Head Chef (Nursery)

CharityJob; Greater London; On-site; GBP 28,000 - 38,000; Full time

Job summary

Coin Street Nursery is seeking an experienced Head Chef to lead our kitchen team, delivering nutritious meals for up to 80 children and staff. You will plan, prepare, and oversee menus, manage ordering, stock control and budgeting, and ensure high food hygiene and safety standards.

You will adapt to dietary requirements, supervise a part-time kitchen assistant, and handle end-of-day cleaning. The role is permanent, 37.5 hours per week, with a £33,000 annual salary and enhanced DBS check.

Qualifications

• Current Food Hygiene Certificate required.
• Experience planning and preparing meals at scale, ideally for children.
• Strong understanding of dietary requirements and allergies.

Responsibilities

• Plan and prepare nutritious, balanced meals for children and staff
• Manage kitchen operations, including ordering, stock control, and budgeting
• Maintain high standards of food hygiene, cleanliness, and safety
• Cater for dietary requirements, including allergies and cultural preferences
• Lead and organise daily kitchen activities effectively

Skills

Food Hygiene Certificate

Menu planning

Budget management

Team collaboration

Job description

Coin Street Nursery is seeking an experienced and passionate Head Chef to join our friendly and dedicated team. This is an exciting opportunity for someone who takes pride in creating fresh, nutritious meals from scratch and is committed to promoting healthy eating for young children.

While experience in a nursery or similar setting is desirable, it is not essential. We welcome candidates with strong catering experience in preparing meals at scale who share our values around nutrition and quality.

We operate a busy nursery, preparing meals for up to 80 children and staff daily. The successful candidate will be highly organised, able to manage their own workload, and committed to maintaining high standards across all areas of the kitchen.

We are proud of our 5-star food hygiene rating and our excellent standards of cleanliness. Maintaining health and safety, food hygiene, and compliance will be central to your role. Working within a set budget, you will also be responsible for effective menu planning, stock control, and food purchasing, ensuring meals remain fresh, healthy, and varied.

You will play a key role in meeting the diverse dietary needs of our children. A strong understanding of allergies, intolerances, and special diets is essential to ensure every child receives safe, high-quality meals.
You will be supported by a part-time kitchen assistant; however, you will retain overall responsibility for the kitchen, including end-of-day cleaning and organisation.

Key Responsibilities

• Plan and prepare nutritious, balanced meals for children and staff
• Manage kitchen operations, including ordering, stock control, and budgeting
• Maintain high standards of food hygiene, cleanliness, and safety
• Cater for a range of dietary requirements, including allergies and cultural preferences
• Lead and organise daily kitchen activities effectively

We are looking for a Head Chef who can demonstrate:

• A current Food Hygiene Certificate
• Significant experience preparing a wide range of meals in a non-domestic setting for large groups, ideally including young children
• Experience in menu planning, ordering, and stock management
• Strong knowledge of dietary requirements, food hygiene, and health & safety
• Good literacy, numeracy, and budget management skills
• The ability to work collaboratively and communicate effectively with colleagues and children
• A proactive approach to contributing to service development, including diverse and culturally inclusive menus

Creating an inspirational neighbourhood

We provide the opportunities and spaces for people to lead their own change.

Our activities are wide and far reaching. From giving families and children the best start in life through our childcare and family support, to creating and maintaining high quality live, work and play spaces on land which we own.

We promote enterprise, creativity and lifelong learning whether that’s through providing employment, volunteering opportunities, nurturing enterprise or delivering programmes and activities. We provide housing that supports our community; we champion co-operative housing and influence local and national housing policy.

From sports and dance to healthy eating and gardening, we offer a range of facilities and activities accessible to everyone to support health and wellbeing in our community.

In return, we can offer you:

• 35 days’ annual leave (including bank holidays) pro rata for part time staff
• 8% contributory pension scheme (5% employer contribution, 3% employee contribution)
• Health and wellbeing support, including online mental health therapy sessions
• Free gym membership at Colombo, annual flu jabs
• Commitment to training and development

Contract

Permanent, 37.5 hours per week

Salary

£33,000 per annum

Successful candidates will be required to undertake an Enhanced DBS check.

Closing Date

Please send your application by midnight on 21 June 2026