CPU Sous Chef

ODYSSEY; Greater London; On-site; GBP 28,000 - 38,000; Full time

Job summary

Harri is seeking an experienced CPU Sous Chef to lead food production across multiple restaurant sites, ensuring consistency in quality, taste, presentation and portion control while upholding the highest standards of culinary excellence, food safety and efficiency.

The role covers production leadership, operational management, team development, quality and compliance, and cross-functional communication to exceed client expectations.

Qualifications

• Experience as a Sous Chef in high-volume or inflight catering.
• Proven leadership and team management abilities.
• Strong organisational and time management skills.
• Experience in central production units with flight-ready standard.

Responsibilities

• Lead food production for multiple restaurant sites, ensuring quality and portion control.
• Set and maintain culinary, production, and safety standards.
• Support menu development and efficient production scheduling.
• Manage workflows and resources to maximise efficiency while upholding brand standards.
• Supervise daily kitchen operations and ensure timely supply to outlets.

Skills

Sous Chef experience

Leadership

Time management

Education

Level 3 Food Safety / HACCP certification

Job description

CPU Sous Chef

About the Role

We are seeking an experienced CPU Sous Chef to lead food production across multiple restaurant sites. The successful candidate will ensure consistent quality, taste, presentation, and portion control, while maintaining the highest standards of culinary excellence, food safety, and efficiency.

Key Responsibilities

Production Leadership

• Lead the planning and delivery of food production for multiple restaurant sites, ensuring consistent quality, taste, presentation, and portion control


• Set and maintain high culinary, production, food safety, and quality standards across the production unit


• Support menu development and bespoke product requirements, ensuring efficient production and timely supply to all restaurant outlets


• Manage production workflows and resources to maximise efficiency while maintaining brand standards and consistency

Operational Management

• Manage and supervise all daily kitchen operations, ensuring smooth workflow, organisation, and optimal productivity


• Ensure all mise en place is completed to exceptional standards and within strict timelines


• Coordinate with procurement to forecast needs, maintain ingredient quality, manage stock rotation, and proactively identify shortages or quality concerns


• Oversee precise labelling, packaging, and storage of all dishes to ensure safe transit and premium inflight presentation

Team Development & Leadership

• Lead, motivate, and mentor the kitchen team, providing training, guidance, and development to junior chefs, sous chefs, and production staff


• Uphold a disciplined, calm, and collaborative working culture that supports efficiency and high performance


• Conduct performance reviews and support recruitment efforts to build a strong, skilled culinary team

Quality, Safety & Compliance

• Maintain strict adherence to food safety, hygiene, HACCP standards, and aviation-specific protocols, ensuring full traceability and best-practice handling at all times


• Implement and monitor quality-control procedures to ensure consistency across all dishes departing the kitchen


• Work closely with operational and logistics teams to ensure seamless production and dispatch workflows

Communication & Cross-functional Collaboration

• Collaborate with management, operations, and client-facing teams to ensure client expectations are understood and exceeded


• Communicate effectively with the wider team to ensure daily priorities, deadlines, and service levels are met

Requirements

• Proven experience as a Sous Chef in a central production unit, high-volume, or inflight catering environment


• Level 3 Food Safety / HACCP certification


• Strong leadership and team management skills


• Excellent organisational and time management abilities