Head Chef

Restaurant Associates UK; Manchester; On-site; GBP 42,000 - 50,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Pension scheme

Career development programmes

Digital GP and wider healthcare

Travel discounts with major providers

Staff discounts on groceries (Tesco, S

Discounts on cinema tickets

Job summary

Restaurant Associates UK is seeking an experienced Head Chef to lead a newly mobilised Manchester site. You will own the kitchen operation, set high standards, and shape menus while building a strong team in a fast-paced corporate dining environment.

You will drive culinary excellence, mentor staff, and ensure exceptional food quality across high-volume service with a hands-on leadership style and clear focus on health-conscious, contemporary menus.

Qualifications

• Proven experience as a senior kitchen leader (Head Chef/Senior Sous Chef).
• Experience in contract catering, B&I or corporate environments.
• Strong leadership and team development skills.
• Excellent communication and ability to drive standards.
• Passion for high-quality, healthy, contemporary menus.

Responsibilities

• Take overall responsibility for a full production kitchen in a busy staff dining environment.
• Lead the kitchen team, set high standards and foster a positive culture.
• Manage hospitality, events and functions with consistently high service quality.
• Deliver exceptional food standards across a high-volume operation.
• Develop and mentor your team to support progression and development.
• Create fresh, healthy and innovative menus reflecting current trends.
• Hands-on across all kitchen areas when required to ensure quality.
• Drive consistency, efficiency and excellent food quality.
• Collaborate with wider team to mobilise and drive site success.

Skills

Leadership

Team management

Menu development

High-volume kitchen

Communication

Job description

Contract Catering Head Chef – Newly Mobilised Manchester Site | Up to £50,000

This is an exciting opportunity to join a newly mobilised contract catering site in Manchester and take ownership of a high-performing, fast-paced kitchen operation.

As Head Chef, you’ll lead from the front, combining strong culinary skills with hands‑on leadership to deliver exceptional food, hospitality and service standards across a busy corporate environment.

You’ll have the opportunity to make your mark from the outset — helping shape menus, develop your team, establish operational standards and build a kitchen operation you can truly take ownership of.

What You’ll Be Doing As Head Chef

• Taking overall responsibility for a full production kitchen within a busy staff dining environment
• Leading the kitchen team, setting high standards and creating a positive, motivated culture
• Managing hospitality, events and functions, ensuring consistently high-quality service
• Delivering exceptional food standards across a high-volume operation
• Developing and mentoring your team, supporting their progression and development
• Creating fresh, healthy and innovative menus that reflect current food trends
• Getting hands‑on across all areas of the kitchen operation when required
• Driving consistency, efficiency and excellent food quality
• Working closely with the wider team to ensure the smooth mobilisation and ongoing success of the site

What You Need To Succeed

• Proven experience as a Senior Sous Chef, Head Chef or similar senior kitchen position
• Ideally a minimum of 2 years' experience at Head Chef level, although ambitious Senior Sous Chefs ready for their first step into the role will be considered
• Experience within B&I, corporate or contract catering
• Strong experience working within high-volume kitchen environments
• Excellent leadership, communication and team management skills
• A genuine passion for high-quality food and creative menu development
• Good knowledge of healthy eating and contemporary food trends
• The confidence and drive to take ownership of a kitchen and make a new site your own

What’s in it for you?

• You’ll be rewarded for your hard work with a comprehensive benefits package, including:
• Contributory pension scheme
• Excellent career development opportunities through Career Pathways and MyLearning programmes
• Digital GP and wider healthcare benefits for you and your immediate family
• Exclusive travel discounts with TUI, Expedia, Booking.com and more
• Discounts on your weekly food shop at Tesco, Sainsbury’s, Morrisons and more
• Up to 44% off cinema tickets
• Cash rewards when you spend, redeemable across a wide range of brands
• Free wellness, mindfulness and exercise classes
• Discounts and offers that can be shared with friends and family

Joining a newly mobilised Manchester site gives you the chance to establish your kitchen, influence the operation from the beginning, develop your team and put your own stamp on the food and service proposition.

About Us

Restaurant Associates provides brilliant hospitality through our food, drink and services. We work with our partners and collaborate with our clients to achieve great things together. Every day, our teams of passionate hospitality professionals strive for excellence in delivering employee dining and hospitality to some of the UK's leading workplace as well as inspiring exceptional experiences in iconic cultural and heritage destinations.

Job Reference: com/1509/45179001/52821940/R/SU #RA Group

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!