Head Chef - Live In Available

Greene King; Cherwell District; On-site; GBP 31,000 - 36,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Shared live-in accommodation

Training and development across Greene

Staff discounts

Employee assistance program

Refer a friend bonus

Job summary

The Acorn in Bicester, part of Greene King, is recruiting for a Head Chef. The role offers a salary of £31,000–£36,000 per year with shared live-in accommodation available.

You will lead the kitchen, drive food quality and team performance, and manage costs while delivering memorable guest experiences. Ideal candidates will have professional kitchen leadership experience, a passion for great food, and the drive to progress to a Head Chef position.

Qualifications

• Experience working in a professional kitchen, ideally as a Head Chef, Sous Chef or Kitchen Team Leader.
• Ambition and potential to take the next step into a Head Chef position.
• Confidence in supporting, motivating and developing a kitchen team.
• Good understanding of food safety, hygiene and kitchen standards.
• Commercial awareness, including stock management, food costs and reducing waste.
• Hands-on approach and ability to stay calm and organised during busy services.
• Commitment to delivering consistently great food and memorable customer experiences.
• Not quite a Head Chef yet? That's absolutely fine.

Responsibilities

• As Head Chef, you'll take ownership of the kitchen, bringing your passion for food, leadership skills and commercial awareness together to deliver fantastic results.
• Lead from the front: Inspire, motivate and develop your kitchen team, creating a positive environment where everyone can thrive.
• Deliver great food: Maintain consistently high standards of food quality, presentation and service across our menu.
• Run a successful kitchen: Manage day-to-day operations, ensuring the team is organised, prepared and ready for every service.
• Keep standards high: Take responsibility for food safety, hygiene, health and safety, and kitchen compliance.
• Manage costs: Oversee stock control, ordering, portion control and waste to help maximise profitability.
• Work as one team: Partner with the General Manager to drive performance, deliver great customer experiences and achieve business targets.
• Develop your people: Coach and support your team, helping them build their skills and progress their careers.

Skills

Leadership

Kitchen management

Food safety

Cost control

Team motivation

Job description

• Salary for Advertising: £31,000- £36,000 + Bonus
• Dept. L4/House: Acorn (Bicester) - 05220

Company Description

Head Chef - The Acorn, Bicester

£31,000-£36,000 per year | Shared Live-In Accommodation Available

Ready to take the next step in your kitchen career?

Are you an experienced Head Chef looking for a new challenge, or a talented Kitchen Team Leader ready to step up and take ownership of your own kitchen?

At The Acorn in Bicester, we are looking for someone with a passion for great food, the confidence to lead a team and the ambition to make a real difference. Whether you are already leading a kitchen or looking for the opportunity to progress into your first Head Chef role, we want to hear from you.

With a salary of £31,000-£36,000 and shared live-in accommodation available, this could be the perfect opportunity to develop your career with Greene King.

Job Description

What you'll be doing

As Head Chef, you'll take ownership of the kitchen, bringing your passion for food, leadership skills and commercial awareness together to deliver fantastic results.

Lead from the front: Inspire, motivate and develop your kitchen team, creating a positive environment where everyone can thrive.

Deliver great food: Maintain consistently high standards of food quality, presentation and service across our menu.

Run a successful kitchen: Manage day-to-day operations, ensuring the team is organised, prepared and ready for every service.

Keep standards high: Take responsibility for food safety, hygiene, health and safety, and kitchen compliance.

Manage costs: Oversee stock control, ordering, portion control and waste to help maximise profitability.

Work as one team: Partner with the General Manager to drive performance, deliver great customer experiences and achieve business targets.

Develop your people: Coach and support your team, helping them build their skills and progress their careers.

Qualifications

What we're looking for

We're looking for someone who brings passion, energy and a genuine love of great food. You might already be an established Head Chef, or you could be an experienced Kitchen Team Leader who's ready for more responsibility.

You'll ideally have:

Experience working in a professional kitchen, ideally as a Head Chef, Sous Chef or Kitchen Team Leader.

The ambition and potential to take the next step into a Head Chef position.

Confidence in supporting, motivating and developing a kitchen team.

A good understanding of food safety, hygiene and kitchen standards.

Commercial awareness, including an interest in stock management, food costs and reducing waste.

A hands-on approach and the ability to stay calm and organised during busy services.

A commitment to delivering consistently great food and memorable customer experiences.

Not quite a Head Chef yet? That's absolutely fine. If you're an experienced Kitchen Team Leader with the right skills, attitude and ambition to step up, we'd love to hear from you.

Additional Information

We're all about rewarding our team's hard work, that's why…

You'll receive a competitive salary, pension contribution as well as:

• The chance to further your career across our well-known brands - as one of the industry's top apprenticeship providers, we can provide training and development at each level of your career.
• Discount of 33% for you and 15% for your loved ones on all of our brands - so you enjoy your favourite food and drink at a discount.
• Free employee assistance program - mental health, well-being, financial, and legal support because you matter!
• Enhanced, family-friendly maternity and paternity policies
• Menopause Friendly Employer
• Discount of 50% for you and 25% for your loved ones at our Greene King Inns and hotels - so you can enjoy a weekend away without breaking the bank.
• Refer a friend - who do you know who could be interested in a new role? When they are placed, you could earn up to £1,500 for referring them!
• Wagestream - access your wage before payday for when life happens.
• Retail discounts - Receive up to 30% off at Superdrug, exclusive discounts with Three Mobile along with many more…

CREATING PLACES WHERE PEOPLE FEEL WELCOME, SAFE AND THAT THEY BELONG

We aim to embed inclusion into every decision we make - across our people, customers, communities, suppliers, and operations. We want to create a culture where everyone feels welcome, valued, and able to thrive.

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