Head of Culinary Experience and Innovation
Salary: £45,000 per annum + excellent bonus and benefits. 40 hours per week, 5-7 days a week. Benefits include free onsite parking, free meals on duty, and a comprehensive benefits package.
At Sodexo Live!, we create exceptional moments, and at one of the most iconic football clubs in the world, food plays a huge part in that experience. We are now looking for a visionary, commercially minded, and creatively driven Head of Culinary Experience & Innovation Chef to lead menu strategy and culinary development across Newcastle United Football Club.
This is an exciting opportunity for an experienced culinary leader to shape the future of food across premium hospitality, fan dining, retail and event catering operations within a world‑class stadium environment. As Head of Culinary Experience & Innovation Chef, you’ll lead all menu engineering, culinary development and food innovation for Sodexo Live! at Newcastle United FC.
What You’ll Do
- Lead the development of trend‑led, seasonal and fully costed menus across all culinary areas.
- Create structured menu cycles and innovative food concepts that keep guest experiences fresh and exciting.
- Build detailed recipe specifications, SOPs and culinary playbooks to ensure consistency and operational excellence.
- Ensure all dishes are fully compliant with allergen, nutritional and sustainability standards through Kafoodle and Drive menu engineering strategies to maximise ingredient utilisation, reduce waste and improve profitability.
- Collaborate closely with operations, procurement and finance teams to optimise supply chain efficiency and commercial performance.
- Champion local sourcing and sustainable food practices aligned with Sodexo Live! and NUFC food philosophy.
- Deliver tastings, presentations and menu showcases for clients and stakeholders.
- Monitor food trends and translate them into innovative and engaging guest experiences.
- Support and inspire culinary teams, helping develop capability, engagement and career progression.
- Maintain exceptional standards in food safety, HACCP and health & safety compliance.
- Contribute to the continued growth, reputation and success of Sodexo Live! within the stadia and events sector.
What You Bring
- Proven experience at Head Chef or Development Chef level within stadia, hotels, large venues or premium hospitality environments.
- A strong background in menu development, culinary innovation and food presentation.
- Commercial awareness with experience managing food cost, margin and profitability.
- The ability to engineer menus that balance creativity, quality and operational efficiency.
- Strong understanding of allergens, nutrition, sustainability and food compliance standards.
- Experience using culinary or recipe management systems such as Kafoodle.
- A guest‑first mindset and passion for delivering exceptional food experiences.
- Excellent organisational, communication and stakeholder management skills.
- The confidence to influence, inspire and collaborate across multiple teams.
- Resilience and adaptability within fast‑paced, high‑profile environments.
- NVQ Level 3 in Culinary Arts or equivalent qualification.
- Level 4 Food Safety & Hygiene qualification (preferred).
What We Offer
- Unlimited access to an online platform offering mental health and wellbeing support.
- Employee Assistance Programme for everyday and larger issues, including legal and financial advice.
- Free health and wellbeing app with rewards, 24‑hour virtual GP and other services.
- Sodexo Discounts Scheme with great deals 24/7.
- Salary Finance Platform for financial benefits and money insights.
- Membership in the Sodexo Retirement Plan.
- Death‑in‑Service benefit for colleagues who pass away whilst employed.
- Learning and development tools to grow your career within Sodexo.
- Cycle to Work Scheme to support environmental efforts.
- Volunteering Opportunities to support community causes.
- Flexible and dynamic work environment.
We are committed to being an inclusive employer. We welcome and encourage applications from people with a diverse variety of experiences, backgrounds, and identities. We are a disability confident leader and are committed to changing attitudes toward disabled people, ensuring they have the chance to fulfil their aspirations.
Sodexo reserves the right to close this advertisement early if we are in receipt of a high volume of applications.
