Casual Peripatetic Lead Chef in Birmingham

Do you love creating healthy, delicious, and sustainable meals? Join Field Studies Council as a Casual Peripatetic Lead Chef and combine your passion for great food with the opportunity to travel across the UK.

Why you'll love working with us:

• Get paid to travel and work at our beautiful Field Studies Council locations across the UK
• Flexible casual work with no obligation to accept assignments
• £16.12 to £17.11 per hour, depending on qualifications and experience
• Accommodation provided when working away from your home area
• Reasonable pre-agreed travel costs covered
• Work with welcoming teams in unique locations from coast to countryside
• Fixed mealtimes and planned menus for improved work-life balance
• No late-night finishes, shifts are normally completed by 8pm
• Make a real difference by supporting an environmental education charity

At the Field Studies Council we promise to get people outdoors, provide high quality learning and encourage positive wellbeing. We're all about creating outdoor learning experiences and opportunities that inspire everyone to be curious, knowledgeable, passionate and caring about the environment.

What you'll be doing:

As a Casual Peripatetic Lead Chef, you'll take responsibility for the catering operation at the learning location where you're working. Combining hands-on cooking with kitchen leadership, you'll lead hospitality teams to deliver memorable meals for up to 160 visitors. You'll be creating nutritious, sustainable menus that cater for a wide range of diverse diets and allergens, including, but not limited to vegan, vegetarian, gluten-free, nut-free, and religious or cultural options.

Typical day:

• Breakfast: 7–11am
• Dinner: 3–8pm
• Set menus with 2–3 options per meal
• A mix of prep, cooking, and kitchen leadership
• Leading a small team of staff to maintain high standards of hygiene and food safety

We're proud to have achieved the Soil Association Food for Life Served Here Bronze Award, recognising our commitment to healthy, sustainable meals.

Where you'll be based:

This is a truly flexible, travelling role with no fixed work base. You'll be offered assignments on an ad hoc and occasional 'relief' basis at our beautiful Field Studies Council learning locations throughout the UK as business needs arise, and you can choose whether to accept or decline each opportunity. When working away from your home area, accommodation will be provided and reasonable pre-agreed travel expenses will be covered.

Who we're looking for:

We're looking for experienced chefs who thrive in a busy environment and enjoy leading others to deliver excellent service. You'll need:

• Catering experience which includes management or supervisory responsibilities.
• A catering qualification or relevant vocational experience.
• Experience of stock control, ordering and budget management.
• Knowledge of food safety systems, including HACCP and Safer Food Better Business.
• Experience catering for large groups, schools, residential settings or similar environments.
• Strong leadership, organisation and communication skills.
• A flexible approach and willingness to travel and work across different locations.

If you're passionate about food, enjoy variety in your work, and want to use your skills to support meaningful outdoor learning experiences, we'd love to hear from you.

If you have any queries regarding this vacancy, please call Chris Wilkinson (Catering & Hospitality Development Manager) on 07771376884. Applications will be considered on arrival. We reserve the right to close the vacancy early if we're in receipt of sufficient applications. Please apply early to avoid disappointment. Interviews are scheduled to take place online on a rolling basis. Shortlisted applicants will be contacted by email.