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- Tasks: Lead kitchens, ensure food quality, and coach teams across multiple venues.
- Company: Signature Group, a dynamic and inclusive employer focused on food excellence.
- Benefits: Competitive pay, staff discounts, career progression, and additional leave.
- Why this job: Make a real impact on food standards while enjoying variety and autonomy.
- Qualifications: Experience as a Head Chef or Senior Sous Chef with strong cooking skills.
- Other info: Clear pathway to senior leadership roles in food operations.
The predicted salary is between 36000 - 60000 £ per year.
This is a hands-on, operational Senior Relief Chef role, designed to improve food consistency, food quality, recipe adherence and standards delivery across our venues.
Senior Relief Chefs spend the majority of their time running kitchens, just like our relief chefs, but also play a key role in reinforcing standards, coaching teams and ensuring that the same dish is delivered to the same standard in every site. This is not an executive or office-based chef role - standards are delivered through doing, cooking, coaching and leading by example in live services.
About Our Venues
Our venues operate in busy, fast-paced kitchen environments where consistency, organisation and strong execution are essential. You'll work across a diverse estate with:
- Menus developed through a mix of site-led, centrally driven and collaborative approaches
- Clear venue food briefs, recipes and specifications that define how food should be delivered
- A strong expectation of consistent execution of company standards across all sites
- Kitchens of varying sizes, layouts and equipment, requiring adaptability and strong organisation
- High-volume services where calm leadership and structured organisation are key
If you enjoy variety, operational responsibility, and delivering food to clearly defined standards while supporting teams to do the same, this role offers genuine scope to make an impact across the business.
Senior Relief Chef Duties
Operational Kitchen Leadership (Approx. 75%)
- Run kitchens across multiple sites, covering holidays, sickness and vacancies
- Lead services confidently, maintaining food quality under pressure
- Deliver menus exactly to spec, ensuring consistency in flavour, presentation and portioning
- Maintain excellent prep standards, organisation and kitchen discipline
- Integrate quickly into different teams and kitchen environments
Food Standards, Spec & Training Leadership (Approx. 25%)
- Act as a field-based food standards leader within your assigned cluster of venues
- Reinforce recipe adherence, spec accuracy and plating standards
- Coach chefs on cooking technique, prep discipline and service execution
- Support menu launches, ensuring dishes are delivered correctly from day one
- Ensure correct use of Procure Wizard, including ordering accuracy, yields and waste
- Identify skill gaps and deliver hands-on training during operational shifts
- Support new head chefs and developing kitchen teams
- Escalate recurring issues and provide structured feedback to the Head of Food
- Delivering kitchen & food standards audits
Health, Safety & Hygiene
- Maintain the highest standards of food safety, hygiene and cleanliness
- Ensure all sites operate in line with food safety legislation and company standards
- Lead by example on allergen control, labelling and safe food handling
Required Skills & Experience
Essential
- Proven experience as a Head Chef or strong Senior Sous Chef
- Confident running different kitchens with minimal supervision
- Strong technical cooking skills and attention to detail
- Excellent understanding of spec, recipe discipline and portion control
- Experience using procurement or recipe management systems (PW desirable)
- Ability to coach and develop chefs in a practical, supportive way
- Full UK driving licence
Personal Attributes
- Highly organised and calm under pressure
- Adaptable and flexible across different venues and teams
- Strong communicator who leads through example
- Passionate about food quality, consistency and standards
- Proactive problem-solver with a continuous improvement mindset
Career Development & Progression
This role provides a clear progression pathway into senior food leadership roles, including:
- Food Development
- Kitchen Training & Development
- Senior Food Operations
- Future Executive Food Team positions
You will work closely with the Head of Food, Food Development Manager and Group Kitchen Training Manager, gaining exposure to the wider food strategy and development pipeline.
Benefits
In addition to a competitive pay and bonus structure, we offer:
- Staff discount ranging from 25%-50% on food & beverage across all Signature Group venues
- Employee Assistance Programme
- Additional annual leave accrued through length of service
- Structured development and progression opportunities
- Variety, autonomy and influence across a multi-site estate
Applying for Signature
If this sounds like something you want to be a part of, apply today by sending in your CV.
Senior Relief Chef in Edinburgh employer: Signature Pub Group Ltd.
Contact Detail:
Signature Pub Group Ltd. Recruiting Team
StudySmarter Expert Advice 🤫
We think this is how you could land Senior Relief Chef in Edinburgh
✨Tip Number 1
Get your hands dirty! When you're in the kitchen, show off your skills and let your passion for food shine through. Cook up a storm and demonstrate how you can maintain high standards under pressure.
✨Tip Number 2
Be a team player! Make sure to connect with the kitchen staff and show them that you’re there to support and coach them. Share your knowledge and experience to help them improve their skills and keep the kitchen running smoothly.
✨Tip Number 3
Adaptability is key! Each venue will have its own vibe and setup, so be ready to adjust your approach. Show that you can integrate quickly into different teams and environments while maintaining consistency in food quality.
✨Tip Number 4
Don’t forget to showcase your leadership! Lead by example and reinforce the importance of food safety and hygiene. Make it clear that you take these standards seriously, and encourage others to do the same.
We think you need these skills to ace Senior Relief Chef in Edinburgh
Some tips for your application 🫡
Show Off Your Experience: When you're writing your application, make sure to highlight your experience as a Head Chef or Senior Sous Chef. We want to see how you've confidently run kitchens and maintained high standards in fast-paced environments.
Be Specific About Your Skills: Don’t just say you have strong technical cooking skills; give us examples! Mention specific techniques or dishes you've mastered. This helps us understand how you can contribute to our venues' food quality and consistency.
Tailor Your Application: Make your application personal! Refer to the job description and align your experiences with what we’re looking for. Show us that you understand the role of a Senior Relief Chef and how you fit into our vision.
Apply Through Our Website: We encourage you to apply directly through our website. It’s the best way to ensure your application gets to us quickly and efficiently. Plus, it shows you’re keen on joining our team!
How to prepare for a job interview at Signature Pub Group Ltd.
✨Know Your Menus Inside Out
Before the interview, make sure you’re familiar with the menus and food standards of the company. This role is all about consistency and quality, so being able to discuss specific dishes and how you would maintain their standards will show that you’re serious about the position.
✨Showcase Your Leadership Skills
As a Senior Relief Chef, you’ll be leading teams in various kitchens. Be prepared to share examples of how you’ve successfully managed kitchen staff, coached chefs, and maintained high standards under pressure. Highlight your ability to adapt and lead by example.
✨Demonstrate Your Technical Skills
Expect to discuss your technical cooking skills in detail. Be ready to talk about your experience with recipe adherence, portion control, and food safety standards. If possible, bring along a portfolio or examples of your work to showcase your expertise.
✨Prepare Questions About Their Operations
Interviews are a two-way street! Prepare thoughtful questions about their kitchen operations, team dynamics, and how they handle challenges in busy environments. This shows your genuine interest in the role and helps you assess if it’s the right fit for you.
