Head Chefs Required in Derby

Location: White Oaks at Millway House, Derby (DE24 9BD)

Employment Type: Shifts offered on casual bases from Monday to Friday

Lead the Culinary Experience at One of Derby’s Premier Business Learning Hubs. Constellation at White Oaks is seeking an exceptional Head Chef to lead our kitchen operation at Millway House, DE24 9BD, a prestigious business and learning hub in Derby. This is an exciting opportunity for a passionate culinary leader to shape a high-quality food offering across corporate dining, hospitality, conferences, meetings, and special events while leading and developing a dedicated kitchen team.

About the Role

As Head Chef, you will take full responsibility for the day-to-day management of the kitchen operation, ensuring the delivery of exceptional food quality, service standards, and financial performance. You will lead menu development, manage food costs, maintain compliance standards, and inspire your team to consistently exceed customer expectations. The successful candidate will combine strong culinary skills with excellent leadership, organisational ability, and commercial awareness.

Key Responsibilities

• Kitchen Leadership Management
  • Lead, motivate, and develop the kitchen team.
  • Recruit, train, mentor, and conduct performance reviews for kitchen staff.
  • Create a positive, professional, and collaborative kitchen culture.
  • Manage staff rotas and labour scheduling in line with business needs.
  • Ensure effective communication between kitchen and front-of-house teams.
• Food Preparation Service
  • Oversee the preparation and presentation of all food served on site.
  • Maintain consistently high culinary standards across breakfast, lunch, hospitality, events, and conference catering.
  • Ensure timely service delivery during peak trading periods and events.
  • Monitor portion control and food quality standards.
  • Introduce innovative menu concepts that align with customer expectations and market trends.
• Menu Development
  • Design seasonal menus and daily specials.
  • Develop corporate hospitality and event catering menus.
  • Cater for dietary requirements including vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free, allergen-sensitive, and culturally diverse options.
  • Drive creativity and innovation while maintaining operational efficiency.
• Financial Management
  • Manage food purchasing and supplier relationships.
  • Control food costs, wastage, and stock levels.
  • Monitor gross profit margins and kitchen budgets.
  • Conduct regular stock takes and inventory management.
  • Identify opportunities to improve profitability without compromising quality.
• Food Safety Compliance
  • Ensure full compliance with food hygiene legislation.
  • Maintain HACCP procedures and food safety documentation.
  • Ensure kitchen compliance with Health Safety regulations.
  • Lead environmental health inspections and audits.
  • Monitor allergen management procedures and food labelling requirements.
• Operational Excellence
  • Ensure kitchens, storage areas, and equipment are maintained to the highest standards.
  • Coordinate catering requirements for meetings, conferences, training programmes, and corporate events.
  • Manage equipment maintenance schedules and report repair requirements.
  • Implement and monitor standard operating procedures.
• Customer Experience
  • Deliver outstanding food experiences for clients, delegates, and visitors.
  • Respond professionally to customer feedback.
  • Work closely with management teams to support business growth.
  • Help enhance White Oaks reputation as a leading hospitality destination within Derby's engineering and industrial community.

Essential Requirements

• Previous experience as a Head Chef or Senior Sous Chef within a high-volume hospitality, conference, hotel, corporate dining, or event environment.
• Strong leadership and people management skills.
• Excellent culinary knowledge and food presentation standards.
• Proven experience managing food costs and kitchen budgets.
• Comprehensive understanding of food safety legislation and HACCP.
• Ability to work under pressure and manage multiple service streams.
• Strong organisational and communication skills.
• Level 3 Food Safety qualification (or willingness to obtain).

Desirable

• Experience within conference centres, corporate hospitality, or business dining environments.
• Experience delivering catering for meetings, training events, and large-scale functions.
• Knowledge of sustainable sourcing and waste reduction practices.
• First Aid qualification.
• Hospitality management qualifications.

If you are a talented culinary leader with a passion for excellence, innovation, and team development, Constellation would love to hear from you! Please submit your CV and a covering letter outlining your experience and suitability for the role.