Sous Chef (Pastry) — Fixed Term

Te tīma The team:

Parliamentary Hospitality and Events Huihui delivers food and beverage experiences across eight venues within New Zealands Parliamentary precinct including Copperfields Café the Members Dining Room the Grand Banquet Hall and our On the Move catering service. Our team is dedicated to showcasing the best of Aotearoas produce and culinary talent from intimate ministerial functions through to banquets for 480 guests. Quality consistency and manaakitanga are at the core of everything we do.

Mō te tūnga About the role:

This is a 14-month fixed-term full-time position covering a period of parental leave. Reporting to the Operations Manager you will take full ownership of all pastry and dessert production across the operation from the Copperfields Café counter through to plated desserts for high-profile events and the Members restaurant. You will work autonomously set the standard for quality and consistency and take a lead role in training and supervising junior kitchen team members including the Sandwich Chef who reports to this position. You are comfortable in a high-volume fast-paced environment and bring the rigour needed to manage production from scratch across multiple concurrent catering programmes.

Ngā haepapa Responsibilities:

• Lead all pastry and dessert production from scratch for the café events Members restaurant and On the Move catering service.
• Supervise and train junior team members including the Sandwich Chef.
• Maintain consistent quality and presentation standards across a high-volume operation.
• Manage mise en place production planning and stock rotation within the pastry section.
• Contribute to seasonal menu development and collaborate with Sous Chef colleagues on event planning.
• Uphold all food safety allergen management and HACCP requirements.
• Support the wider kitchen team during peak periods as required.

The appointing salary band for this role is $72374 - $79907 per annum (the remuneration band extends beyond the appointing salary to account for tenure progression).

Tō kete What you will bring to the role:

You are a skilled and self-sufficient pastry professional with proven experience running a pastry section in a high-volume environment whether hotel event catering or multi-outlet hospitality. You work confidently with minimal oversight bring strong organisational skills and take genuine pride in producing everything from scratch.

Your ability to train and mentor junior staff is as important as your technical ability. You understand the precision that allergen management and food safety require and you hold yourself and your team to a high standard.

Experience across a broad dessert repertoire patisserie plated restaurant desserts café cabinet and high-volume event production will set you apart.

Me pēhea te tuku tono How to apply:

To apply click the Im Interested button to upload your CV and complete the online application form.

Please note: The Seek advert will close at 12pm due to default settings; however if you visit Careers at Parliament the advert will remain open until midnight (12am) on the specified closing date.

Applications close at midnight 12^th May 2026. Please note the role may close early due to application numbers.

All applications must be submitted online. If this is not possible or to arrange a confidential kōrero please email

We will be screening applications as they are received to move swiftly to interview. You may be asked to complete a pre-interview screen via phone or video.

If you have any support or access requirements we encourage you to let us know when you apply so we can assist you through the recruitment process.

The Parliamentary Service and the Office of the Clerk appoint on merit and are committed to diversity inclusion and good employer principles. We welcome applicants from all walks of life and value the experience that your point of difference brings.