Head Chef Monday-Friday

Gather & Gather UK; Southampton; On-site; GBP 32,000 - 43,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Personal development

Life assurance

Pension

Holiday allowance

Healthcare app

Eye care

Wellbeing program

Family support

Regular social events

Holiday purchase scheme

Volunteering days

Professional subscriptions

Recognition schemes

Long service awards

Discount vouchers

Job summary

Gather & Gather UK is recruiting a Head Chef for our Ordnance Survey site. You will lead a small kitchen team of 3 and collaborate with 2 Front of House colleagues to deliver fresh, seasonal food for a busy site serving 200–400 covers daily.

You will balance classic British cuisine with street food concepts and emerging trends, manage stock and costs, uphold food safety, and coach your team with clear, positive leadership.

Qualifications

• Passion for fresh food and modern trends.
• Experience in high-volume catering operations.
• Hardworking, flexible and highly organized.
• Strong communicator with excellent people skills.
• Comfortable in a customer-facing, hands-on role.
• Able to thrive in a fast-paced environment while maintaining attention to detail.

Responsibilities

• Lead a small kitchen team of 3, working closely with 2 Front of House team members to deliver an excellent customer experience.
• Produce and serve fresh, seasonal food for a busy site catering for up to 450 people, with daily covers ranging from 200-400.
• Oversee a varied food offer including hot counter service, deli bar, salad bar, grab-and-go and hospitality for up to 80 guests per day.
• Work alongside the Catering Manager to create innovative menus that balance classic British cuisine, street food concepts and emerging food trends.
• Maintain exceptional standards of food quality, presentation, food safety and kitchen compliance.
• Be a hands-on, customer-facing chef, building strong relationships with customers and understanding their needs.
• Manage stock, ordering, food costs and wastage to achieve budget targets.
• Support, motivate and develop the team through clear communication and positive leadership.

Skills

Fresh food

High-volume catering

Hardworking & flexible

People skills

Customer-facing

Attention to detail

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 Ordnance Survey.

Salary: £37,500 per annum

Shift Pattern: Monday-Friday, 7:00-15:30, 40 hours per week

Location: Ordnance Survey, SO16 0AS.

Key Responsibilities:

• Lead a small kitchen team of 3, working closely with 2 Front of House team members to deliver an excellent customer experience.
• Produce and serve fresh, seasonal food for a busy site catering for up to 450 people, with daily covers ranging from 200-400.
• Oversee a varied food offer including hot counter service, deli bar, salad bar, grab-and-go and hospitality for up to 80 guests per day.
• Work alongside the Catering Manager to create innovative menus that balance classic British cuisine, street food concepts and emerging food trends.
• Maintain exceptional standards of food quality, presentation, food safety and kitchen compliance.
• Be a hands-on, customer-facing chef, building strong relationships with customers and understanding their needs.
• Manage stock, ordering, food costs and wastage to achieve budget targets.
• Support, motivate and develop the team through clear communication and positive leadership.

We're Looking For Someone Who Is:

• Passionate about fresh food and modern food trends.
• Experienced in high-volume catering operations.
• Hardworking, flexible and highly organised.
• A strong communicator with excellent people skills.
• Comfortable in a customer-facing, hands-on role.
• Able to thrive in a fast-paced environment while maintaining attention to detail.

What's in it for you?

Working with Gather & Gather has its perks! People are at the heart of everything we do, so we've developed a range of benefits to keep you happy.

• Personal Development and Training opportunities
• Life assurance scheme
• Pension scheme
• Holiday allowance
• Access 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