Performance Commis Chef

Sunderland AFC; Cleadon; On-site; GBP 30,000 - 40,000; Full time

Job summary

A professional football club in the United Kingdom is seeking a passionate Performance Chef to provide high-quality catering services. The role involves maintaining food safety standards, innovating menu designs to meet nutritional needs, and working closely with players and nutritionists. Ideal candidates should have a relevant catering qualification and the ability to work under pressure. This position plays a crucial part in supporting athlete performance and recovery.

Qualifications

• Maintain food safety standards, willingness to learn Level 3.
• Must hold relevant catering qualification or experience.
• Ability to tailor individual meals for dietary requirements.

Responsibilities

• Provide high quality food and service to players.
• Design meals tailored to training and competition demands.
• Actively seek feedback from players and nutritionist.

Skills

Food Safety Level 2

Communication skills

Ability to work under pressure

Basic sauces preparation

Butchery skills

Fish preparation

Education

Relevant catering industry qualification

Job description

About the Performance and MedicineTeam: Our mission is to support every athlete in reaching peak performance while reducing injury risk. Through a multi-disciplinary approach that blends sports science, nutrition, medicine, and psychology, we deliver personalised programs tailored to each player’s needs. We work closely with coaches to balance training loads, guide recovery, and provide insights into player readiness. Mental wellness is also a key focus, with sports psychologists helping athletes build resilience under pressure.

The Opportunity

The Performance Chef role is to support the Academy of Light Performance Kitchen team in providing an elite catering service to the football club. The position is ideal for a highly driven and enthusiastic Chef who has an abundance of passion. In this role you will be part of a team that supports all ages of the football club, including the first team. The role requires focus on the nutritional needs of the players, providing high quality food and a five-star service, requiring innovation, creativity, and the ability to work under pressure. Working with the Performance Kitchen Team, you will help ensure that food provision is carefully tailored to meet the demands of training and matches. Through the design and implementation of such a strategy, the Performance Chef will play a key role in helping players to fuel for competition, aiding recovery and reducing the risk of injury and illness. The demands placed on elite players are evolving and it is important that the Performance Chef has the ability to continually develop and seek improvement.

What We Ask For

• Maintain food safety standards (Food Safety Level 2 essential), a willingness to work towards Level 3. Always maintain the highest standards of cleanliness and hygiene in the kitchen and refectory areas and report all defects of equipment, damage to materials and any incidents involving Health & Safety.
• All kitchen fundamentals (basic sauces, butchery, fish preparation and willingness to learn).
• Successful candidates must hold the relevant catering industry qualification or documented evidence of experience.
• Actively seek feedback from Players and Lead Nutritionist, using effective communication and listening skills, to evaluate food services and menus, including the ability to tailor individual meals for certain players to meet their dietary requirements, allergies or performance needs.
• In conjunction with the Stadium of Light Kitchen Team, help ensure quality meals in preparation for and recovery after home matches.

Accompanying Teams On Away Games And Pre-season As Required

An Enhanced DBS from Sunderland AFC is required.