Head Chef

Head Chef

Location: London, EC2M 2AT

Permanent, Full Time

Salary: £42,000 - £45,000

Our client, a leading provider of facilities services in the UK, are seeking a highly experienced Head Chef to take full responsibility for the culinary leadership, commercial performance, and operational delivery of the kitchen and food offer. This role is accountable for menu strategy, recipe development, food quality, service standards, food safety, team leadership, and cost control, ensuring a consistently high-quality dining experience.

Job Description

We are looking for a proactive and commercially minded leader who can drive continuous improvement across the food offer, customer experience, and financial performance. Reporting to the Assistant Manager and Catering Manager, the Head Chef will lead the catering team across FOH, BOH and Hospitality while ensuring compliance with client, company, and statutory requirements at all times.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead the planning, development, and delivery of menus, recipes, and food production standards.
• Drive culinary innovation through seasonal menus, trend-led dishes, and high-quality food presentation.
• Oversee the day-to-day kitchen operation, ensuring efficient preparation, production, and service delivery.
• Maintain full compliance with food safety, hygiene, health & safety, fire safety, and company HSEQ standards.
• Take ownership of kitchen financial performance, including food costs, labour costs, stock control, wastage, and budget management.
• Manage supplier relationships, purchasing decisions, and stock usage to maximise value and minimise waste.
• Lead, coach, develop, and performance manage the kitchen team, creating a high-performance culture.
• Build strong relationships with clients, customers, and stakeholders, supporting events, food activations, and continuous innovation.

Professional and Personal Competencies/Qualifications

• Experience as a Head Chef or in an equivalent leadership role within a high-volume commercial catering operation.
• Experience in a high-volume, commercially driven catering environment, preferably within B&I or a similarly complex operation.
• Proven ability to lead kitchen teams, manage performance, and deliver strong business results in a fast-paced environment.
• Demonstrable experience of managing budgets, food costs, labour costs, and overall kitchen profitability.
• Strong knowledge of food safety, health & safety, and statutory compliance requirements.
• Experience of menu innovation, recipe development, and maintaining high culinary standards.
• Excellent communication, planning, organisational, and leadership skills.
• Creative, customer-focused, commercially aware, and motivated to deliver continuous improvement.
• Experience of team development, succession planning, and mentoring future talent.