Head Chef

Compass Group UK; City of Edinburgh; On-site; GBP 33,000 - 40,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Personal Development

Life assurance

Pension scheme

Holiday allowance

Healthcare app

Eye care

Wellbeing programme

Family friendly support

Social events

Holiday purchase scheme

Volunteering days

Professional subscriptions

Recognition schemes

Long service awards

Discount vouchers

Job summary

Compass Group UK Gather & Gather in Edinburgh City Centre is recruiting a Head Chef to own the culinary offer, develop fresh concepts and drive a high-performing kitchen with Front of House collaboration. You will lead a team, shape menus and manage costs while delivering exceptional hospitality.

The role offers a Monday–Friday, 40-hour week with occasional weekends, and a salary of £36,729 per annum, reflecting senior responsibility in a prestigious contract catering environment.

Qualifications

• Proven Head Chef experience in quality food environments.
• Experience in contract catering, high-street venues, or both.
• Track record of creating successful menus from concept to delivery.
• Strong commercial acumen with menu costing, budgeting and margins.

Responsibilities

• Create, develop and implement menus across breakfast, lunch, sharing plates and dinner.
• Manage food costing, menu engineering and kitchen budgets.
• Lead, motivate and develop the kitchen team and culture.
• Recruit, train and mentor chefs at all levels.
• Collaborate with Front of House to enhance customer experience and drive sales.
• Maintain top standards of food quality, presentation, hygiene and safety.
• Control stock, orders and supplier relationships.
• Drive innovation and continually review the food proposition.
• Ensure compliance with food safety and health & safety laws.

Skills

Operational leadership

Menu development

Budgeting & cost control

Team development

Food safety & hygiene

Stakeholder management

Job description

Great food in the workplace isn’t simply about fuel.It’s about increasing productivity and improving performance; it’s about happy, motivated people and inspiring environments. Our customers are at the heart of everything we do – we live to bring food and people together.

We are brave, bold and curious adventurers in food and drink. Never shy of being different, always challenging the conventional.

Our passionate team of chefs, baristas, servers, nutritionists and much more, love nothing more than creating memorable moments that enrich the everyday.Come and join our award-winning teams – we are currently recruiting for a Head Chefto join our team.

Salary: £36,729 per annum

Shift Pattern: Monday-Friday, 40 hours per week with occasional weekends (Approximately 4 a year)

Location: Edinburgh City Centre

The Role

As Head Chef, you will take full ownership of the culinary offer, developing a fresh and engaging food concept that caters to both daytime corporate guests and evening social diners.

Working closely with the Front of House leadership team, you will play a key role in continuously evolving the customer experience, ensuring the offer remains relevant, commercially successful, and reflective of current food trends.

Key Responsibilities

• Create, develop and implement menus from scratch across breakfast, lunch, sharing plates and evening dining.
• Manage food costing, menu engineering and kitchen budgets to deliver strong commercial performance.
• Lead, motivate and develop the kitchen team, creating a positive and high-performing culture.
• Recruit, train and mentor chefs at all levels.
• Work collaboratively with Front of House colleagues to enhance customer experience and drive sales.
• Maintain the highest standards of food quality, presentation, hygiene and safety.
• Manage stock control, ordering processes and supplier relationships.
• Drive innovation and continually review and improve the food proposition.
• Ensure compliance with all food safety and health & safety legislation.

About You

We are looking for a chef who combines strong operational leadership with genuine culinary creativity.

You will have:

• Proven experience operating at Head Chef level within a quality food environment.
• Experience within contract catering, independent high street restaurants, or a combination of both.
• A track record of creating successful menus from concept through to delivery.
• Strong commercial acumen, including menu costing, budgeting and margin management.
• Experience training, coaching and developing kitchen teams.
• Excellent communication and stakeholder management skills.
• Experience working closely with Front of House teams to develop joined-up customer experiences.
• A passion for delivering exceptional hospitality and food innovation.

Working with Gather & Gather has its perks! People are at the heart of everything we do, so we've developed a range of benefits to keep you happy.

• Personal Development and Training opportunities
• Life assurance scheme
• Pension scheme
• Holiday allowance
• Access to Healthcare Support App which includes Annual health check, Digital GP, Mental Health Consultations, Nutritional Consultations, Second Medical Opinion
• Eye care
• A great wellbeing strategy – including access to our Employee Assistance Programme, salary finance
• Family friendly support
• Regular social events and communication with our leaders

• A holiday purchase scheme
• Volunteering days
• Professional subscriptions
• Recognition schemes and people awards
• Long service awards
• Access to some great high street discount vouchers

About Us

As part of Compass you'll help to feed people, fuel progress and forge connections in around 6,000 venues. Join us to grow your career with the industry leader, and get competitive pay, great perks and unrivalled opportunities for learning and development, at one of the UK's biggest businesses.

Job Reference: com/1409/44782001/52808080/SU #SCOT #Gather and Gather

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!