Job Introduction
Head Chef
Hours: 37.5 hours, Monday to Friday with flexibility to business needs
About the Role
We are looking for an experienced and driven Head Chef to lead a contract catering kitchen delivering a quality food offer across breakfast, daytime and evening/night services. This is a hands-on leadership role, responsible for ensuring exceptional food standards, efficient operations and a motivated, high-performing team.
You will play a key part in shaping the food offer, maintaining compliance and delivering an outstanding service to meet client expectations.
Key Responsibilities
- Lead, motivate and develop a team of chefs and catering colleagues
- Oversee all kitchen operations across multi-service periods (breakfast, lunch and night service)
- Plan and deliver balanced menus aligned to client needs
- Ensure all food is prepared, presented and served to the highest standards
- Manage stock and ordering to ensure quality and cost control
- Monitor food costs, minimise waste and deliver budget targets
- Maintain full compliance with food safety, HACCP and health & safety regulations
- Organise rotas and staffing levels in line with business needs and service demands
- Drive continuous improvement through innovation, feedback and service development
- Build strong relationships with clients and stakeholders on site
About You
- Proven experience in a Head Chef or senior kitchen leadership role, ideally within contract catering environments
- Strong leadership skills with the ability to inspire and develop teams
- Passion for food and service delivery
- Commercially aware with experience managing budgets and food costs
- Excellent knowledge of food safety, hygiene and allergen management
Compass Group UK&I is committed to fostering an environment where every individual can truly be themselves at work and has equal opportunities to advance in their careers. We strive to build a culture that respects and celebrates the unique talents, beliefs, backgrounds, and abilities of all our team members. We want our colleagues to feel valued, empowered to reach their full potential, and to thrive - because diversity is our strength!