Development Chef

Centurionstaunch; Nottingham; On-site; GBP 23,582 - 33,587; Full time

Job summary

A leading catering services provider in Nottingham is seeking a Development Chef to create innovative school menus and train catering teams. The role requires extensive experience in school or large-scale catering environments and a strong understanding of allergen compliance. Responsibilities include designing seasonal menus, conducting kitchen audits, and providing on-site support across multiple schools. The position offers a fixed-term contract until the end of March with a rate of £20.75 per hour.

Qualifications

• Proven experience in school catering or substantial experience in large‑scale/public sector catering environments.
• Strong understanding of allergen compliance and management in a school setting.
• Confident trainer/coach with experience delivering practical training.

Responsibilities

• Design and implement seasonal school menus that meet compliance standards.
• Translate small-scale recipes into large-scale for school meals.
• Inspire, train, and upskill catering teams.
• Conduct kitchen audits and provide improvement recommendations.
• Promote school meal offers through demonstrations and events.

Skills

Experience in school catering or large-scale catering environments

Knowledge of School Food Standards

Allergen compliance management

Recipe scaling

Training and coaching skills

Strong communication skills

Full UK driving license

Experience with special dietary menus

Working across multiple sites

Job description

Centurion Staunch Innovative Solutions Ltd | Full time

Development Chef

City of Nottingham, United Kingdom | Posted on 05/12/2025

This is not a standard development chef role. We are looking for an innovative, practical and collaborative School Menu Development Chef to inspire and develop school catering teams and deliver outstanding meals for children.

You will design fresh, seasonal menus (updated twice per year), ensure compliance with School Food Standards and Food for Life criteria, deliver audits and improvement recommendations, run taster sessions and demonstrations at schools, and support/upskill school cooks in producing high-quality, cost-effective meals at scale.

This role supports large-scale catering operations serving millions of meals annually and requires a mix of menu development, practical recipe scaling, training and hands‑on kitchen support.

Key Responsibilities

• Design and implement fresh, seasonal school menus that meet School Food Standards and Food for Life criteria (menus changed twice yearly).
• Translate small-scale recipes into large-scale recipes (e.g., scaling to serve up to 200+).
• Inspire, train and upskill school cooks and catering teams through coaching, demonstrations and on‑site support.
• Carry out kitchen audits, identify opportunities for improvement and provide clear, practical recommendations.
• Promote the school meal offer through taster sessions, food demonstrations and school events.
• Ensure strict allergen management and food safety/compliance in all menus and procedures.
• Support continuous improvement across school and commercial catering operations (portion control, cost management, consistency).
• Travel between the central kitchen and schools to provide on‑site support as required.

Requirements

Person Specification — Ideal Candidate

• Proven experience in school catering or substantial experience in large‑scale/public sector catering environments.
• Awareness and working knowledge of School Food Standards and government guidance for school meals.
• Strong understanding of allergen compliance and management in a school setting.
• Demonstrable ability to scale recipes and produce consistent high‑quality output at volume.
• Confident trainer/coach — experience delivering practical training and demonstrations to kitchen teams.
• Good written and verbal communication skills; able to engage pupils, staff and parents at events.
• Full UK driving licence and ability to travel between sites.
• Experience working with Food for Life or similar quality food accreditation.
• Prior experience developing special dietary menus (e.g., dairy‑free, allergen‑specific menus).
• Previous experience working across multiple school sites or local‑authority catering services.

Practical Details / Clarifications (from client Q&A)

Geography: Role supports up to 52 schools across the council area and 2 schools in Derby.

School visits per week: Variable — dependent on school needs (could be 1 site or multiple); the majority of development work will be at the head office/central kitchen.

Contract duration: Current assignment runs until end of March (fixed‑term).

Menu creation frequency: Menus are created/updated twice per year. There is also periodic work for bespoke special‑diet menus (e.g., allergy‑specific).

Mandatory requirements: None additional specified at this stage. (If you’re on the client supply chain, please state this in your application; if not, let us know you are a new supplier.)

Rate: £20.75 per hour (umbrella) — rate is fixed and non‑negotiable.

How to Apply (supplier note)

Please send a CV highlighting your school/large‑scale catering experience and examples of menu development or training delivered to:

Whether you are already enrolled on the client’s supply chain (please indicate enrolment status), or if you are a new supplier.

Your availability and confirmation you can work full‑time to end of March.

Confirmation you can travel between sites and hold a valid driving licence.

Privacy Assurance

All personal information provided during the recruitment process will be handled securely and processed in accordance with GDPR. Data will be used only for recruitment, onboarding and compliance purposes and will not be shared outside authorised channels.