Head Chef: High-Volume Dining & Premium Culinary Leadership

Wellington College; Buckler's Park; On-site; GBP 50,000 - 61,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Meals on duty

Free on-site parking

On-site training & development

Employee assistance programme

Pension scheme

Bike to work

Job summary

Wellington College seeks an exceptional Head Chef to shape the culinary direction of a premium education catering operation. You will lead a four-strong kitchen brigade plus 15+ culinary colleagues, delivering high-quality, restaurant-caliber food at scale while maintaining rigorous standards.

You'll manage menu costing, budgets, labour, suppliers and safety, ensuring excellence for thousands of diners daily in a prestigious independent school setting.

Qualifications

• Proven track record as Head Chef or senior culinary leader.
• Experience in high-volume kitchen, large-scale catering or multi-outlet operation.
• Evidence of delivering excellent food quality and consistency at scale.
• Strong culinary technique, menu development and creative approach to food.
• Experience leading and developing kitchen teams.
• Commercial understanding of food costs, budgets, stock, waste and labour.
• Strong organisational, communication and stakeholder management skills.
• NVQ Level 2 or 3, City & Guilds Professional Cookery or equivalent qualification.
• Level 3 Food Safety and related qualifications, or ability to meet requirements.

Responsibilities

• Developing exciting, contemporary menus balancing creativity, nutrition, seasonality and value.
• Bringing restaurant-quality thinking to large-scale production with practicality and consistency.
• Exploring new ingredients, techniques, cuisines and presentation styles.
• Creating memorable dining experiences reflecting College community diversity.
• Championing fresh food, sustainability, responsible sourcing and waste reduction.

Skills

Leadership

Menu development

High-volume kitchen

Food quality

Commercial awareness

Team development

Stakeholder management

Organizational skills

Culinary technique

Education

NVQ Level 2/3

City & Guilds Professional Cookery

Level 3 Food Safety

Job description

Wellington College seeks an exceptional Head Chef to shape the culinary direction of a premium education catering operation. You will lead a four-strong kitchen brigade plus 15+ culinary colleagues, delivering high-quality, restaurant-caliber food at scale while maintaining rigorous standards.

You'll manage menu costing, budgets, labour, suppliers and safety, ensuring excellence for thousands of diners daily in a prestigious independent school setting.