Head Chef – term-time only! – Oxford, Oxford

Holroyd Howe; Oxford; On-site; GBP 36,000 - 43,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading contract catering firm in Oxford seeks a Head Chef to drive culinary excellence in a prestigious independent school. The ideal candidate will craft imaginative menus, lead a dynamic kitchen team, and ensure the highest standards of food quality in a fast-paced, educational environment. This role offers competitive salary, extensive benefits, and a supportive work-life balance.

Benefits

28 days holiday

3 volunteering days

Enhanced maternity leave

Career development opportunities

Pension and life insurance

Free meals while at work

Qualifications

• Proven experience in a high-volume, quality-focused environment.
• Experience managing, training, and supporting a kitchen team.
• Strong understanding of financial management and budgeting.

Responsibilities

• Craft and implement balanced menus catering to diverse tastes.
• Lead and motivate a kitchen team to deliver exceptional service.
• Ensure adherence to health and safety regulations in the kitchen.

Skills

Organisational skills

Communication skills

Creativity

Team leadership

Financial acumen

Education

Head Chef or Executive Chef experience

Job description

Head Chef – term-time only! – Oxford, Oxford

Company Description

Title: Head Chef, term-time only!

Location:Oxford, Oxfordshire

Annual Salary: Up to £43,000 per annum

Benefits:

• 28 days holiday
• 3 volunteering days
• 3 days grandparent leave
• 24 week’s enhanced maternity leave
• Bespoke training and development opportunities
• Pension and life insurance
• Discounts available on our HAPI app; high street shops, holidays & cinema
• Wellbeing hub
• Access to employee assistance programme
• Free meals whilst at work
• Career development opportunities
• HIT Apprenticeships for all experience levels

Are you a seasoned inspirational and creative Head Chef with a passion for creating exceptional dining experiences? If so, we have an exciting opportunity for a passionateHead Chefto be the driving force behind one of our acclaimed independent school’s culinary program.

Nestled in the heart of Oxford, Summerfields is a prestigious independent school and one of key contracts in the area. We provide a comprehensive range of food services, including breakfast, lunch, and supper for boarders and staff, along with an extensive hospitality service. Due to this the site operates 7 days a week, however the role is predominately Monday – Friday, meaning we ensure a well-organised schedule across our team to help you maintain a positive work-life balance.

This is a fantastic opportunity for a passionate Head Chef who is a true foodie at heart and enthusiastic about driving teams and crafting exceptional dining experiences for future generations. Here at Holroyd Howe, you have the chance to make a name for yourself within the food service industry, setting new standards for education catering in an iconic and stunning location.

Due to the demanding nature of this role, we are ideally seeking applicants with experience in contract catering or the independent education sector.

Job Description

As ourHead Chefyour focus is to work closely with your teams to develop a great work relationship and together provide the best customer service.

As well as having an excellent presentation, organisational and communication skills, you will be able to demonstrate a real passion for food & service and possess bags of enthusiasm.

• Craft imaginative and nutritionally balanced menus that cater to diverse tastes, dietary preferences, and nutritional needs of our students.
• Lead a dynamic kitchen team by example, fostering a culture of creativity, collaboration, and efficiency.
• Oversee the day-to-day operations of the kitchen, ensuring high standards of food quality and service.
• Maintain strict adherence to health and safety regulations, ensuring a clean and organised kitchen environment.

Qualifications

• Proven experience as a Head Chef or Executive Chef in a high-volume, quality-focused environment.
• You can demonstrate that managing, training, and supporting a team has been an important part of your career to date.
• Financially astute, you are very analytical and know how to create and maintain budgets and drive commercial performance.
• Excellent coaching, delegation and influencing skills.
• Ability to prioritise multiple projects in a fast-paced, multi-faceted, creative environment and able to thrive under pressure.
• Meticulous organisational abilities and a high attention to detail
• Empathetic, clear and highly effective verbal and written communication
• Ability to adapt to challenges and opportunities with a solution-oriented perspective.
• Excellent strategic thinking and critical reasoning skills

Additional Information

Holroyd Howe is one of the UK’s leading contract caterers, providing fresh innovative food services solely to independent schools and colleges. We are a team of experienced professionals who tailor our catering service provision specifically to suit children of all ages in order to meet the bespoke requirements of each school.

To provide our teams with the right skills to succeed in their jobs, we invest in their training and development. Our exceptional teams of seasoned specialists customise our catering services to fit children of all ages and satisfy the unique needs of our clients.

We pride ourselves on:

Sustainability

Sustainability is at the heart of our thinking; always mindful of the ethics of our sourcing and how we prepare our meals.

Nutrition

We take nutrition seriously and understand the impact a healthy diet has on the fundamental years of development. Meals are always freshly prepared from scratch and packed with nutritious ingredients.

Food Innovation

We offer a wide portfolio of training opportunities and experiences, which attracts chefs who are passionate about culinary excellence and menu innovation to our team.

From tasting tables, theme days and food theatre, to chef demonstrations and supplier showcases, we create engaging and fun dining experiences for our students. We work together to make mealtimes exploratory, quirky, and fun for our pupils, helping them build strong and healthy relationships with food.

“Holroyd Howe is an equal opportunity employer. We are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and expect all employees to share this commitment. All roles within Holroyd Howe are regarded as regulated activity, it is an offence to apply for a role in regulated activity if you are barred from working with children, therefore we will require an Enhanced DBS which includes a Barred List check for all successful applicants. We will also require shortlisted applicants to provide appropriate information regarding any criminal offences and shortlisted applicants will be subject to an online search of public available information on suitability to work with children.“

This appointment is offered on the return of satisfactory professional references.

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