Trainee Performance Chef

Birmingham City Football Club plc; Birmingham; On-site; GBP 18,000 - 23,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Matchday tickets

Blues store discount

Life assurance

Pension scheme

Eye care voucher

Cycle to work scheme

GP & wellbeing support

Job summary

Birmingham City Football Club is seeking a Trainee Performance Chef to help prepare and deliver high-quality, nutritionally balanced meals for players and staff across multiple programmes. You will work with experienced Performance Chefs to support health, recovery and performance in a elite football environment.

You’ll contribute to menu planning, food safety, and adapting to nutrition strategies while developing culinary skills within a high-performance setting and flexible hours around

Qualifications

• NVQ Level 2 in Food Preparation & Cookery or equivalent.
• Level 2 Food Hygiene certification or willingness to obtain.
• Level 2 Allergen Awareness or willingness to obtain.
• Basic food preparation and knife-handling skills.
• Strong attention to detail, professionalism and cleanliness.
• Ability to work effectively as part of a team.
• Flexible and reliable with strong timekeeping and organisation.
• Experience in a professional kitchen.
• Interest/knowledge in sports nutrition and performance catering.
• Full UK driving licence.
• Interest in football or high-performance sport environments.

Responsibilities

• Support the preparation, cooking and presentation of performance-focused meals for players and staff.
• Work alongside Performance Chefs on menu planning, recipe development and execution aligned to nutrition strategies.
• Assist with preparation of meat, fish and vegetables to elite standards.
• Maintain kitchen organisation, cleanliness and hygiene at all times.
• Support allergen management, portion control, stock rotation and waste reduction.
• Assist with food ordering, deliveries and safe storage procedures.
• Provide catering support for matchdays, travel days, residential camps and tournaments (including off-site preparation).
• Work flexibly with training schedules and travel with teams as required.
• Ensure compliance with Club policies including Equality & Diversity, Safeguarding, Health & Safety and EFL regulations.

Skills

NVQ Level 2 in Food Preparation & Cook

Level 2 Food Hygiene

Level 2 Allergen Awareness

Basic food preparation & knife-handlng

Teamwork

Timekeeping & organisation

Experience in professional kitchen

Sports nutrition interest

Full UK driving licence

Football/high-performance sport envs

Education

NVQ Level 2 in Food Preparation & Cookery

Job description

Department: Executive Kitchen
Location: Across all Club sites
Hours: 37.5 hours per week (flexible around training and matchday schedules)
Reports to: Head Chef

Birmingham City Football Club is on the rise.

With an incredible history dating back to 1875, Birmingham City Football Club is part of an exciting period of accelerated growth and modernisation, and is playing it’s part in once-in-a-generation opportunity to support the transformation of England’s second city as part of theSports Quarter project.

With significant investment across our football, commercial, and community operations, we are rebuilding the Club for long-term success — on and off the pitch. The journey we’re on involves strengthening our structures, elevating our performance environments, growing our teams, and investing heavily in the people, processes and culture that will define the next chapter of Birmingham City FC.

We are looking for a passionate and motivated Trainee Performance Chef to support the preparation and delivery of high-quality, nutritionally balanced meals for our players and staff across the Senior Training Centre, Senior Women’s Programme, U21s and Academy.

This is an exciting opportunity for an aspiring chef to develop their culinary skills within an elite football performance environment, working closely with experienced Performance Chefs and multidisciplinary teams to support player health, recovery and performance.

About the Role

You will play an important role in the day-to-day operation of our training ground kitchens, contributing to menu delivery, food safety standards and the evolving demands of high-performance sport.

Key Responsibilities

• Support the preparation, cooking and presentation of performance-focused meals for players and staff.
• Work alongside Performance Chefs on menu planning, recipe development and execution aligned to nutrition strategies.
• Assist with preparation of meat, fish and vegetables to the required elite standards.
• Maintain excellent kitchen organisation, cleanliness and hygiene at all times.
• Support allergen management, portion control, stock rotation and food waste reduction.
• Assist with food ordering, deliveries and safe storage procedures.
• Provide catering support for matchdays, travel days, residential camps and tournaments (including off-site preparation).
• Work flexibly in line with training schedules and competition demands, including travel with teams when required.
• Ensure full compliance with Club policies, including Equality & Diversity, Safeguarding, Health & Safety and EFL regulations.

About You

• NVQ Level 2 in Food Preparation & Cookery (or equivalent).
• Level 2 Food Hygiene (or willingness to obtain).
• Level 2 Allergen Awareness (or willingness to obtain).
• Basic food preparation and knife-handling skills.
• Strong attention to detail, professionalism and high standards of cleanliness.
• Ability to work effectively as part of a team.
• Flexible and reliable, with strong timekeeping and organisation.
• Experience working in a professional kitchen.
• Interest or knowledge in sports nutrition and performance catering.
• Full UK driving licence.
• Interest in football or high-performance sport environments

The Benefits of Being Blues

At Birmingham City Football Club, we put people at the heart of everything we do. When you join the Club, you become part of the Blues family — and that comes with a range of benefits designed to support you both inside and outside of work.

• Matchday Tickets
• Blues Store Discount
• Life Assurance
• Pension Scheme
• Eye Care Voucher
• Cycle to Work Scheme
• Help@Hand - 24/7 access to GP appointments, wellbeing services and mental health support.

Safeguarding

Birmingham City Football Club is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and adults at risk. The safety and wellbeing of all individuals within our care is paramount, and all staff are expected to share and uphold this commitment.

All successful applicants will be subject to appropriate pre-employment checks, including an enhanced DBS check, and will be required to complete safeguarding training as part of the recruitment and induction process.

Birmingham City FC is proud to be an Equal Opportunities and Disability Confident employer.

We welcome applications from all sections of the community and are committed to ensuring a fair and inclusive recruitment process. Candidates are assessed solely on merit, regardless of age, disability, gender identity or expression, marital or civil partnership status, pregnancy or maternity, race or ethnicity, religion or belief, sex, sexual orientation, socioeconomic background, or caring responsibilities.

We value diversity and actively encourage applications from individuals of all backgrounds. If you require any adjustments to support you during the recruitment or interview process, please let us know when applying.