Head Chef - Tonbridge

Lodestone House; Tonbridge; On-site; GBP 42,000 - 62,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Free meals on duty

Local gym membership

Contributory pension scheme

Career development programmes

Digital GP and wider healthcare

Travel discounts with TUI/Expedia/Book

Job summary

Chartwells, part of Compass Group UK & Ireland, is seeking an experienced Head Chef to lead the kitchen at a prestigious school site in Tonbridge. You will supervise all aspects of food preparation, ensuring outstanding quality and fresh ingredients while maintaining service standards.

The role requires hands-on leadership, cost control, menu planning, and strong food safety awareness. You will drive taste and presentation, manage staff with calm authority, and work to protect profit margins and

Responsibilities

• Plan, organise and supervise food preparation and cooking to uphold quality and service standards
• Hands-on leadership and supervision of kitchen operations
• Drive menu planning, promotions and supplier choices to support the business
• Maintain food safety, HS and COSHH obligations and monitor costs against budgets
• Implement and monitor food cost controls and procedures to protect margins
• Demonstrate culinary and presentation excellence and strong communication with the team
• Lead staff in a calm, inspirational manner and foster teamwork
• Prevent wastage through proactive inventory and purchasing decisions

Skills

Culinary excellence

Leadership

Staff management

Waste prevention

Passion for food

Presentation skills

Team player

Organisation

Numeracy & IT

Costing & budgeting

Job description

Working for this prestigious client, we are seeking an experienced and talented Head Chef to join our fantastic team who produce outstanding food using the finest and freshest ingredients

Responsibilities

• The Head Chef will plan, organise and direct the preparation and cooking of food ensuring that the company's reputation for quality is enhanced with customers and clients at all times
• Taking responsibility for the food production with a hands-on approach
• Driving sales through centrally driven menu planning and promotions and preferred suppliers
• Responsible for all aspects of food safety, HS and COSHH
• The Head Chef will also be required to implement and maintain food monitoring procedures to facilitate budgetary control and to monitor all costs involved in the kitchen against agreed budgets
• Excellent and Innovative culinary and presentation skills
• Excellent Communication and Interpersonal skills
• Energetic with a passion to do a great job
• Able to manage staff in a calm, inspirational manner
• A forward-thinker who can prevent wastage
• Demonstrates a passion for food
• Team Player
• Excellent organisation skills
• Numerate and computer literate with an understanding of financial drivers
• A clear understanding of profit margins, purchasing policy, budgeting and food costing

Chartwells, part of Compass Group UK & Ireland, is the leading provider of catering and support services to Independent Schools in the UK. You will be part of a team that supports high quality education at this school by providing outstanding food and service to the pupils and staff. You will be a key part of a team who have a passion for preparing food daily using fresh ingredients. It all starts with enjoyment-great tasting, healthy food that pupils look forward to and really enjoy.

What you'll be doing

We currently have an exciting opportunity for a motivated and ambitious Head Chef with a real passion for food where you can develop your career with the world's leading food service and facilities management company. We’re successful and we deliver the sort of people ‑ focused care that’s always in demand. So, add your talents to ours and see how far you can go as a Head Chef here., As part of Compass you’ll help to feed people, fuel progress and forge connections in around 6,000 venues. Join us to grow your career with the industry leader, and get competitive pay, great perks and unrivalled opportunities for learning and development, at one of the UK's biggest businesses.

We ensure you’re rewarded for all your hard work, which is why we offer a comprehensive benefits package which includes but is not limited to:

• Free meals on duty
• Local gym membership
• Contributory pension scheme
• Grow your career with our Career Pathways and MyLearning programmes
• Quick access for you and your immediate family to a Digital GP, and wider healthcare benefits
• Exclusive travel discounts with TUI, Expedia, Booking.com and many more
• Save money on your food shop with discounts on Tesco, Sainsbury's, Morrisons and many more
• Up to 44% off cinema tickets to enjoy your favourite blockbuster
• Receive cash rewards every time you spend and use them on a wide range of brands
• Un-wind with us with free wellness, mindfulness and exercise classes
• You can share all discounts and offers with your friends and families
• Working 5 out of 7 days