Head Chef

John Lewis & Partners; City of Westminster; On-site; GBP 33,000 - 51,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Full uniform supplied including safety

Free meals on duty

Free parking on site

Partnership discount 25%

Waitrose & Partners 20% discount

Discounted cinema tickets

Job summary

The John Lewis Partnership is seeking an experienced Head Chef to lead our dynamic kitchen team at our London head office. You will own the food offer, develop menus, mentor chefs, and drive excellence across operations.

Key focus areas include menu innovation, hygiene and food safety, budget management, and reducing waste while delivering exceptional culinary experiences for up to 600 partners daily in our onsite dining. This role requires strong leadership and a proven track record.

Qualifications

• Supersvisory experience supervising catering teams.
• Experience with a variety of cuisines and hospitality standards.
• Understanding of sales, stock, and wastage to protect margins.
• Ability to lead by example and adapt to cross-department needs.
• Proficient with ordering and admin systems.

Responsibilities

• Provide breakfast and lunch for up to 600 Partners daily.
• Lead and inspire the kitchen team to deliver exceptional experiences.
• Design and implement innovative food offerings aligned with trends.
• Ensure adherence to food safety, quality, and cost controls.

Skills

Supervisory experience

Food expertise

Commercial awareness

Leadership

IT literacy

Education

City & Guilds 7061/7062

NVQ Level 3 in Professional Cookery

Food Safety Level 3

Tools

Ordering systems

Job description

About the role

At the John Lewis Partnership, we’re passionate about using ingredients with provenance to produce fresh seasonal meals that are second to none.

We are seeking an experienced and passionate Head Chef to join and lead our dynamic kitchen team.

In this pivotal role, you will be responsible for all aspects of the food offer and will ensure the consistent delivery of high-quality culinary experiences within our John Lewis head office location.

Leveraging your culinary expertise and leadership skills, you will play a key role in menu development, crafting innovative and exceptional dishes that delight our customers. You will also be responsible for mentoring and developing our chefs, fostering a culture of excellence, and promoting teamwork within the kitchen.

Your responsibilities will extend to inventory management, ensuring optimal stock levels while minimizing waste through efficient practices. You will be responsible for menu planning, food preparation, presentation, and maintaining the highest standards of hygiene and food safety while remaining within an agreed budget.

The successful candidate will have a proven track record of culinary excellence, strong leadership abilities, and a passion for delivering exceptional food. If you are a creative and ambitious chef with a commitment to quality and a desire to make a significant contribution to our culinary team, we encourage you to apply.

• Salary - £32,700 - £51,200
• Contract type - This position is a Permanent contract.
• Working pattern - The working pattern will be 35 hours a week Mon - Fri with hours varying depending on needs of the business between 7am and 5pm.
• Location - This role is based at Pimlico, London
• Role Internally know as Team Manager, Food Production

Key Responsibilities

• Providing Breakfast and lunch for up to 600 Partners daily within our onsite Partner Dining Room, alongside an element of in room hospitality for meeting rooms across our Head Office Building
• Lead and inspire the kitchen team to deliver exceptional culinary experiences
• Design and implement innovative food offerings that cater to customers preferences and evolving culinary trends
• Ensure adherence to food safety, quality, and cost control standards

Benefits of the Partnership and the role

We believe in rewarding our Partners for their time and energy. After all, they’re the ones that make the John Lewis Partnership special. Benefits include:
Full uniform supplied including safety shoes
Free Meals on Duty depending on hours worked
Free parking on site.
Once you’ve been with us for three months, you’ll get Partnership discount in store and online. That’s 25% off in John Lewis & Partners (12% electrical products, some exclusions apply) and 20% in Waitrose & Partners. You’ll also be able to nominate someone you live with to share your discount.
Discounted cinema tickets & VIP suites with discounted tickets at the O2 arena
Discounted rates on holidays at the John Lewis Partnerships hotels, where only Partners and their guests can stay
Excellent work life balance, including focus on well being and flexible working and our marketing leading equal parenthood leave Policy

And much more! Find out more about our benefits here: https://www.jlpjobs.com/about/benefits/

Essential Skills/Experience You’ll Need

• Supervisory Experience: A minimum of 3 year’s experience in supervising catering teams.
• Food Expertise: Experience working with all food types and a genuine passion for hospitality.
• Commercial Awareness: A strong understanding of how to manage sales, stock, and wastage to protect the bottom line.
• Leadership Qualities: The ability to lead by example, foster trust within a team, and remain flexible to support other departments when required.
• IT Literacy: Proficient computer skills to manage administrative tasks and ordering systems.
• Recognised Food Production Certificate. City & Guilds 706 1 & 2 or equivalent
• Food Safety Level 3 certification.
• Operational experience in PDRs, canteens or hospitality at a supervisory level

Desirable Skills/Experience You May Have

• NVQ Level 3 in Professional Cookery or equivalent
• Experience working in a high-pressure, customer-facing selling or service environment.
• Previous experience in a dedicated administration or logistics function.

Mon - Fri 7am - 3pm

The partnership

We’re the largest employee owned business in the UK and home of our cherished brands, John Lewis and Waitrose. We’re not just employees, we’re Partners, driven by our purpose to build a happier world. As we look to our future, there’s never been a more exciting time to join us.

We’re ruthlessly focused on being brilliant at retail. We continue to innovate, adapt and diversify. Never Knowingly Undersold on price, quality and service in John Lewis and passionately serving food-lovers in Waitrose.

As Partners we all share the responsibility of ownership and in its rewards. We use our voices to contribute to our success, working together through the good and challenging times, holding true to our behaviours and treating everyone with kindness and respect.

We all own making the Partnership somewhere we belong. Embracing our differences and creating an environment where we’re free to be ourselves and can THRIVE. Growing ourselves individually, and as a collective.

As Partners, we make all the difference. And, we all own it.

Important points to note:

It’s important to note that some of our roles are subject to pre-employment vetting (which may include DBS checks for successful candidates). If required, you’ll be informed and provided with information about vetting during the recruitment process and we encourage you to complete any vetting documents quickly to avoid delays. Any DBS checks required will be carried out by a third-party registered body and financial probity checks may also be required for some of our roles.

We occasionally close vacancies early in the event we receive a high volume of applications, and therefore, we recommend you apply early. If you require a reasonable adjustment due to a disability which means you may need longer to complete your application please contact us as soon as possible.

We want all of our Partners to have a good work-life balance and we support flexible working. This might mean flexible or compressed hours, job sharing or short hour contracts, where possible. Please discuss this further with the hiring manager during your interview.