Senior Sous Chef
Compass Group PLC
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Benefits offered by this job
Job summary
Compass Group PLC is seeking an experienced Senior Sous Chef to join the Hub Kitchen team at Uppingham School. As second-in-command to the Head Chef, you will lead day-to-day operation of the central production kitchen, oversee large-scale food production and develop a sizeable kitchen team across boarding houses, dining facilities and events.
This hands-on leadership role combines culinary excellence with strong organisational and people-management skills, offering sociable hours and clear
Qualifications
- NVQ Level 3 Professional Cookery or equivalent.
- Food safety Level 2 qualification.
- Significant experience as a Sous Chef or senior kitchen leader.
- Experience in high-volume catering, central production, education, healthcare or similar environment.
- Proven leadership and development of a kitchen team.
- Strong knowledge of food safety, allergen management, stock control and costs.
- Excellent culinary and large-scale production skills.
- Strong leadership, organisation and communication skills.
- Ability to prioritise effectively and remain calm under pressure.
- Commercial awareness and understanding of food cost management.
Responsibilities
- Support the Head Chef in planning and delivering food across the School's catering operation.
- Lead daily food production, ensuring quality, consistency and timely service.
- Oversee the preparation, cooking, portioning and presentation of food to agreed standards.
- Support menu planning, recipe development and seasonal menu changes.
- Lead the production of vegetarian, vegan, allergen-aware and special dietary meals.
- Support formal dinners, boarding house hospitality, school events, theme days and special occasions.
- Drive culinary standards and innovation while working within agreed budgets.
- Ensure portion control, presentation and dietary requirements are consistently maintained.
- Deputise for the Head Chef and take responsibility for the Hub Kitchen in their absence.
- Lead, motivate and develop Sous Chefs, Chef de Parties, Commis Chefs, Apprentices and Catering Assistants.
- Organise daily production schedules and allocate resources effectively.
- Coach and mentor team members, supporting training, performance and career development.
- Promote a positive, professional and collaborative kitchen culture.
- Support recruitment, induction and onboarding where required.
- Lead by example and maintain consistently high standards across the team.
- Coordinate production schedules to meet service requirements efficiently.
- Assist with purchasing, stock control, stock rotation and inventory management.
- Monitor deliveries and ensure supplier quality standards are maintained.
- Support food cost control through effective planning, portion management and waste reduction.
- Oversee production records, dispatch documentation, temperature monitoring and traceability.
- Ensure kitchen equipment is used safely and effectively and report maintenance requirements.
- Identify opportunities to improve efficiency, sustainability and working practices.
- Maintain exceptional standards of food hygiene, cleanliness and housekeeping.
- Ensure compliance with food safety legislation, HACCP, allergen regulations and Compass and School policies.
- Monitor cooking, cooling, storage, transportation and reheating procedures.
- Complete and oversee all required food safety and compliance records.
- Support internal audits, external inspections and compliance reviews.
- Promote safe working practices and support safeguarding, health and wellbeing.
Skills
Education
Job description
We are looking for an experienced and ambitious Senior Sous Chef to join the Hub Kitchen team at Uppingham School. As the second-in-command, you'll work closely with the Head Chef to lead the day-to-day operation of one of the School's central production kitchens. You'll oversee large-scale food production, lead and develop a sizeable kitchen team and help deliver consistently high-quality food across the School, boarding houses, hospitality outlets and events. This is a hands‑on leadership role for a chef who combines strong culinary skills with excellent organisation, people management and operational ability. Importantly, the role offers more sociable working hours than many senior chef positions, providing the opportunity to develop your career within a busy, high-quality operation while maintaining a strong work‑life balance.
- Support the Head Chef in planning and delivering food across the School's catering operation.
- Lead daily food production, ensuring quality, consistency and timely service.
- Oversee the preparation, cooking, portioning and presentation of food to agreed standards.
- Support menu planning, recipe development and seasonal menu changes.
- Lead the production of vegetarian, vegan, allergen-aware and special dietary meals.
- Support formal dinners, boarding house hospitality, school events, theme days and special occasions.
- Drive culinary standards and innovation while working within agreed budgets.
- Ensure portion control, presentation and dietary requirements are consistently maintained.
- Deputise for the Head Chef and take responsibility for the Hub Kitchen in their absence.
- Lead, motivate and develop Sous Chefs, Chef de Parties, Commis Chefs, Apprentices and Catering Assistants.
- Organise daily production schedules and allocate resources effectively.
- Coach and mentor team members, supporting training, performance and career development.
- Promote a positive, professional and collaborative kitchen culture.
- Support recruitment, induction and onboarding where required.
- Lead by example and maintain consistently high standards across the team.
- Support the management of centralised food production for boarding houses, dining facilities, hospitality outlets and events.
- Coordinate production schedules to meet service requirements efficiently.
- Assist with purchasing, stock control, stock rotation and inventory management.
- Monitor deliveries and ensure supplier quality standards are maintained.
- Support food cost control through effective planning, portion management and waste reduction.
- Oversee production records, dispatch documentation, temperature monitoring and traceability.
- Ensure kitchen equipment is used safely and effectively and report maintenance requirements.
- Identify opportunities to improve efficiency, sustainability and working practices.
- Maintain exceptional standards of food hygiene, cleanliness and housekeeping.
- Ensure compliance with food safety legislation, HACCP, allergen regulations and Compass and School policies.
- Monitor cooking, cooling, storage, transportation and reheating procedures.
- Complete and oversee all required food safety and compliance records.
- Support internal audits, external inspections and compliance reviews.
- Promote safe working practices and support the School's commitment to safeguarding, health and wellbeing.
- The role may include early mornings, evenings, weekends and school events. However, this position offers more sociable hours than many comparable senior chef roles, making it an attractive opportunity for an experienced chef looking for greater balance alongside career progression.
Safeguarding Uppingham School is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people. All staff are expected to share this commitment. The successful candidate will be required to undergo enhanced DBS clearance and all relevant pre-employment checks.
This is an opportunity to take a senior leadership role within a busy and diverse catering operation at Uppingham School. You'll work alongside an experienced Head Chef and have responsibility for a large production kitchen, a talented team and a varied food operation serving pupils, staff, boarding houses and events across the School. With the scale and variety of the operation, there is plenty of opportunity to develop your leadership and culinary skills - while benefiting from working hours that are more sociable than many senior chef roles.
- NVQ Level 3 Professional Cookery, City & Guilds or equivalent professional qualification.
- Food Safety Level 2 qualification.
- Significant experience as a Sous Chef or in an equivalent senior kitchen leadership role.
- Experience within a high-volume catering, central production, contract catering, education, healthcare or similar environment.
- Proven experience leading and developing a kitchen team.
- Strong knowledge of food safety, allergen management, stock control and food costs.
- Excellent culinary and large-scale food production skills.
- Strong leadership, organisation and communication skills.
- Ability to prioritise effectively and remain calm under pressure.
- Commercial awareness and understanding of food cost management.
- Positive, flexible and proactive approach.
- Commitment to delivering consistently high standards.
- Experience within an independent school or educational catering environment.
- Experience managing a large-scale production kitchen.
- Knowledge of catering management or production planning systems.
- Understanding of sustainability, waste reduction and responsible sourcing.
- First Aid qualification.
This is a full-time role working 5 out of 7 days, with a rota based around the operational requirements of the Hub Kitchen.
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:
- 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
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