Sous Chef \| Santa Joana \| Lisbon

Santa Joana isn’t just one of Lisbon’s most exciting dining destinations, it’s a statement. A Michelin recommended restaurant where centuries of Portuguese culinary heritage collide with bold, fearless modern technique. Named after the revered Infanta Santa Joana, our kitchen is a place where craft meets obsession, precision meets passion, and every plate tells a story worth telling.

We’re searching for a talented, hungry Sous Chef ready to become a cornerstone of our brigade. This isn’t just a job, it’s a genuine chance to shape something extraordinary, cooking with world-class Portuguese produce, alongside a team that truly cares, on a menu that honours the very soul of this incredible country.

The Role

As our Sous Chef, you’ll be the heartbeat of the kitchen, the force that drives service, lifts the team, and keeps our Michelin recognised standards not just intact, but constantly evolving. You’ll be fully hands-on, deeply passionate, and the kind of chef who makes every section better simply by being in it.

What You Will Do

At Santa Joana, great food is just the beginning. We lead with genuine hospitality, act with integrity, pursue excellence in every single detail, and empower every person in our kitchen to think boldly and act like they own the place. Here’s what that looks like day to day:

• Drive the day-to-day running of a Michelin recommended kitchen alongside the Head Chef, bringing warmth, real care, and genuine hospitality to every single interaction with your team and guests
• Own the pass during service, setting the tone, raising the bar, and making sure excellence isn’t just expected around here, it’s lived and breathed every shift
• Shape and evolve our menu with genuine creativity, serious technical skill, and a deep, authentic respect for Portuguese culinary heritage, because every new dish is a chance to say something meaningful
• Take full ownership of mise en place, driving preparation to a level where the kitchen is not just ready, but razor-sharp for every single service
• Manage stock, ordering, and waste with the sharp eye of someone who understands that doing the right thing isn’t optional, it’s the foundation everything else is built on
• Invest genuinely in the people around you, training, mentoring, and developing junior chefs with the belief that when your team grows, the whole kitchen wins
• Uphold rigorous food hygiene and health and safety standards without compromise, because doing things properly isn’t a box to tick, it’s a mark of the kitchen we are
• Step up without hesitation when it counts, leading the kitchen with complete confidence in the Head Chef’s absence, thinking like a true entrepreneur, and owning every corner of that space

Our ethos is simple and we mean it: Work hard and be kind.

Who You Are

• An experienced, ambitious chef with a serious background in fine dining or high-quality restaurant kitchens and a hunger to keep pushing
• Technically accomplished and genuinely excited by Portuguese and European cuisine, not just cooking it, but understanding it
• A natural, inspiring leader who makes the people around them better, not just through skill, but through attitude
• Ice-cool under the heat of service, with the organisational instincts to back it up
• Relentlessly committed to quality, consistency, and never settling, because good enough never is
• A sharp, confident communicator who thrives in a close-knit, high-performing team environment
• Fluent or conversational in English & Portuguese, a real advantage in the heart of Lisbon

What We Offer

• A competitive package of €2,000 per month
• A Michelin recommended kitchen on your CV, a genuine, career-defining mark of distinction
• The chance to cook with extraordinary Portuguese produce on a menu that changes with the seasons and always has something to say
• A passionate, tight-knit team that genuinely invests in your growth, not just your output
• Real, structured progression opportunities within Santa Joana and across the wider White Rabbit Projects portfolio of exceptional venues
• A truly unique working environment in the heart of Lisbon, one of Europe’s most electrifying, fast-rising food cities

Ready to Join Us?

If you’re a skilled, driven chef ready to take a defining step forward in a kitchen that genuinely values craft, creativity, and people, we want to hear from you.

Apply now and tell us what hospitality truly means to you. We can’t wait to read it.