Chef Supervisor

University Hospitals of North Midlands NHS; Stafford; On-site; GBP 26,000 - 27,000; Full time

Job summary

University Hospitals of North Midlands NHS Trust is recruiting for a Main area Catering Band 3 role based at County Hospital, Stafford. The post is permanent, full-time (37.5 hours) with rotation across 7 days and occasional weekends/bank holidays with enhancements.

You will prepare and serve high-quality meals, lead in allergen communication, and drive innovative menus while upholding NHS food safety standards and staff wellbeing.

Qualifications

• NVQ Level 2 in Professional Catering or equivalent.
• Level 2 Food Safety / Allergen Training.
• NVQ Level 3 in Professional Cookery or equivalent.
• Level 3 or above Food Safety / Advanced Allergen Training.

Responsibilities

• Prepare, cook, and present meals for patients, staff and visitors.
• Ensure dishes are garnished and presented to a high standard.
• Communicate allergen information and portion sizes in briefings.
• Develop innovative, on-trend menus for retail and staff catering.
• Ensure food safety and NHS HACCP compliance in all duties.
• Supervise Catering Assistants and maintain high cleanliness standards.
• Manage stock, labeling, rotation, and waste minimisation.

Skills

Fresh Food Preparation

Cooking Skills

Previous Hospital Experience

Education

NVQ Level 2 in Professional Catering

Level 2 Food Safety / Allergen Training

NVQ Level 3 in Professional Cookery

Level 3 Food Safety / Advanced Allergen Training

Job description

Main area Catering Grade Band 3 Contract Permanent Hours Full time - 37.5 hours per week (Working in rotation with 4 Chefs covering 7days per week service. Working one weekend per month. Weekend/Bank Holiday enhancements.) Job ref 205-8054795-B

Site County Hospital Town Stafford Salary £25,760 - £27,476 per annum Salary period Yearly Closing 29/09/2026 23:59

Job overview

At present, University Hospitals of North Midlands is unable to offer visa sponsorship for Band 2 to Band 4 roles, as these positions do not meet the minimum salary and skill thresholds required under UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) regulations.

Are you a chef who’s passionate about great food, modern cooking, and making a difference every single day? At University Hospitals of North Midlands, we’re not just feeding people, we’re nourishing recovery, supporting wellbeing, and driving food innovation within the NHS.

Join a catering team where your skills are valued, your creativity is encouraged, and your work-life balance is respected. With no split shifts, no late-night finishes, and weekend and bank holiday enhancements, where else can you find secure, rewarding work that still gives you time for life outside the kitchen?

This role goes beyond traditional hospital catering - our chefs create dishes for a vibrant staff and visitor restaurant alongside nutritious patient meals. We’re looking for someone who takes pride in their craft, embraces innovation, and thrives on bringing fresh ideas to the table.

Please note this role is for applicants with professional Kitchen experience. Candidates without relevant experience will not be considered.

Main duties of the job

Prepare, cook, and present a wide range of high-quality meals for patients, staff, and visitors, meeting all dietary and nutritional requirements.

Ensure all dishes are professionally garnished and presented to a high standard before service.

Conduct pre-service briefings with restaurant and counter staff to communicate key allergen information, portion sizes, and service expectations.

Develop and contribute to innovative, on-trend menus for our retail and staff catering services.

Ensure that all food is produced safely and hygienically in line with NHS food standards, HACCP regulations, and trust policies.

Supervise and support Catering Assistants during food production and service periods, ensuring duties are completed to a high standard.

Maintain excellent standards of cleanliness and hygiene in all food preparation and service areas.

Monitor and support effective cleaning practices across the kitchen, ensuring daily and deep cleaning schedules are followed and logged.

Take responsibility for the safe handling, storage, labelling, and rotation of stock, minimising waste and ensuring compliance with food safety legislation.

Working for our organisation

University Hospitals of North Midlands NHS Trust is one of the largest and most modern in the country. Based across two sites, Royal Stoke in Stoke-on-Trent and County Hospital in Stafford, we are proud to serve around three million people and we're highly regarded for our facilities, teaching and research. We are the specialist centre for major trauma for the North Midlands and North Wales.

All of our employees make a valuable contribution regardless of role here at UHNM and we are proud of our wide range of development packages aimed at ensuring that everyone has the opportunity to fulfil their true potential.

UHNM create and encourage a culture of inclusion, providing equal opportunities for career development that are fair and transparent. We are committed to being a diverse and inclusive employer and foster a culture in which all staff feel valued and respected. In return we ask all of our employees to make a commitment to the values, co‑created by or staff, patients and carers, and that unite us as a Trust.

At University Hospitals of North Midlands NHS Trust we know that investing in, supporting and developing our staff has a direct impact on the quality of care that we deliver. Our employees are as important as our patients and the population that we serve.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

For further information on this vacancy, please see the attached Job Description and Person Specification or contact the Hiring Manager.

Person specification

Experince

• NVQ Level 2 in Professional or Equivalent Catering Qualification
• Level 2 Food Safety / Allergen Training
• NVQ Level 3 in Professional Cookery or Equivalent Higher-Level Qualification
• Level 3 or above Food Safety / Advanced Allergen Training Level 3

Knowledge, Skills, Training and Experience

• Fresh Food Preparation and Cooking Skills
• Previous Experience in Hospital/ Contract Catering

Important information about your application

• We are committed to equality of opportunity and welcome applications from everyone regardless of ethnicity, disability, gender, age, faith or sexual orientation. Appointment will be based on merit alone.

University Hospitals of North Midlands NHS Trust (UHNM) has been awarded the Gold Award for proudly supporting those who serve. We actively encourage applications from the Armed Forces community.

We will communicate with you regarding your job application via email. Please be aware that we cannot guarantee the security of any emails sent/received via non encrypted format.

If you obtained your qualifications overseas, you will be required to provide an official government translation through ECCTIS (formerly known as NARIC). Please note, this is in addition to any professional registration requirements and not a replacement for your qualifications.

If you are currently in the UK on a visa, you must have at least six months remaining on your visa at the time of your start date to ensure sufficient time for the operational and training process associated with the role. The requirement of at least six months remaining on your visa does not apply to a Skilled Worker Visa, as a new Skilled Worker Visa would be required for a new role.

In line with the change of Immigration rules on 8th January 2026 if you require Sponsorship through the Skilled Worker Visa you must be able to provide B2 English evidence before a Certificate of Sponsorship can be issued.

Visa eligibility notice:
The UK Home Office has imposed an emergency brake on specific visa routes.

• Skilled Worker visas cannot currently be issued to Afghan nationals.
• Study visas cannot currently be issued to nationals of Afghanistan, Cameroon, Myanmar or Sudan.
  As a result, we are unable to progress applications requiring sponsorship under these routes.

UHNM supports the responsible use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) to assist in preparing your supporting statement. However, we reserve the right to reject applications where AI has been used in a misleading manner, for example, by implying experience or understanding that the applicant does not possess or where its use is excessive or unfair. If AI has been used to support your application, you must declare this within your submission.

Employer certification / accreditation badges

The postholder will have access to vulnerable people in the course of their normal duties and as such this post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (Amendment) (England and Wales) Order 2020 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service to check for any previous criminal convictions.

Name Joe Ronan Job title UHNM - Catering Services Manager Email address [e-mail] Additional information

Should you have further queries about the role please email to arrange a call.