Head Chef

Elior Uk; Moor Side; On-site; GBP 38,000 - 52,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Free meals

Flexible working

28 days holiday (31 after 2 years)

Volunteer days

Career development

Pension & life cover

Exclusive discounts

Job summary

Elior Uk is seeking a Head Chef for our airport lounge operation in the UK. You will lead the kitchen team, drive culinary excellence, and manage operations to deliver premium dining for lounge guests.

Join a fast-paced hospitality environment where you will influence menu design, food quality, and budget performance while ensuring compliance and guest satisfaction.

Qualifications

• Proven leadership skills with a proactive and hands-on management style.
• Passion for delivering exceptional hospitality and customer service.
• Strong focus on quality, presentation, and guest satisfaction.
• Previous catering and chef experience essential, ideally within hospitality, premium lounge, hotel, or high-volume environments.
• Minimum 2 years’ experience as a Head Chef, or an experienced Sous Chef looking to take the next step in their career.
• Ability to thrive in a fast-paced, customer-focused airport environment.

Responsibilities

• Leading, recruiting, training, and developing the kitchen team to consistently deliver a high-quality food service that reflects the premium standards of the airport lounge
• Managing food ordering, stock control, and wastage to ensure effective budget management and smooth daily operations
• Building strong working relationships with internal teams, airport stakeholders, and clients to support operational excellence and seamless guest experiences
• Ensuring full compliance with COSHH, Food Safety, Health & Safety, legal regulations, environmental policies, and duty of care responsibilities
• Maintaining high standards of presentation, cleanliness, and service within a dynamic airport hospitality setting

Skills

Leadership

Hospitality passion

Quality focus

Guest satisfaction

High-volume catering

Airport environment

Job description

Whitehouse Ln, Yeadon, England, LS19 7TU

Elior at work – Workdays Made Better with Great Food

A great workday starts withgreat food,and we know food at work should be more than just a sandwich at your desk. That’s why we bring exciting, fresh, and flexible catering to workplaces across the UK. Whether it’s a quick grab-and-go snack or a hearty lunch, with tech-powered ordering and diverse menus, we keep teams happy, energised, and ready to take on the day.

What you’ll be doing…

As a Head Chef within our airport lounge operation, you will lead and inspire the kitchen team to deliver an exceptional dining experience for lounge guests, while driving culinary excellence, operational efficiency, and financial performance in a fast-paced hospitality environment.

• Leading, recruiting, training, and developing the kitchen team to consistently deliver a high-quality food service that reflects the premium standards of the airport lounge
• Managing food ordering, stock control, and wastage to ensure effective budget management and smooth daily operations
• Building strong working relationships with internal teams, airport stakeholders, and clients to support operational excellence and seamless guest experiences
• Ensuring full compliance with COSHH, Food Safety, Health & Safety, legal regulations, environmental policies, and duty of care responsibilities
• Maintaining high standards of presentation, cleanliness, and service within a dynamic airport hospitality setting

Working Pattern: W ill generally be centred around mid-shifts (7:30am–4:00pm), allowing you to work closely with both the Breakfast Chef during the morning service and the Chef de Partie on the later shift, ensuring consistency and continuity across the kitchen operation.

While there may be occasional early starts (04:0 0am) or late finishes (20:30) to provide holiday or absence cover, these will be infrequent

Job ID: 6596

What can you bring?

• Proven leadership skills with a proactive and hands‑on management style
• Passion for delivering exceptional hospitality and customer service
• Strong focus on quality, presentation, and guest satisfaction
• Previous catering and chef experience essential, ideally within hospitality, premium lounge, hotel, or high-volume environments
• Minimum 2 years’ experience as a Head Chef, or an experienced Sous Chef looking to take the next step in their career
• Ability to thrive in a fast-paced, customer-focused airport environment

Due to security checks required for this role, all candidates will be subject to a basic criminal record check and must be able to provide a continuous five-year checkable work history with verified gaps in employment.

Full details and dates of all periods of employment/unemployment/education must be provided for the previous five years

Brilliant Work Deserves Brilliant Perks!

At Elior, we believe that when you love where you work, it shows. That’s why we make sure our team feels appreciated, supported, and set up for success! Here’s what’s waiting for you:

• Free, tasty meals - Enjoy tasty, nutritious food on us while you work!
• Flexible working - including part time roles, because life doesn’t run on a 9-5 schedule.
• Plenty of Time to Unwind - 28 days of holiday, and after two years, enjoy even more with 31 days.
• Leave for life’s important moments - whether family, personal or unexpected.
• Give back time - paid volunteering days for the causes you care about.
• Room to grow - career development and learning opportunities for all stages of your career.
• Financial security - pension schemes and life assurance.
• Exclusive discounts - save on entertainment, leisure, and even travel!

Why You’ll Love Working Here

We’re a people-first business with over 10,000 colleagues across the UK, serving everything from stadiums to hospitals, schools to workplaces. Our mission? Toenrich lives everywhere, every day.

And here’s the best part - 87% of our team say they’re proud to work here!Why? Because we create a place where you’re listened to, trusted, supported, and valued.

Not sure you match every single requirement? Apply anyway! Research shows that many people - especially women and those from underrepresented backgrounds - hold back unless they meet 100% of the criteria. But we hire for potential, not just experience. If you’re passionate and ready to grow, we want to hear from you!

We Celebrate You!

At Elior, diversity and inclusion aren’t just policies, they’re who we are. We know that different perspectives make us stronger, and we’re dedicated to creating an environment where everyone feels seen, heard, and empowered to succeed.

Need any support or adjustments during the application process? Just let us know - we’re happy to help!