Culinary Lead (Education)

Culinary Lead (Education)

Contract: Education
Location: London, UB2 4HT
Hours of work: 37.5
Contract Type: Permanent

Our client, a leading provider of facilities services in the UK, is seeking a Culinary Lead (Education) to support food-focused educational initiatives across a primary school contract covering 57 schools.

This is an exciting opportunity for a passionate food professional to combine expertise in food, nutrition, sustainability and hospitality with engaging educational delivery. The successful candidate will play a key role in promoting healthy eating habits and creating positive food experiences for children across multiple school settings.

Job Description

Working closely with schools, parents, clients, kitchen teams and operational colleagues, you will help enhance food quality, support menu development, increase meal uptake and strengthen community engagement through food education and hospitality initiatives. The role requires a confident communicator with strong culinary knowledge and a genuine passion for working with young people.

We are looking for an experienced chef and confident communicator who can work collaboratively with a range of stakeholders to deliver engaging workshops, presentations and practical learning experiences, while supporting food quality improvements and menu development across the contract.

Key Responsibilities

• Provide expertise in food service, sustainability and food production across the school contract.
• Deliver food-related initiatives, programmes and training for primary schools, parents and kitchen teams.
• Support menu development and content creation to help drive school meal uptake.
• Develop client-specific menus, including menu cycles, picture menus and customer-facing menus.
• Gather and review menu feedback through client meetings, school councils and local cluster meetings.
• Support and develop the hospitality offering through menu development, training and promotion of hospitality and staff meal services.
• Deliver assemblies, workshops and educational events across all schools within the contract.
• Build strong relationships with clients, schools, parents and pupils while supporting communication and community engagement activities.

Person Specification

• Educational background with a good understanding of food and nutrition.
• Sound knowledge of cooking techniques and food preparation.
• Experience delivering engaging workshops, presentations and interactive food activities.
• Passion for working with children and creating positive learning experiences.
• Ability to promote healthy eating habits through practical and engaging activities.
• Strong experience within professional kitchen environments, including food preparation and menu planning.
• Confident presenter with excellent communication and stakeholder engagement skills.
• Experience coaching, training and supporting kitchen teams to improve food quality and share best practice.
• Must hold full UK driving licence (company van provided).