Chef de Partie

Overview

Department/Team: Backstage F&B

Hours: Hours scheduled on a shift basis across Monday-Sunday (Monday to Saturday initially, but we may open on Sundays as the operation develops)

Location: Backstage, The Old Vic, The Cut, London, SE1 8NB

Salary: £15.48 per hour, plus Tronc. From April 2026, the hourly rate will increase to £15.78 per hour, plus Tronc.

Responsible to: Head Chef

Benefits

• 28 days holiday per year (including bank holidays)
• Access to interest free travel schemes including Cycle 2 work and Season Ticket loans after your probation period
• Free therapy from our therapy partner SelfSpace
• Mental health support via our in-house Mental Health Champions
• Two complimentary tickets to a preview per production
• Pension scheme with The People’s Pension
• Enhanced sick pay
• All staff social events
• Staff discount in Penny and The Old Vic bars as well as discounts in local bars and restaurants
• Opportunities to get involved with staff clubs and working groups such as the Inclusion Working Group
• Commitment to learning, education and development

Backstage

Backstage is a project for the future – a six-storey space for creativity, education and community right next door to our historic building. Together with award-winning architects Haworth Tompkins, we have built a low-carbon building that includes:

• A welcoming public cafe and workspace during the day, which evolves into a vibrant bar and restaurant at night
• A Clore Learning Centre for our award-winning outreach work
• A Writers’ Room where creatives can work
• A free to use Script Library
• A modern and flexible rehearsal room which can transform into a studio theatre
• An event space and terrace

We believe Backstage creates a stronger Old Vic for the future, providing a welcoming space for our generation and the next. Within Backstage, the F&B offer is primarily centred around the ground floor and first-floor café and bar space – but also extends to event catering provision and a grab-and-go offer for the theatre. With an overall capacity of 181 (61 covers) across the two floors, Backstage will be open early until late, six days per week. The daytime artisanal café will serve the very best coffee, coupled with delicious baked goods. A comfortable place where culture meets great coffee in a vibrant and dynamic space. This same space then seamlessly transitions into an enticing evening bar – a destination. A socially inspired bar/dining offer; celebrating cultural diversity, vibe and buzz in a stylish and comfortable environment coupled with a strong ‘sense of place’ as an intrinsic part of The Old Vic as a whole. The food offer will be based on conviviality and sharing – built around the concept of small plates.

The Team

The Backstage F&B team is responsible for all Food & Beverage related activity within Backstage and The Old Vic theatre itself. The team includes the Operations Director, Head of Food & Beverage Operations, Deputy Head of Food and Beverage Operations Manager, Head Chef, Sous Chef, KPs, Duty Managers, Bartenders and Waiting staff.

Role summary

The role of the CDP is to ensure the highest standards of food quality and presentation. You’ll be responsible for managing a section of the kitchen, preparing ingredients, cooking dishes and maintaining a clean and organised prep and cooking area.

Areas of responsibility

Kitchen

• Preparing and cooking dishes according to spec and standards
• Ensuring all food is prepared and presented to the highest quality
• Assisting in the development of new menus and specials
• Ensuring consistently high levels of food safety, hygiene and cleanliness
• Monitoring stock levels, notifying the Sous Chef or Head Chef if stock levels are low
• Assisting with stock take
• Collaborating effectively with the Kitchen team, supporting where required
• Preparing dishes for any internal or external events as required
• Maintaining a culture of positivity, efficiency, creativity and continuous improvement

Customer Service

• Acting as an ambassador for Backstage
• Always delivering the highest possible level of customer service, ensuring a friendly, safe and secure environment in which customers can enjoy their dining experience
• Receiving all comments, raised by the public and following them with immediate action or passing on to the Head of Food and Beverage Operations to investigate

General

• Promoting and complying with current legislation and The Old Vic’s policies
• Assisting the Backstage F&B team in relation to continuous improvement
• Undertaking any other reasonable duties, commensurate with the level of the post to ensure the smooth running of The Backstage venue

This is not an exhaustive list of duties and the Backstage venue management may, at any time, allocate other tasks which are of a similar nature or level.

Person specification

The post holder must be able to demonstrate the following:

Essential

• Proven experience of working as a Chef/CDP
• Active passion or interest in food, produce and providing excellent food to customers
• Culinary school qualification / diploma / or equivalent work experience
• Good knowledge of basic cooking techniques
• Excellent food presentation and attention to detail
• A proven ability to provide a high level of culinary skill in an often fast paced environment
• Availability to work evenings and weekends as required
• Excellent communication skills to foster positive collaboration in the kitchen
• A proven ability to work as both part of a team and independently
• Well organised and able to multitask

How to Apply

We understand that everyone is different and we want you to apply in whichever way you feel best shows your skills and experience. There are a range of ways that you can apply with us:

• Sending a short video file of yourself (no longer than two minutes in length), detailing your experience, why you are applying for the role and what about working at The Old Vic interests you.
• Sending a short audio file of yourself (no longer than two minutes in length), detailing your experience, why you are applying for the role and what about working at The Old Vic interests you.
• Completing our application form.
• Uploading your CV and covering letter, explaining why you are interested in the role and working at the Old Vic.

As a Disability Confident employer, The Old Vic has made a commitment that all applicants with disabilities who meet the essential criteria for this job will be invited to interview. However in the event that we have a high volume of applications all of whom meet the criteria and identify as disabled, meaning it is not practicable to interview everyone, we may apply a weighting to the shortlisting criteria, or add an additional shortlisting stage before any interviews take place. In all cases we will take care to ensure that any criteria or weightings do not disadvantage disabled applicants. All appointments are made subject to satisfactory references and proof of eligibility to work in the UK.

The Process

The recruitment process for this role will be two stages:

• 1st stage in person conversation
• 2nd stage in person conversation

You may be asked to complete a work based skills assessment or challenge. The closing date for this role is 14 February 2026.

Equal Opportunities

We actively support and encourage people from a variety of backgrounds, experiences and skill sets to join us and help shape what we do. We are particularly keen to receive applications from people of the global majority, LGBTQ+, neurodiverse and disabled candidates. We may take positive action, in cases where candidates are equally qualified, to increase the employment of under-represented groups at The Old Vic. In the event that we ask you to attend the theatre for a conversation and you are struggling financially, we may be able to reimburse you for any reasonable travel costs. We partner with a range of inclusive organisations, to find out more please read our FAQs.