School Regional Development Chef (South East)

Compass Group UK; Chertsey; Hybrid; GBP 36,000 - 44,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Company car provided

Job summary

Compass Group UK, Chartwells Education Catering, seeks a Regional Development Chef to elevate school food across a wide region. You will lead kitchen teams, drive innovative concepts, and ensure standards from The Source recipes are applied consistently.

You will champion new food concepts, manage modular menus, and develop compelling hospitality materials while collaborating with operations and clients to maintain high standards and commercial success.

Qualifications

• Genuine passion for food and education catering.
• Strong knowledge of food trends and culinary development.
• Creative foodservice background.
• Experience with purchasing, sourcing, modular menus and recipe systems.
• Proven track record of developing and implementing food concepts.
• Experience working in fast-paced, forward-thinking environments.
• Excellent communication and influencing skills.
• Strong coaching and leadership ability.
• Ability to build relationships across diverse stakeholder groups.
• Strong project management skills.
• Knowledge of varied food production methods.
• Passion-led approach to school visits, always showcasing the very best food.

Responsibilities

• Lead the delivery and presentation of food across schools, encouraging teams to showcase their offer and host tastings with clients.
• Engage clients in meaningful conversations around food quality, innovation, and school strategy.
• Create and implement new culinary ideas such as pop-ups, BBQ events, tasting events, and themed food activations.
• Develop innovative, School Food Standards-compliant regional dishes for inclusion on menus.
• Ensure modular menus are implemented correctly using approved recipes from The Source.
• Ensure every school has a relevant and accessible hospitality brochure.
• Train culinary teams across all craft levels, reviewing kitchen operations and developing capability at every level.
• Deliver bi-annual unit manager training to support new menu launches and updates.
• Support and coach teams through chef challenges and provide short-term relief support where required.
• Ensure “Tasting Kitchen” and “Recipe Clinics” are embedded across the estate.
• Support and guide schools in embedding the Beyond the Kitchen programme.
• Ensure activities are planned, diarised, and delivered consistently.
• Liaise with the Nutrition Team where required.
• Personally deliver selected Beyond the Kitchen activities throughout the year.
• Support mobilisation of new contracts.
• Oversee planning of large-scale hospitality events within schools.
• Review and update school strategies during each visit.
• Maintain a strong understanding of purchasing compliance, sourcing, and commercial performance.

Skills

Food trends knowledge

Culinary development

Foodservice background

Purchasing & sourcing

Menu systems

Food concepts development

Communication skills

Leadership

Project management

Food production methods

School visits passion

Job description

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:

• 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

Regional Development Chef

Chartwells – Education Catering

Role Overview

This role plays a pivotal part in supporting the Chartwells Operations Team to ensure our school catering teams fully understand their responsibilities and deliver against clear standards and expectations.

You will drive a consistent, elevated and innovative food offer across all schools – from counter service to hospitality and event catering. The role ensures modular menus are implemented using The Source recipes, hospitality brochures are relevant and user-friendly, and the “Beyond the Kitchen” programme is embedded successfully across every site.

You will lead the development of kitchen teams, champion new food concepts, and ensure our food offer remains fresh, inspiring, compliant, and commercially successful.

Location & Coverage

The role will cover a broad geographical area including:

• London, Reading, and Southampton
• Midlands
• Kent
• Occasional travel to Cornwall and Plymouth

Regular travel across sites is required as part of the role.

Contract & Working Pattern

• 47.6 weeks per year
• Flexible working aligned to business needs and site support

Salary & Benefits

• Salary equivalent to approximately £40,000 per annum
• Hourly rate equivalent: £21 per hour
• Company car provided

Key Responsibilities

• Lead the delivery and presentation of food across schools, encouraging teams to showcase their offer and host tastings with clients.
• Engage clients in meaningful conversations around food quality, innovation, and school strategy.
• Create and implement new culinary ideas such as pop-ups, BBQ events, tasting events, and themed food activations.
• Develop innovative, School Food Standards-compliant regional dishes for inclusion on menus.
• Ensure modular menus are implemented correctly using approved recipes from The Source.
• Ensure every school has a relevant and accessible hospitality brochure.

Team Development & Training

• Train culinary teams across all craft levels, reviewing kitchen operations and developing capability at every level.
• Deliver bi-annual unit manager training to support new menu launches and updates.
• Support and coach teams through chef challenges and provide short-term relief support where required.
• Ensure “Tasting Kitchen” and “Recipe Clinics” are embedded across the estate.

Beyond the Kitchen Programme

• Support and guide schools in embedding the Beyond the Kitchen programme.
• Ensure activities are planned, diarised, and delivered consistently.
• Liaise with the Nutrition Team where required.
• Personally deliver selected Beyond the Kitchen activities throughout the year.

Operational & Strategic Support

• Support mobilisation of new contracts.
• Oversee planning of large-scale hospitality events within schools.
• Review and update school strategies during each visit.
• Maintain a strong understanding of purchasing compliance, sourcing, and commercial performance.

Key Relationships

• Chartwells Culinary Director
• Managing Director
• Senior Leadership Team
• Head of Operations
• Regional Managers
• Compass Group UK Food Service Team
• School Clients
• Kitchen Teams
• Catering Managers / General Managers
• Unit Managers

About You

• Genuine passion for food and education catering
• Strong knowledge of food trends and culinary development
• Creative foodservice background
• Experience with purchasing, sourcing, modular menus and recipe systems
• Proven track record of developing and implementing food concepts
• Experience working in fast-paced, forward-thinking environments
• Excellent communication and influencing skills
• Strong coaching and leadership ability
• Ability to build relationships across diverse stakeholder groups
• Strong project management skills
• Knowledge of varied food production methods
• Passion-led approach to school visits, always showcasing the very best food

About Us

Part of Compass Group UK&I, Chartwells is the leading provider of catering and support services to the education sector. For over a quarter of a century, Chartwells has been focusing on helping those in education to build strong bodies, sharp minds and lead long healthy lives. Every week, Chartwells serves millions of nutritious and delicious meals to pupils and students in primary and secondary schools, academies, independent schools, colleges, and universities across the UK. Chartwells is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and expect all employees to share this commitment. Any offer of employment will be subject to successfully completing pre-employment checks, including an enhanced DBS disclosure and a Children's Barred List check. This post is exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 and we ask applicants to declare all previous convictions and cautions in order to assess their suitability to work with children.

Job Reference: com/2506/L95301/52816671/SU #State Schools

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!