Head Chef in Liverpool

The ACC Liverpool Group operates the city's waterfront event campus – the interconnected M&S Bank Arena, ACC Liverpool, and Exhibition Centre Liverpool - as well as ticketing agency Ticket Quarter and the Pullman Liverpool Hotel. Playing a leading role in shining a spotlight on Liverpool, we have successfully staged a wide array of national and international events, from shows and conventions to business gatherings and exhibitions, developing our offer over the last decade to that of a world-class provider of venue and event services.

The successful candidate will lead the culinary strategy and delivery across ACC Liverpool’s Sports and Entertainment culinary operations, ensuring innovation, consistency and compliance while delivering exceptional guest experiences. This role provides leadership, vision and operational excellence across all kitchen teams, embedding a “One Team” culture and aligning culinary delivery with commercial objectives.

The ideal candidate will have experience of:

• Opening new hospitality operations in arenas, stadiums or large venues.
• Building systems, teams, menus and workflows from the ground up within established organisations.
• Transitioning from outsourced to in-house catering models.
• Designing and implementing operational frameworks.
• Developing cost-effective procurement and supplier relationships.
• Specifying and commissioning equipment, planning kitchen layouts and ensuring regulatory compliance.

Main duties include:

• Leading menu development and culinary innovation across retail and hospitality services.
• Ensuring food quality, presentation and consistency meet brand standards.
• Managing and mentoring Sous Chefs and kitchen teams.
• Overseeing stock control, menu costing, portion control and waste reduction.
• Ensuring compliance with all relevant legislation including Health & Safety, Food Safety, Allergen Management, COSHH, Environmental Health and Fire Safety.
• Collaborating with F&B leadership to align culinary delivery with operational and commercial goals.
• Driving efficiency to achieve labour and food cost targets.
• Acting on guest feedback to continuously improve standards.
• Maintaining supplier relationships and supporting event delivery.
• Supporting event planning and execution, ensuring seamless integration of culinary services.

We value the behaviours, attitudes and skills that support success in this role. We are looking for someone who:

• Leads kitchen teams with professionalism, positivity and accountability.
• Delivers high-quality food consistently at scale.
• Remains calm, organised and solutions-focused under pressure.
• Champions a guest-first mindset and adapts to diverse audiences.
• Drives creativity and menu innovation while meeting commercial targets.
• Communicates effectively across departments.
• Maintains rigorous food safety, HACCP, Allergen Management Hygiene, compliance standards.
• Demonstrates strong cost control, planning and operational discipline.

In addition to the above, the candidate will need to be enthusiastic, like-minded and complement our experienced and talented team. If you have drive, passion, ambition and wish to play a part in The ACC Liverpool Group’s continuing success story this could be just the job for you.

Please note, we may close this vacancy before the stated closing date if we receive sufficient applications for the position. Therefore, if you are interested in this position, please submit your application form as soon as possible.

Closing Date: 16 January 2026

Interview Date: TBC

The ACC Liverpool Group know the value of having a diverse and representative team across our organisation. We promote equal opportunities and are committed to having an inclusive workforce where everybody feels respected, is treated fairly and diversity is celebrated. As such we strongly encourage and welcome applications from suitably qualified candidates from all members of the community regardless of age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, race, religion, belief, or sexual orientation.