Executive Chef

Compass Group; Widnes; On-site; GBP 60,000 - 80,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading catering provider in the UK is looking for an Executive Chef to oversee culinary standards across schools. The role involves leading a team to ensure compliance with food standards, drive profitability, and support training and development. Candidates should possess strong culinary leadership capabilities and commercial acumen, as well as experience in a large-scale foodservice environment. This position is pivotal in enhancing food quality and engagement in schools throughout the region.

Benefits

Commitment to diversity and inclusion

Opportunities for personal development

Qualifications

• Proven track record of culinary leadership within a multi-site environment.
• Experience delivering sustainable food offers across service channels.
• Ability to lead and coach teams, including matrix or indirect reports.

Responsibilities

• Lead culinary performance across all schools, ensuring high food standards.
• Drive monthly PPM, GP%, and margin targets.
• Develop strong relationships with stakeholders and support business growth.

Skills

Culinary leadership

Strong communication skills

Commercial acumen

Team development

Data-led decision making

Education

Experience in multi-site foodservice environments

Job description

Role Overview

The Executive Chef is responsible for leading culinary performance across all schools within the region, ensuring consistently high food standards, strong commercial outcomes and full compliance with School Food Standards and company frameworks.

The role leads a small brigade of Regional Executive Cheūsų chefs, providing hands‑on culinary support to Heads of Operations (HOO's) and Primary and Secondary schools. The Executive Chef is accountable for food quality, consistency, commercial performance, people development and supporting business growth through retention and new business activity.

A key focus of the role is understanding and influencing the commercial levers that drive profitability and growthుష including PPM, GP% and margin performance, while delivering a market‑leading, compliant and engaging food offer.

Key AccountabilitiesFood Offer & Standards

• Own and deliver a consistent, managed food offer across the region, incorporating food safety, nutrition, sustainability, innovation, brand standards and commerciality

• Ensure all sites execute approved School Food Standards, SOURCE recipes, recipe cards and purchasing compliance

• Set and maintain exceptional food quality standards across all service points, including counters, cafés, mobile pods and food outlets

• Lead the Regional Executive Chef team to deliver consistent execution, prioritising daily business needs and continuous kitchen support

Culinary Leadership & Support

• Lead, manage and develop the regional culinary team to ensure the highest standards of food delivery

• Operate in a highly visible, hands‑on and mobile role, visiting schools regularly to engage and support kitchen teams

• Partner with HOO's to ensure culinary requirements are met and a consistent food offer is delivered across all schools

• Drive delivery of monthly PPM, GP% and margin targets

• Lead regular regional culinary calls and ensure all communications and actions are completed

• Attend and contribute to culinary forums, menu development sessions and regional leadership meetings

Training, Development & Partnership

• Ensure clear culinary pathways and skills development plans are in place across the region

• Personally support training delivery where required, maintaining a hands‑on approach

• Build strong collaborative relationships with HOO's, operators and growth teams

• Represent the business at key Chartwells events, client engagements and regional forums

Growth & regering

• Provide culinary leadership to support retention and new business growth

• Lead food presentations and qualify tender submissions

• Deliver South/Regional Map 1 sales and retention presentations

• Lead and support mobilisations, ensuring readiness and strong Day 1 Go Live delivery

Person SpecificationExperience & Capability

• Proven track record of hands‑on culinary leadership within a large‑scale, multi‑site commercial foodservice environment

• Experience delivering sustainable, global and education‑appropriate food offers across multiple service channels

• Demonstrated ability to lead, coach and develop teams, including matrix or indirect reports

• Strong commercial acumen with a clear understanding of PPM, GP%, margin and cost‑control drivers

• Confident communicator with strong presentation and influencing skills across all stakeholder levels

• Able to inspire and engage diverse audiences, from frontline teams to senior leaders and clients

• Comfortable operating at pace, managing competing priorities across multiple sites

Leadership & Behaviour

• Strategic thinker with the ability to translate innovation and insight into operational excellence

• Strong advocate for Diversity, Equity & Inclusion

• Actively invests in personal development and stays ahead of industry and market trends

• Highly organized, with excellent prioritisation, delegation and change‑management skills

• Data‑led decision maker with the ability to drive measurable business impact

• Passionate advocate for high food standards, menu consistency and team development

• Excellent listener and communicator, ensuring frontline teams fully understand expectations and standards

• Mobile and flexible, with a proactive approach to regional travel

About Us

Part of Compass Group UK&I, Chartwells is the leading provider of catering and support services to the education sector. For over a quarter of a century, Chartwells has been focusing on helping those in education to build strong bodies, sharp minds and lead long healthy lives. Every week, Chartwells serves millions of nutritious and delicious meals to pupils and students in primary and secondary schools, academies, independent schools, colleges, and universities across the UK. Chartwells is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and expect allAdmin employees to share this commitment. Any offer of employment will be subject to successfully completing pre‑employment checks, including an enhanced DBS disclosure and a Children’s Barred List check. This post is exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 and we ask applicants to declare all previous convictions and cautions in order to assess their suitability to work with children.

Compass Group UK&I is committed to fostering an environment where every individual can truly be themselves at work and has equal opportunities to advance in their careers. We strive to build a culture that respects and celebrates the unique talents, beliefs, backgrounds, and abilities of all our team members. We want our colleagues to feel valued, empowered to reach their full potential, and to thrive – because diversity is our strength!