Head Chef (Monday-Friday)

Gather + Gather; Greater London; On-site; GBP 45,000 - 47,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Life assurance

Pension scheme

Holiday allowance

Eye care

Wellbeing programme

Volunteering days

Professional subscriptions

Discount vouchers

Job summary

Gather + Gatheris recruiting a Head Chef to lead the kitchen operations for a Department for Transport site in London. The role oversees breakfast and lunch service for a busy workplace cafe, with careful food cost and stock management, while developing rotating menus and maintaining high standards of quality.

You will work closely with the Catering Manager and hospitality team to ensure meetings and events are delivered to a high standard, while maintaining food hygiene and safety compliance.

Qualifications

• Head Chef or senior kitchen leadership experience within café/workplace catering or hospitality environments.
• Experience creating and delivering rotational menus and managing food costs.

Responsibilities

• Lead day-to-day kitchen operations across a busy café and hospitality service.
• Deliver high-quality breakfast and lunch service for 60–80 covers at breakfast and 160–180 at lunch.
• Develop and implement a creative four-week rotational menu.
• Manage food ordering, stock levels and budgets effectively.
• Support the Catering Manager with smooth operation of the overall service.
• Coordinate with the hospitality team to ensure high-standard meetings and events.

Skills

Head Chef experience

Kitchen leadership

Menu development

Budget management

Food hygiene

Job description

Great food in the workplace isn’t simply about fuel.It’s about increasing productivity and improving performance; it’s about happy, motivated people and inspiring environments. Our customers are at the heart of everything we do – we live to bring food and people together.

We are brave, bold and curious adventurers in food and drink. Never shy of being different, always challenging the conventional.

Our passionate team of chefs, baristas, servers, nutritionists and much more, love nothing more than creating memorable moments that enrich the everyday. Come and join our award-winning teams – we are currently recruiting for a Head Chef to join our team at the Department for Transport.

Location: London, SW1P 4DR

Salary: £45,000 - £47,000 per annuum

Shift Pattern: 40 hours per week, Monday–Friday, 07:00–15:00

Key Responsibilities

• Lead the day-to-day kitchen operation across a busy café and hospitality service.
• Deliver high-quality breakfast and lunch service, catering for approximately 60–80 covers at breakfast and 160–180 at lunch.
• Develop and deliver a creative four-week rotational menu.
• Manage food ordering, stock levels and budgets effectively.
• Support the Catering Manager with the smooth running of the overall operation.
• Coordinate with the hospitality team to ensure meetings and events are delivered to a high standard.
• Maintain consistently high standards of food quality, presentation and service.
• Ensure excellent food hygiene, health & safety and compliance standards.
• Stay hands‑on in the kitchen while planning and organising daily service effectively.

Our Ideal Candidate

• Strong Head Chef or senior kitchen leadership experience within a café, workplace catering or hospitality environment.
• Confident managing both breakfast and lunch services in a busy operation.
• Experience creating and delivering rotational menus.
• Strong understanding of ordering, food costs and budget management.
• Highly organised with excellent attention to detail.
• Comfortable working closely with a Catering Manager and supporting wider hospitality requirements.
• A proactive, hands‑on approach with a passion for delivering great food and service.
• Adaptable and confident managing changing service demands.

What's in it for you?

• Personal Development and Training opportunities
• Life assurance scheme
• Pension scheme
• Holiday allowanceAccess to Healthcare Support App which includes Annual health check, Digital GP, Mental Health Consultations, Nutritional Consultations, Second Medical Opinion
• Eye care
• A great wellbeing strategy – including access to our Employee Assistance Programme, salary finance
• Family friendly support
• Regular social events and communication with our leaders
• A holiday purchase scheme
• Volunteering days
• Professional subscriptions
• Recognition schemes and people awards
• Long service awards
• Access to some great high street discount vouchers

Job Reference: com/2309/48485001/52835131/SU #Gather and Gather

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!