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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, and opportunities for career progression.
- 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 pathways for career development in food leadership roles.
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 will 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
If this sounds like something you want to be a part of, apply today by sending in your CV.
Senior Relief Chef 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
✨Tip Number 1
Get to know the venues! Before your interview, check out the different locations and their menus. This will help you understand their standards and show that you're genuinely interested in the role.
✨Tip Number 2
Practice your cooking skills under pressure. Since this role is all about maintaining quality in a fast-paced environment, try cooking your favourite dishes while timing yourself. It’ll help you feel more confident when it comes to the real deal!
✨Tip Number 3
Brush up on your coaching techniques. Think about how you can support and develop other chefs. Maybe even prepare a few examples of how you've successfully trained others in the past to share during your interview.
✨Tip Number 4
Apply through our website! We want to see your application come through directly, so make sure you hit us up there. It’s the best way to ensure we get your details and can consider you for this exciting opportunity.
We think you need these skills to ace Senior Relief Chef
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 food quality and consistency.
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 kitchens across different venues.
Tailor Your Application: Make sure your CV and cover letter are tailored to the role of Senior Relief Chef. Use the job description as a guide and align your experiences with the key responsibilities and skills we’re looking for.
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 across different venues will show your passion and expertise.
✨Showcase Your Leadership Skills
Prepare examples of how you've successfully led kitchen teams in high-pressure environments. Highlight your coaching techniques and how you’ve improved food quality and consistency in previous roles. This will demonstrate that you can not only run a kitchen but also inspire and develop others.
✨Be Ready for Practical Questions
Expect to face scenario-based questions that assess your problem-solving skills and adaptability. Think about times when you had to manage multiple tasks or resolve issues on the spot. Being able to articulate your thought process will impress the interviewers.
✨Emphasise Your Attention to Detail
In this role, attention to detail is crucial. Be prepared to discuss how you ensure recipe adherence, portion control, and presentation standards. Sharing specific examples of how you’ve maintained these standards in past positions will reinforce your suitability for the role.