designate head chef

wagamama; Milton Keynes; On-site; GBP 14,000 - 25,000; Full time

Job summary

Join Wagamama as a Head Chef, leading a dynamic kitchen team and embodying our people promise. You'll drive performance through inspiring leadership, ensuring every dish meets our high standards while fostering a supportive environment. Enjoy benefits like a bonus scheme, private medical insurance, and a dedicated training program.

Benefits

Bonus scheme

Private medical insurance

Dedicated 6-week training programme

Dry-cleaned chef whites provided

Free food allowance on every shift

50% discount at Wagamama

Fully funded apprenticeship programmes

28 days holiday

Access to counselors and wellness programs

Family friendly policy

Qualifications

• Experienced head chef capable of leading a kitchen team.
• Strong communicator ensuring team feels heard.
• Experience in maintaining food safety standards.

Responsibilities

• Lead kitchen team in the Wagamama way, ensuring high standards.
• Ensure team development through inspiring leadership.
• Manage kitchen labor costs and react to changing demands.

Skills

Leadership

Communication

Food, health, and safety standards

Financial performance understanding

Job description

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Head Chef at Wagamama

As a head chef at Wagamama, you'll lead your kitchen team in the Wagamama way, embody our people promise, values, and core leadership behaviors. You’ll be responsible for ensuring that every dish served meets our high standards. You’ll look after the development and growth of your team through inspiring leadership, ensuring they are engaged, motivated, and high performing.

• Bonus scheme | up to £8,000 a year bonus opportunity
• Private medical insurance + pension scheme
• Dedicated 6-week training programme
• Dry-cleaned chef whites provided every shift
• £14 - £25 of free food allowance on every shift
• 50% discount at Wagamama + 30% off all other TRG brands with family and friends
• Internal progression opportunities | fully funded apprenticeship programmes to support your growth
• 28 days holiday
• Kintsugi wellness | access to counselors, cycle to work scheme, discounted gym + leisure
• Family friendly policy | any expectant person or anyone adopting a child will receive 26 weeks full pay + 13 weeks half pay
• Financial wellbeing support | access to loans repaid through your salary for those ‘strapped for cash’ moments in life

What we look for

• An experienced head chef capable of leading a kitchen team through positive behaviors and actions to drive performance in a fast-paced + complex environment
• A strong communicator who has real conversations with consideration + care, ensuring your team feels heard + supported
• Experience in maintaining spotless food, health, and safety standards
• Experience understanding the financial performance of a kitchen, including gross profit and stock control
• Comfortable managing team labor costs, reacting to changing demands
• Passionate about creating an inclusive environment where your team feels respected and they belong
• An inspiring leader who engages their team to nourish and flourish in their roles and careers

The Wagamama Way

Kaizen, meaning ‘good change,’ sits at the core of who we are. It shapes every dish we create and pushes us to find better ways in all we do: our food, our thinking, our work. We are committed to championing change in our communities and the planet.

With three decades of acting differently, we celebrate difference, valuing personality over perfection. We welcome everyone and their unique stories to our benches. We promise to have your back, working together to build trust and support, creating safe spaces for real conversations with open hearts and minds.

All we ask is for you to dish up what makes you different.