Sous Chef

Restaurant Associates UK; Hatfield; On-site; GBP 33,000 - 41,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Holiday allowance

Free parking

Free meals on shift

Laundry service

Overtime pay

Discounted events

Compass rewards

Career growth

Job summary

Restaurant Associates at Hatfield House is seeking an experienced Sous Chef to support the Head Chef across multiple venues, delivering high-quality dishes for visitors and events. You will help lead kitchen operations, manage a team, and ensure excellent food safety and service standards.

The role is full-time, permanent, 40 hours per week over five days with some evenings, including overtime paid over 40 hours.

Qualifications

• Minimum 3 years' experience in professional kitchens, with management experience.
• Strong leadership, communication, and organisational skills.
• Knowledge of food safety, allergens, and health & safety regulations.
• Ability to manage rotas, stock, and kitchen operations efficiently.
• Creative, adaptable, and capable of working in a fast-paced environment.
• Passionate about food, hospitality, and delivering a positive visitor experience.

Responsibilities

• Kitchen Management: Assist in managing kitchen operations, leading a team of 5, ensuring consistent quality and efficiency across all outlets.
• Food Safety & Compliance: Maintain high standards of hygiene, food safety, and health & safety.
• Team Leadership: Manage and motivate kitchen staff, covering rota management and leading in the Head Chef's absence.
• Stock & Inventory: Oversee stock management, ordering, and waste control.
• Preparation & Cooking: Prepare and cook high-quality dishes for visitors and events.
• Service Support: Assist in plating and service, ensuring high-quality presentation. Event Support: Deliver excellent catering for events at the Riding School and Old Palace.

Skills

Leadership

Team management

Food safety

Kitchen operations

Communication

Job description

Location: Hatfield House - Coach House Kitchen, Old Palace, and Riding School

Salary: Up to £37,000 per annum + paid overtime over 40 hours

Contract: Full-Time, Permanent, 5 days out of 7, 40 hours per week over Monday-Sunday with some evenings.

Are you an experienced Sous Chef looking to take the next step in your culinary career? Do you want to work in a historic and inspiring environment, supporting a Head Chef to deliver a high-quality food experience to visitors and events at Hatfield House? We're looking for a Sous Chef to join the team, assisting in managing kitchen operations and ensuring an exceptional dining experience across multiple outlets.

About The Role

As Sous Chef at Hatfield House, you will support the Head Chef in leading the culinary operation across Coach House Kitchen, Old Palace, and Riding School events. This role involves helping manage kitchen teams, ensuring smooth day-to-day operations, maintaining high food standards, and stepping in to lead in the Head Chef's absence.

Your responsibilities will cover visitor dining, large-scale events, and high-quality food preparation. You will play a key role in operational efficiency, kitchen management, and the delivery of consistently excellent dishes for all visitors and events.

The successful candidate will be proactive, hands-on, and able to motivate the kitchen team, while maintaining strict adherence to food safety and health & safety standards.

What We Offer

• 20 days holiday + bank holidays
• Free parking & easy access from the train station
• Free meals & hot drinks while on shift
• Free laundry cleaning
• Paid overtime over 40 hours
• Free access to Hatfield House and discounted events
• Compass reward scheme
• Supportive, values-driven team culture
• Opportunities for professional growth and development
• A chance to make a meaningful impact in a continuously growing sector

Key Responsibilities

• Kitchen Management: Assist in managing kitchen operations, leading a team of 5, ensuring consistent quality and efficiency across all outlets
• Food Safety & Compliance: Maintain high standards of hygiene, food safety, and health & safety
• Team Leadership: Manage and motivate kitchen staff, covering rota management and leading in the Head Chef's absence
• Stock & Inventory: Oversee stock management, ordering, and waste control
• Preparation & Cooking: Prepare and cook high-quality dishes for visitors and events
• Service Support: Assist in plating and service, ensuring high-quality presentationEvent Support: Deliver excellent catering for events at the Riding School and Old Palace

The Ideal Candidate

• Minimum 3 years' experience in professional kitchens, with management experience
• Strong leadership, communication, and organisational skills
• Knowledge of food safety, allergens, and health & safety regulations
• Ability to manage rotas, stock, and kitchen operations efficiently
• Creative, adaptable, and capable of working in a fast-paced environment
• Passionate about food, hospitality, and delivering a positive visitor experience

About Us

Restaurant Associates is a leading premium hospitality provider with an ethos drawn from our history of fine and high-quality dining in London and New York. Within our venues team, we provide catering and hospitality services to some of the most iconic visitor attractions and destinations in the UK including the Imperial War Museum London, Glyndebourne Opera House, Knebworth House, Design Museum, Whipsnade Zoo and many more. Within these amazing venues we operate a host of bespoke cafés and restaurants, as well as delivering private events ranging from small meetings to large-scale ground events of up to 1000 people. You can find a full list of our venues on our website.

Job Reference: com/0909/70491001/52832174/SU #RA Venues

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!