Executive Head Chef

Holroyd Howe; Eastbourne; On-site; GBP 46,000 - 55,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading contract catering company seeks an Executive Chef to lead culinary services at a prestigious independent school in Eastbourne. The role involves overseeing kitchen operations, menu planning, and managing a diverse team while promoting innovative food practices. This full-time position offers a salary up to £55,000 with additional benefits including holiday and training opportunities.

Benefits

28 days holiday

Volunteering days

Enhanced maternity leave

Pension and life insurance

Discounts via Perkbox

Wellbeing hub

Free meals while at work

Career development opportunities

Qualifications

• Proven experience as an Executive Chef, ideally in a school or multi-site environment.
• Strong leadership skills, with the ability to manage and motivate a diverse team.
• Expertise in fresh, seasonal, and innovative food preparation.

Responsibilities

• Drive culinary innovation and ensure all dishes are crafted with taste and quality in mind.
• Oversee day-to-day kitchen operations, including menu planning and stock management.
• Lead and inspire a large team, ensuring collaboration and excellence across all kitchens.

Skills

Leadership

Food innovation

Culinary excellence

Supplier relationship management

Stock control

Job description

Company Description

Job Title: Executive Chef
Location: Eastbourne College, East Sussex
Contract: Full-time, five days over seven
Salary: Up to £55,000 per annum.

Why Join us?

• 28 days holiday (including bank holidays)
• 3 volunteering days
• 3 days grandparent leave
• 24 weeks’ enhanced maternity leave
• Bespoke training and development opportunities
• Pension and life insurance
• Discounts via our Perkbox app (high street shops, holidays, cinema)
• Wellbeing hub
• Access to employee assistance programme
• Free meals while at work
• Career development opportunities
• HIT Apprenticeships for all experience levels.

We are delighted to be recruiting an Executive Chef to lead and inspire the food and hospitality services at Eastbourne College, a respected co-educational independent prep school located in Eastbourne, East Sussex.

This is a fantastic opportunity for a dynamic and food-focused chef who thrives in a quality-driven environment. The role is based on a five-over-seven working pattern, providing a balanced and sustainable work-life rhythm, ideal for someone who understands school life and values consistency in delivery.

We’re looking for a creative, hands-on leader who can combine operational excellence with culinary flair.

If you are a natural collaborator who enjoys being hands-on and visible within the kitchen and wider school and you're ready to lead a talented team and elevate the catering offer at one of Sussex’s leading Independent schools, we’d love to hear from you.

Job Description

Key Responsibilities:

• Drive culinary innovation and ensure all dishes are crafted with taste and quality in mind.
• Oversee day-to-day kitchen operations, including menu planning, stock management, and supplier relationships.
• Lead and inspire a large team, ensuring collaboration and excellence across all kitchens.
• Deliver exceptional hospitality services, with a focus on fresh, seasonal ingredients.
• Manage events and ensure seamless execution of catering for various functions.

Qualifications

• Proven experience as an Executive Chef, ideally in a school or multi-site environment
• Strong leadership skills, with the ability to manage and motivate a diverse team
• Expertise in fresh, seasonal, and innovative food preparation
• Strong knowledge of stock control, ordering, and kitchen management systems
• Passionate about delivering exceptional hospitality experiences

Additional Information

Holroyd Howe is one of the UK’s leading contract caterers, providing fresh innovative food services solely to independent schools and colleges. We are a team of experienced professionals who tailor our catering service provision specifically to suit children of all ages in order to meet the bespoke requirements of each school.

To provide our teams with the right skills to succeed in their jobs, we invest in their training and development. Our exceptional teams of seasoned specialists customise our catering services to fit children of all ages and satisfy the unique needs of our clients.

We pride ourselves on:

Sustainability

Sustainability is at the heart of our thinking; always mindful of the ethics of our sourcing and how we prepare our meals.

Nutrition

We take nutrition seriously and understand the impact a healthy diet has on the fundamental years of development. Meals are always freshly prepared from scratch and packed with nutritious ingredients.

Food Innovation

We offer a wide portfolio of training opportunities and experiences, which attracts chefs who are passionate about culinary excellence and menu innovation to our team.

From tasting tables, theme days and food theatre, to chef demonstrations and supplier showcases, we create engaging and fun dining experiences for our students. We work together to make mealtimes exploratory, quirky, and fun for our pupils, helping them build strong and healthy relationships with food.

“Holroyd Howe is an equal opportunity employer. We are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and expect all employees to share this commitment. All roles within Holroyd Howe are regarded as regulated activity, it is an offence to apply for a role in regulated activity if you are barred from working with children, therefore we will require an Enhanced DBS which includes a Barred List check for all successful applicants. We will also require shortlisted applicants to provide appropriate information regarding any criminal offences and shortlisted applicants will be subject to an online search of public available information on suitability to work with children.“

This appointment is offered on the return of satisfactory professional references.

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