Section Chef - 7697

Cambridge University Press Ltd.; South Cambridgeshire; Hybrid; GBP 25,000 - 29,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

28 days annual leave

Private medical insurance

Discretionary annual bonus

Group personal pension

Life assurance up to 4 x annual salary

Green travel schemes

Job summary

Cambridge University Press & Assessment is seeking a Section Chef to join our catering team at Whittlesford, Cambridge. You will lead day-to-day food production, ensuring high-quality service to staff, guests and visitors, while coordinating team members to maintain an excellent customer experience.

The role is hybrid, with 40–60% time spent at the dedicated location, and requires knowledge of catering services, Level 2 Food Safety, and proven catering experience.

Qualifications

• Level 2 Food Safety required
• Knowledge of catering services required
• Proven experience in a catering role required
• Strong teamwork and communications skills required

Responsibilities

• Handle day-to-day food production operations at the Cambridge sites and ensure high quality meals.
• Provide excellent customer service to staff, guests and visitors.
• Coordinate and motivate team members to deliver a seamless dining experience.
• Ensure compliance with food safety, health & safety and other statutory requirements.

Skills

Teamwork

Communication

Education

Level 2 Food Safety

Job description

Job Title: Section Chef

Salary: £24,900 - £28,650 per annum

Location: Whittlesford, Cambridge

Contract: Permanent; 35 Hours per week. No evenings or weekends.

We are currently seeking a skilled and motivated Section Chef to join our kitchen team.

If you are a talented and dedicated chef looking to take the next step in your career, we would love to hear from you.

We are Cambridge University Press & Assessment, a world-leading academic publisher and assessment organisation and a proud part of the University of Cambridge.

About the role

As a section chef primarily based at DC10 in Whittlesford, you will be part of a dynamic and customer focused Catering team, ensuring delivery of excellent food and delivering a first-class service to all our staff, guests, and visitors

You will execute day to day food production operations at the Cambridge sites, providing customers with a high level of customer service, co-ordinating team members to deliver an overall excellent customer experience.

Ensuring all food production operations are conducted in line with agreed food safety, health and safety and any other statutory requirements.

You will thrive in a changing environment, be motivated by delivering excellent customer service and will enjoy being part of a high performing team that epitomises customer satisfaction.

This position has been classified as a hybrid role, requiring the selected candidate to typically spend 40-60% of their time collaborating and connecting face-to-face at their dedicated location. Aside from our hybrid principles, other flexible working requests will be considered from the first day of employment, including other work arrangements should you require adjustments due to a disability or long-term health condition.

About you

You are a strong team player with excellent knowledge of the catering industry, with good communication skills, and a passion for delivering an exceptional customer experience

To be successful in this role, you will have:

• Level 2 Food Safety
• Knowledge of catering services
• Proven experience in a catering role
• Strong teamwork and communications skills

If you would like to know more about this opportunity and what will make you successful, please see the full job description attached to the bottom of this vacancy on our careers site.

We are a Disability Confident (DC) employer that is committed to equality and inclusion ensuring our recruitment process is accessible to all. The DC scheme's Offer of an Interview commitment applies to applicants who opt in, and disclose a disability or a long-term health condition, and who best meet the minimum criteria for the role. In instances where interviewing all qualifying candidates is not practicable and/or appropriate, we prioritise those who best meet the minimum criteria, as we would for applicants who do not have a disability or long-term health condition.

Rewards and benefits

We will support you to be at your best in work and to live well outside of it. In addition to competitive salaries, we offer a world-class, flexible rewards package, featuring family-friendly and planet-friendly benefits including:

• 28 days annual leave plus bank holidays
• Private medical and Permanent Health Insurance
• Discretionary annual bonus
• Group personal pension scheme
• Life assurance up to 4 x annual salary
• Green travel schemes

We aim to support candidates by making our interview process clear and transparent. The closing date for all applications will be 27 November 2026.

If you are shortlisted and progressed through the stages, you can expect:

• A paid trial shift
• A brief interview

If you require any reasonable adjustments during the recruitment process due to a disability or a long-term health condition, there will be an opportunity for you to inform us via the online application form. There will be an opportunity for you to inform us via the online application form.

Please note, Cambridge University Press & Assessment is unable to sponsor this role under the Skilled Worker Visa route as it does not meet the minimum skill requirements

Please note that successful applicants will be subject to satisfactory background checks including DBS due to working in a regulated industry.

Why join us

Joining us is your opportunity to pursue potential. You will belong to a collaborative team that is exploring new and better ways to serve students, teachers and researchers across the globe – for the benefit of individuals, society and the world. Sharing our mission will inspire your own growth, development and progress, in an environment which embraces difference, change and aspiration.

Cambridge University Press & Assessment is committed to being a place where anyone can enjoy a successful career, where it is safe to speak up, and where we learn continuously to improve together. We welcome applications from all candidates, regardless of demographic characteristics (age, disability, educational attainment, ethnicity, gender, marital status, neurodiversity, religion, sex, gender identity and sexual identity), cultural, or social class/background.

We believe better outcomes come through diversity of thought, background and approach. We welcome applications from people from all backgrounds and communities, actively seeking to employ people from a wide range of different communities.