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For Companies At a Glance
- Tasks: Lead culinary excellence across schools, ensuring high food standards and compliance.
- Company: Join Chartwells, a top provider of catering services in the education sector.
- Benefits: Enjoy a competitive salary, pension scheme, discounts, and wellness classes.
- Why this job: Make a real impact on students' meals while developing your culinary leadership skills.
- Qualifications: Proven culinary leadership experience in large-scale foodservice environments.
- Other info: Be part of a diverse team that values growth and innovation.
The predicted salary is between 60000 - 84000 £ per year.
Benefits
- Contributory pension scheme
- Car or Car Allowance
- Career Pathways and MyLearning programmes
- Digital GP and wider healthcare benefits for you and your immediate family
- 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
- Cash rewards every time you spend and use them on a wide range of brands
- Free wellness, mindfulness and exercise classes
Role Overview
The Executive Chef is responsible for leading culinary performance across all schools within the region, ensuring consistently high food standards, strong commercial outcomes and full compliance with School Food Standards and company frameworks. The role leads a small brigade of Regional Executive Chefs, providing hands‐on culinary support to Heads of Operations (HOO's) and Primary and Secondary schools. The Executive Chef is accountable for food quality, consistency, commercial performance, people development and supporting business growth through retention and new business activity. A key focus of the role is understanding and influencing the commercial levers that drive profitability and growth, including PPM, GP% and margin performance, while delivering a market‐leading, compliant and engaging food offer.
Key Accountabilities – Food Offer & Standards
- Own and deliver a consistent, managed food offer across the region, incorporating food safety, nutrition, sustainability, innovation, brand standards and commerciality
- Ensure all sites execute approved School Food Standards, SOURCE recipes, recipe cards and purchasing compliance
- Set and maintain exceptional food quality standards across all service points, including counters, cafés, mobile pods and food outlets
- Lead the Regional Executive Chef team to deliver consistent execution, prioritising daily business needs and continuous kitchen support
Culinary Leadership & Support
- Lead, manage and develop the regional culinary team to ensure the highest standards of food delivery
- Operate in a highly visible, hands‐on and mobile role, visiting schools regularly to engage and support kitchen teams
- Partner with HOO's to ensure culinary requirements are met and a consistent food offer is delivered across all schools
- Drive delivery of monthly PPM, GP% and margin targets
- Lead regular regional culinary calls and ensure all communications and actions are completed
- Attend and contribute to culinary forums, menu development sessions and regional leadership meetings
Training, Development & Partnership
- Ensure clear culinary pathways and skills development plans are in place across the region
- Personally support training delivery where required, maintaining a hands‐on approach
- Build strong collaborative relationships with HOO's, operators and growth teams
- Represent the business at key Chartwells events, client engagements and regional forums
Growth & Mobilisation
- Provide culinary leadership to support retention and new business growth
- Lead food presentations and support tender submissions
- Deliver South/Regional Map 1 sales and retention presentations
- Lead and support mobilisations, ensuring readiness and strong Day 1 "Go Live" delivery
Person Specification – Experience & Capability
- Proven track record of hands‐on culinary leadership within a large‐scale, multi‐site commercial foodservice environment
- Experience delivering sustainable, global and education‐appropriate food offers across multiple service channels
- Demonstrated ability to lead, coach and develop teams, including matrix or indirect reports
- Strong commercial acumen with a clear understanding of PPM, GP%, margin and cost control drivers
- Confident communicator with strong presentation and influencing skills across all stakeholder levels
- Able to inspire and engage diverse audiences, from frontline teams to senior leaders and clients
- Comfortable operating at pace, managing competing priorities across multiple sites
Leadership & Behaviour
- Strategic thinker with the ability to translate innovation and insight into operational excellence
- Strong advocate for Diversity, Equity & Inclusion
- Actively invests in personal development and stays ahead of industry and market trends
- Highly organised, with excellent prioritisation, delegation and change management skills
- Data‐led decision maker with the ability to drive measurable business impact
- Passionate advocate for high food standards, menu consistency and team development
- Excellent listener and communicator, ensuring frontline teams fully understand expectations and standards
- Mobile and flexible, with a proactive approach to regional travel
About Us
Part of Compass Group UK&I, Chartwells is the leading provider of catering and support services to the education sector. We serve millions of nutritious meals to pupils and students across the UK, safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children. All employees are expected to share this commitment. This post is exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 and requires successful pre‐employment checks, including an enhanced DBS disclosure and a Children's Barred List check. We ask applicants to declare all previous convictions and cautions to assess suitability for work with children. 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!
Executive Chef NEW Chartwells - Main Posted today £60,000 per year Parklands Chefs in London employer: Chartwells Independent
Contact Detail:
Chartwells Independent Recruiting Team
StudySmarter Expert Advice 🤫
We think this is how you could land Executive Chef NEW Chartwells - Main Posted today £60,000 per year Parklands Chefs in London
✨Tip Number 1
Network like a pro! Reach out to your connections in the culinary world, especially those who work in education or large-scale food services. A friendly chat can lead to insider info about job openings that aren't even advertised yet.
✨Tip Number 2
Show off your skills! If you get the chance, organise a tasting session or a demo of your culinary prowess. This is a great way to demonstrate your hands-on experience and creativity, which are key for an Executive Chef role.
✨Tip Number 3
Be proactive! Don’t just wait for job postings; reach out directly to schools or organisations you’re interested in. Express your passion for food and education, and who knows, they might create a position just for you!
✨Tip Number 4
Apply through our website! We’ve got loads of resources to help you nail that interview. Plus, it shows you’re serious about joining our team at Chartwells, and we love that enthusiasm!
We think you need these skills to ace Executive Chef NEW Chartwells - Main Posted today £60,000 per year Parklands Chefs in London
Some tips for your application 🫡
Show Your Culinary Passion: When writing your application, let your love for food and cooking shine through! Share your experiences and what drives you in the culinary world. We want to see your personality and passion for creating amazing dishes.
Tailor Your Application: Make sure to customise your application to fit the Executive Chef role. Highlight your leadership skills, experience in multi-site environments, and any relevant achievements. We’re looking for someone who can really connect with our mission at Chartwells!
Be Clear and Concise: Keep your application straightforward and to the point. Use clear language and avoid jargon where possible. We appreciate a well-structured application that makes it easy for us to see your qualifications and experience.
Apply Through Our Website: Don’t forget to submit your application through our website! It’s the best way for us to receive your details and ensures you’re considered for the role. Plus, it’s super easy to do!
How to prepare for a job interview at Chartwells Independent
✨Know Your Culinary Standards
Before the interview, brush up on the School Food Standards and the specific culinary guidelines that Chartwells follows. Being able to discuss how you would ensure compliance and maintain high food quality standards will show your commitment to excellence.
✨Showcase Your Leadership Skills
Prepare examples of how you've successfully led and developed culinary teams in the past. Highlight your experience in coaching and mentoring, as well as how you've managed competing priorities across multiple sites. This will demonstrate your ability to inspire and engage diverse audiences.
✨Understand the Commercial Side
Familiarise yourself with key commercial metrics like PPM, GP%, and margin performance. Be ready to discuss how you can influence these levers to drive profitability and growth. Showing a strong commercial acumen will set you apart from other candidates.
✨Be Ready for Hands-On Scenarios
Since the role involves a highly visible and mobile presence, think about how you would approach engaging with kitchen teams in various schools. Prepare to discuss your hands-on leadership style and how you would support culinary operations on the ground.
