Job Description
Head Chef | Premium Corporate Dining | International Cuisine & Street Food
Central London | Contract Catering
£55,000 per annum + £10,000 Annual Bonus | Paid Overtime
Monday to Friday | 7:00am – 3:30pm | 40 hours per week
A leading contract catering provider is seeking an experienced and passionate Head Chef to lead a high-performing kitchen within a premium corporate environment in Central London.
This is a fantastic opportunity for a creative and hands-on culinary leader to oversee a busy, food-led operation catering for up to 1,500 covers per day, delivering vibrant international cuisine, modern street food concepts, and high-quality staff dining within a fast-paced corporate setting.
The business is known for delivering fresh, innovative food offers that go far beyond the standard corporate dining experience, with a strong focus on creativity, presentation, global flavours, and customer engagement.
The Role
As Head Chef, you will take full ownership of a large-scale kitchen operation, leading and developing a sizeable brigade while driving standards, innovation, and consistency across the retail food offer.
This role would suit a chef who genuinely loves food, keeps up with modern trends, and enjoys bringing exciting concepts and fresh ideas into a high-volume environment. You'll be expected to lead from the front, inspire your team, and create a kitchen culture built around quality, energy, and development.
Key Responsibilities
- Leading, motivating, and developing a large kitchen brigade
- Creating and delivering innovative seasonal menus inspired by international cuisine and street food trends
- Driving creativity and engagement across the retail food offer
- Managing high-volume service catering for up to 1,500 covers per day
- Maintaining exceptional food quality, presentation, and consistency
- Managing labour, stock control, GP, and kitchen budgets
- Ensuring all food safety, hygiene, and allergen standards are maintained
- Working closely with senior management and clients to continually evolve the food offer
- Creating a positive, motivated, and high-performing kitchen environment
What We're Looking For
- Proven experience as a Head Chef or Senior Sous Chef within contract catering, premium B&I, hotels, or quality fresh food environments
- Strong knowledge of international cuisines, modern food trends, and street food concepts
- Experience managing medium-to-large kitchen teams in high-volume operations
- A genuinely passionate and creative chef with strong attention to detail
- Excellent leadership and people management skills
- Strong organisational and commercial awareness
- Calm and hands-on approach within fast-paced service environments
- Strong understanding of food safety and compliance standards
What's On Offer
- Salary of £55,000 per annum
- £10,000 annual performance bonus
- Paid overtime
- Monday to Friday working pattern
- Excellent work-life balance
- Daytime hours only
- Opportunity to lead a large, food-focused operation
- Strong progression opportunities within a leading contract caterer
- Supportive and people-focused culture
- Creative freedom to bring fresh ideas and concepts to the business
This is an exciting opportunity for a passionate and ambitious Head Chef to join a forward-thinking contract catering business where food quality, creativity, and team culture are genuinely valued.