Casual Senior Women's Performance Chef in Stoke-on-Trent

Fuel Performance. Inspire Excellence. We are looking for a passionate and innovative chef to join the team to deliver an exceptional dining experience that engages elite athletes and consistently provides high-quality food. Working closely with the Lead Performance Nutritionist and Senior Women's Lead Chef, you will play a key role in creating inspiring, nutritionally focused menus that support player wellbeing, performance, and recovery. Bringing creativity, collaboration, and fresh ideas, you will help shape a world-class food environment where every meal supports success on and off the pitch.

What will you do?

• Provide world-class food provision to the Senior Women's team on camps (18-25 days) and at major tournaments (30-50 days) both domestically and internationally.
• Work in collaboration with the lead performance nutritionist and senior women's chef to develop exciting and varied menus that are in line with the performance nutrition strategy.
• Plan and execute tournament menus that address the unique demands of extended competitions, including food fatigue, optimal fuelling, recovery, and evolving nutritional requirements.
• Work in collaboration with hotels and catering staff to ensure menus are delivered to the highest standards of quality, consistency, and food safety.
• Build strong working relationships with players and multidisciplinary staff to create a positive, enjoyable dining experience that supports team culture.
• Deliver live cooking stations during meal services to enhance player engagement while accommodating individual preferences and dietary requirements.
• Manage food provision within budget, while minimising food waste and promoting sustainable catering practices.
• Support the delivery of the nutrition strategy based on a 'food first' approach that develops a positive and engaging culture to support players' health and performance.
• Execute additional tasks as required to meet the FA's changing priorities.
• Comply with all company policies and procedures to ensure the highest standards of health, safety and well-being can be maintained.

As part of The FA's commitment to ensuring a safe environment for everyone in football, successful candidates will be required to complete a DBS check. The level of the check required will be based on the activity of the specific job role. Casual work is conditional upon receipt of a satisfactory DBS check result, which will be fairly considered on a case-by-case basis, in line with legislation and government guidance.

What will you need?

Essential for the role:

• A relevant chef qualification at NVQ Level 1 & 2.
• Food hygiene level 3.
• Experience of working in an elite or professional sporting environment.
• Experience of working in kitchens abroad.
• Some knowledge of sports nutrition and a willingness to learn.
• Ability to build rapport with players and staff quickly.
• Excellent interpersonal skills and a willingness to work alongside other chefs and nutritionists.
• Experience in managing a budget and building menus.
• A passion to cater for professional sports teams.

Beneficial to have:

• Experience of working with female athletes.
• Experience of working in a team sport environment.

We are expecting interviews to take place on 26th August at St. George's Park in Staffordshire. Due to the practical element of the role, interviews will need to be in person.

What's in it for you?

We pride ourselves on offering a competitive rate of pay as well as great opportunities to develop and grow in your role. We are committed to ensuring everyone can flourish in their roles, and by doing this, we offer top-of-the-range facilities across two core business locations. We have unique office spaces under the arch of the iconic Wembley National Stadium, which is the home of English football. We are also delighted to have a world-class Elite Performance Centre, St. George's Park in Staffordshire, which is an exceptional setting to develop and inspire high-performing England teams and leaders.

We are a diverse workplace, aspiring to represent football across the country. The Football Association actively promotes inclusion and diversity, encouraging you to be the best version of yourself at work. We welcome applications from everyone and are proud to be an equal opportunities employer. If you have any particular requirements in respect of the recruitment or interview process, please mention this during your application.

As part of The FA's commitment to ensuring a safe environment for everyone in football, successful candidates will be required to complete a DBS check. The level of the check required will be based on the activity of the specific job role. Casual work is conditional upon receipt of a satisfactory DBS check result, which will be fairly considered on a case-by-case basis, in line with legislation and government guidance.