Job Introduction
Head Chef - Leeds
£32,122 per annum | Monday to Friday
About the Role
We’re looking for an experienced and passionate Head Chef to take the lead in a busy kitchen operation in Leeds, delivering fresh, high-quality food across both retail and hospitality services.
This is a fantastic opportunity for a confident chef who enjoys leading a team, creating great food and working closely with both the wider team and the client to deliver an outstanding customer experience.
You’ll take ownership of the day-to-day running of the kitchen, ensuring consistently high standards across food quality, service, hygiene and safety.
What You’ll Be Doing
- Lead and motivate a small kitchen team, creating a positive and collaborative working environment.
- Oversee the day-to-day kitchen operation, ensuring smooth and efficient service.
- Prepare and deliver fresh, high-quality food across retail, hospitality and events.
- Create and develop seasonal menus that are both exciting and commercially focused.
- Support corporate hospitality and events, delivering food and service to a consistently high standard.
- Manage stock, ordering, food costs and waste to achieve agreed GP targets.
- Maintain excellent food safety, hygiene and HACCP standards.
- Work closely with the General Manager and client to understand their needs and deliver against expectations.
- Support the development and training of your team, helping them to grow and perform at their best.
- Ensure the kitchen remains organised, professional and compliant at all times.
What We’re Looking For
We’re looking for a confident and experienced Head Chef with a proven background in leading a busy kitchen operation. Experience within contract catering, hospitality or another high-volume environment would be highly beneficial.
You’ll ideally have:
- Strong leadership and team management skills.
- A genuine passion for fresh, quality food.
- Experience with menu planning and seasonal menu development.
- Strong knowledge of stock management, purchasing and food cost control.
- Excellent organisational and communication skills.
- Experience working to food safety and HACCP standards.
- A Food Safety Level 3 qualification is preferred.
- The confidence to build strong relationships with clients, customers and colleagues.
- A flexible, hands-on approach and the ability to remain calm and organised in a busy environment.
What’s In It For You?
This is a Monday to Friday role, giving you a great work-life balance while still offering the opportunity to lead a varied kitchen operation, including retail, hospitality and events.
If you’re a Head Chef who takes pride in your food, enjoys developing people and wants to be part of a professional catering environment where quality really matters, we’d love to hear from you.