Head Chef

Chartwells Independent; Slough; On-site; GBP 39,000 - 47,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Contributory pension

Career development programmes

Digital GP access

Travel discounts

Shopping discounts

Cinema discounts

Cash rewards

Wellness programs

Job summary

Restaurant Associates in Slough is seeking an experienced and driven Head Chef to lead a high-volume catering operation with a strong focus on quality, customer experience, and operational excellence.

This hands-on leadership role requires delivering exceptional food standards, managing GP, stock, purchasing, and developing a high-performing kitchen team.

Qualifications

• Extensive experience leading kitchen teams in high-volume catering environments.
• Proven track record of delivering high food quality and safety standards.
• Strong commercial acumen with GP, stock, and cost-control experience.

Responsibilities

• Lead and develop the kitchen team to achieve high performance.
• Maintain excellent food quality, presentation and safety standards.
• Manage GP, stock control, purchasing, waste and cost control.
• Plan menus and implement innovative, engaging food offers.
• Analyse performance and drive profitability while preserving service standards.

Skills

Leadership

People management

Food quality

GP & cost controls

Stock & purchasing

Menu planning

Job description

Head Chef | Slough | £43,061 per annum | Monday to Friday

We are seeking an experienced and driven Head Chef to lead a busy, fast-paced catering operation with a strong focus on food quality, customer experience, and operational excellence. This role requires a hands-on leader who can consistently deliver exceptional food standards while driving team performance and maintaining commercial control across the kitchen operation.

The successful candidate will have a proven track record of managing high-volume catering environments whilst maintaining the highest standards of food quality, presentation, food safety, and compliance. They will be responsible for leading and developing the kitchen team, creating a positive culture, and ensuring the operation consistently performs at a high level.

Key requirements include:

• Strong leadership and people management skills, with the ability to inspire, develop, and motivate a kitchen team.
• Proven experience delivering high-quality food standards in a busy commercial catering environment.
• Strong commercial acumen with experience managing Gross Profit (GP), stock control, purchasing, waste management, and cost control.
• Ability to analyse performance and implement initiatives that improve profitability whilst maintaining food quality and service standards.
• Experience in menu planning, innovation, and delivering a fresh and engaging food offer.
• Excellent organisational skills and the ability to manage multiple priorities in a fast-paced environment.
• Sound knowledge of food safety, health & safety, and all relevant compliance requirements.
• Experience working within contract catering, workplace catering, or a similarly high-volume hospitality environment.

This is a key leadership position requiring a commercially focused Head Chef who can take full ownership of the kitchen operation.

We are looking for a strong leader with a proven track record of delivering excellent food standards, effectively managing GP performance, stock and purchasing controls, and developing a high‑performing team capable of delivering consistently outstanding results.

We ensure you're rewarded for all your hard work, which is why we offer a comprehensive benefits package which includes but is not limited to:

• Contributory pension scheme
• Grow your career with our Career Pathways and MyLearning programmes
• Quick access for you and your immediate family to a Digital GP, and wider healthcare benefits
• Exclusive travel discounts with TUI, Expedia, Booking.com and many more
• Save money on your food shop with discounts on Tesco, Sainsbury's, Morrisons and many more
• Up to 44% off cinema tickets to enjoy your favourite blockbuster
• Receive cash rewards every time you spend and use them on a wide range of brands
• Un-wind with us with free wellness, mindfulness and exercise classes
• You can share all discounts and offers with your friends and families

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/2309/67853001/52746490/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!