the role.

The leadership culture is calm, structured, and standards-led. The Head of F&B works in the General Manager, Head Chef, and Hotel Manager triangle, with weekly operational meetings to align the week ahead. The right candidate brings energy and emotional intelligence to a demanding luxury hospitality setting, and is comfortable with the flexibility that comes with it.

Practical Information

• Contract: Full-time, permanent.
• Start: Immediate.
• Reporting to: General Manager. Working closely with the Head Chef and Hotel Manager in weekly operational meetings.
• Location: West Dorset, UK.
• Hours: Full-time, including early mornings, evenings, and weekends as the operation requires.
• Salary: Up to £65,000 gross per annum, depending on experience, plus package.
• Relocation assistance available where required, including staff accommodation or rental support.
• Right to work in the UK required.

Application Process

Please note: due to the high volume of applications we receive, we are only able to contact candidates who are successfully shortlisted. If you have not heard from us within 14 days of submitting your application, please assume that you have not been successful on this occasion.