Production Kitchen Supervisor

Department: Production / Operations. Reports To: Production Manager (Kitchen Operations). Location: Leyton, E10 7QP. Hours: Full-Time. Salary: £32,000 - £34,000 per annum. Are you looking for a new role in an exciting, fast-growing company? Do you enjoy leading teams, solving problems and making sure things run smoothly in a fast-paced environment? Do you want to help transform the health of people and the planet through food? We have the perfect role for you. We're Planthood, one of the fastest-growing health food companies in the UK. Our mission is to help people live healthier, happier lives by eating more plant-based whole foods. We do this from our own London kitchen, where we cook up irresistibly delicious food and deliver it to thousands of customers across the UK every week. Since launching from Hilary & Will's kitchen in 2020, we've now cooked over 4 million meals, featured on BBC Dragons' Den, and grown 300%+ year-on-year. As we continue to scale, we're looking for an exceptional Kitchen Supervisor to help lead our kitchen operation. This is a hands-on leadership role at the heart of the business, responsible for ensuring our kitchen team operates safely, efficiently and to the highest standards every day. A key focus of this role will be overseeing the daily food preparation and cooking processes, while managing our team of chefs and kitchen porters. You'll be responsible for managing production flow, signing off batch quality, and maintaining the exceptional culinary and hygiene standards that our customers expect. You'll play a key role in driving performance, developing people, improving processes and holding the kitchen team accountable. Working closely with the Production Manager, you'll help ensure that every component leaving our kitchen reflects the standards and values that have fuelled Planthood's growth so far. This is an opportunity to take ownership of a critical function within a rapidly growing food business and help shape the future of our kitchen operation.

What You’ll Be Doing

Team Leadership

• Lead, motivate and support our kitchen team members.
• Create a positive, engaged, high-performing, and accountable kitchen team culture.
• Lead daily team briefings and debriefings, assigning clear stations, individual tasks, and time expectations.
• Train and onboard new chefs and KPs, supporting their development and success.
• Conduct regular one-to-one meetings, coaching sessions, and performance conversations, managing team performance in real time.
• Manage kitchen staffing levels, rotas, holidays and shift changes to ensure operational requirements are met.

Kitchen Operations

• Drive the daily production flow on the kitchen floor by sequencing tasks strategically, coordinating closely with the packing, warehouse and procurement teams to prevent bottlenecks and keep output steady.
• Adjust production flow in real time, reallocating kitchen staff effectively to manage short-staffing scenarios and minimize idle time.
• Step into production stations and demonstrate strong Chef de Partie (CDP) skills when required to maintain operational speed.
• Support the day-to-day management of operations and deputise for the Production Managers when required.
• Draft the weekly kitchen production schedule and set the daily production plan, dynamically factoring in variables like equipment availability, delivery delays, and staffing levels.
• Procure fresh ingredients for the next production day using systems like Rekki.
• Ensure KPIs and quality standards are consistently achieved.
• Monitor team performance and productivity, identifying opportunities to improve kitchen efficiency and workflow.
• Maintain accurate kitchen records, strong reports, and operational documentation.
• Maintain a direct and vital line of communication with the Production Manager(s) by providing high-quality, comprehensive reports and structured end-of-day handovers.
• Drive continuous improvement initiatives across the kitchen floor.

Quality, Food Safety & Compliance

• Ensure food safety, allergen, hygiene and HACCP standards are followed at all times.
• Support quality control processes and ensure all required checks are completed accurately.
• Promote a strong health and safety culture throughout the kitchen operation.
• Support audits, risk assessments and compliance activities, including SALSA accreditation.
• Help maintain the high standards our customers expect from every Planthood delivery.

Stock & Equipment

• Support stock control, stock rotation and waste reduction initiatives.
• Monitor equipment performance and report maintenance issues promptly.
• Help ensure production machinery is operated safely and efficiently.

What We’re Looking For

• Strong culinary expertise: Minimum Chef de Partie (CDP) level experience with a strong palate, refined taste-testing skills, and a deep understanding of complex flavor profiles.
• Mastery of cooking processes: Excellent knowledge of high-volume cooking methods, precise recipe scaling, ingredient behavior, and yield optimization.
• Technical kitchen capability: Solid technical capability operating heavy kitchen equipment (e.g., bratt pans, large industrial boiling pots, blast chillers) and light kitchen machinery.
• Production management skills: Excellent production sequencing abilities, knowing how to balance output speed with premium product quality.
• Supervisor experience: Proven supervisory experience in a high-volume commercial kitchen, food manufacturing facility, or fast-paced catering operation.
• KPI ownership: Experience driving team performance against key production metrics and taking personal accountability for shift output targets.
• Strong reporting skills: Experience maintaining meticulous data logs and delivering high-quality, comprehensive operational reports to management teams.
• People leadership: Strong leadership and communication skills, with experience coaching, developing, and motivating teams.
• Operational mindset: Strong organisational skills, attention to detail, and a proactive approach to problem-solving and continuous improvement.
• Composure & drive: A resilient, positive, and organized individual who maintains composure and drives urgency under pressure.
• Compliance knowledge: Good understanding of food safety, HACCP, allergens, and health & safety requirements.
• Tech-savvy: Comfortable using digital systems such as Google Workspace (Sheets, Docs, Gmail, Drive, etc), Slack, Trail, etc.

Why Join Us?

• Be part of one of the UK's fastest-growing health food companies.
• Play a key role in a business that's scaling rapidly and making a positive impact.
• Work with a passionate, supportive and ambitious team.
• Enjoy opportunities for development, progression and increased responsibility.
• Help us transform the health of people and the planet through food.

Experience: Required
Languages: English – Advanced
Employment: Full-time
Salary: £32,000 – £34,000 yearly
Starting time: Immediate start!

About Planthood:
Planthood is a fast-growing 100% plant-based meal delivery startup, providing restaurant-quality, finish at home meal kits across the UK, with a strong focus on health and sustainability