Head of Culinary Experience and Innovation

Head of Culinary Experience and Innovation

• Newcastle United Football Club, St James Park, Newcastle upon Tyne NE1 4ST
• 40hrs pw 5/7
• £45,000pa + excellent bonus and benefits
• Free onsite parking
• Level 3 Food Hygiene essential
• Free meals on duty

Job Introduction

At Sodexo Live!, we create exceptional moments, and at one of the most iconic football clubs in the world, food plays a huge part in that experience. We are now looking for a visionary, commercially minded and creatively driven Head of Culinary Experience & Innovation Chef to lead menu strategy and culinary development across Newcastle United Football Club.

This is an exciting opportunity for an experienced culinary leader to shape the future of food across premium hospitality, fan dining, retail and event catering operations within a world-class stadium environment.

As Head of Culinary Experience & Innovation Chef, you’ll lead all menu engineering, culinary development and food innovation for Sodexo Live! at Newcastle United FC.

You’ll design exceptional, commercially successful and operationally effective menus across every outlet, from fine dining hospitality and lounges to retail and grab-and-go concepts, for both matchday and non-matchday experiences.

We’re looking for a passionate culinary innovator with proven experience in high-volume premium environments and the creativity to push boundaries while delivering operational excellence.

Most importantly, you’ll be passionate about creating memorable culinary experiences that excite guests, support business growth and showcase the very best of Sodexo Live!

If you thrive on innovation, love turning food trends into memorable guest experiences, and have the operational excellence to deliver at scale, we’d love to hear from you.

What You'll Do:

• Lead the development of trend-led, seasonal and fully costed menus across all culinary areas
• Create structured menu cycles and innovative food concepts that keep guest experiences fresh and exciting
• Build detailed recipe specifications, SOPs and culinary playbooks to ensure consistency and operational excellence
• Ensure all dishes are fully compliant with allergen, nutritional and sustainability standards through Kafoodle
• Drive menu engineering strategies to maximise ingredient utilisation, reduce waste and improve profitability
• Collaborate closely with operations, procurement and finance teams to optimise supply chain efficiency and commercial performance
• Champion local sourcing and sustainable food practices aligned with Sodexo Live! and NUFC food philosophy
• Deliver tastings, presentations and menu showcases for clients and stakeholders
• Monitor food trends and translate them into innovative and engaging guest experiences
• Support and inspire culinary teams, helping develop capability, engagement and career progression
• Maintain exceptional standards in food safety, HACCP and health & safety compliance
• Contribute to the continued growth, reputation and success of Sodexo Live! within the stadia and events sector

What You Bring:

• Proven experience at Head Chef or Development Chef level within stadia, hotels, large venues or premium hospitality environments
• A strong background in menu development, culinary innovation and food presentation
• Commercial awareness with experience managing food cost, margin and profitability
• The ability to engineer menus that balance creativity, quality and operational efficiency
• Strong understanding of allergens, nutrition, sustainability and food compliance standards
• Experience using culinary or recipe management systems such as Kafoodle
• A guest-first mindset and passion for delivering exceptional food experiences
• Excellent organisational, communication and stakeholder management skills
• The confidence to influence, inspire and collaborate across multiple teams
• Resilience and adaptability within fast-paced, high-profile environments
• NVQ Level 3 in Culinary Arts or equivalent qualification
• Level 4 Food Safety & Hygiene qualification (preferred)

What we offer:

Working with Sodexo Live! is more than a job; it’s a chance to be part of something greater.You’ll belong in a company and team that values you for you; you’ll act with purpose and have an impact through your everyday actions; and you’ll be able to thrive in your own way.In addition, we also offer a range of resources, rewards and benefits for our colleagues and their families:

• Unlimited access to an online platform offering mental health and wellbeing support.
• Employee Assistance Programme to help with everyday issues or larger problems where you may need additional support, including legal and financial advice, support with work related issues or personal issues such as bereavement.
• Access to a free health and wellbeing app that provides rewards for maintaining a healthy lifestyle and includes access to a 24hr virtual GP and various other services.
• The Sodexo Discounts Scheme, offering great deals 24/7 (also open to friends and family) and/or the prepayment cashback card.
• Money Insights and financial benefits via the Salary Finance Platform.
• Save for your future by becoming a member of the Sodexo Retirement Plan
• A Death-in-Service benefit for colleagues who pass away whilst employed by Sodexo
• Opportunities to enable colleagues to grow and succeed throughout their career at Sodexo, including a variety of learning and development tools.
• Cycle to Work Scheme to help colleagues to do their bit for the environment whilst keeping fit.
• Volunteering Opportunities to enable all colleagues to help support worthwhile causes in our communities.
• Flexible and dynamic work environment

Ready to be part of something greater? Apply today!

Sodexo reserves the right to close this advertisement early if we are in receipt of a high volume of applications.

About Sodexo

At Sodexo, our purpose is to create a better every day for everyone to build a better life for all. As the global leader in services that improve the Quality of Life, we operate in 55 countries, serving over 100 million consumers each day through our unique combination of On-Site Food and FM Services, Benefits & Rewards Services and Personal & Home Services.

We are committed to being an inclusive employer. We are a forces friendly employer.We welcome and encourage applications from people with a diverse variety of experiences, backgrounds, and identities.We encourage our employees to get involved with our Employee Networks such as Pride, Sodexo Parents & Carers, Sodexo Disability, Ability network, So Together, Generations and Origins.

Sodexo Disability, Ability network, So Together, Generations and Origins.

We’re a Disability Confident Leader employer. We’re committed to changing attitudes towards disability, and making sure disabled people have the chance to fulfil their aspirations.

Click here to read more about what we do to promote an inclusive culture.