Head Chef

Bring your passion, creativity, and leadership to Compass Group, where you'll play a key role in delivering fresh, nutritious, high-quality food to Junior Ranks and the Combined Mess at Buckley Barracks. As Head Chef, you'll take full ownership of a busy military kitchen, lead and develop a dedicated team, and create a positive environment where exceptional food and teamwork are at the heart of everything you do. This is an exciting opportunity to shape the culinary offering on site, build a strong kitchen culture, and make a real impact in a role that offers excellent work-life balance with mainly Monday to Friday hours.

What You'll Be Doing

• Lead, motivate, and develop a kitchen team comprising a Sous Chef, two Chef de Parties, and military chefs
• Plan, prepare, and deliver fresh, nutritious, high-quality meals for Junior Ranks and Combined Mess personnel
• Oversee daily kitchen operations, ensuring consistently high standards of food quality and presentation
• Manage stock control, ordering, food costs, and waste reduction initiatives
• Ensure full compliance with food safety, hygiene, and health & safety standards
• Coordinate catering requirements for occasional functions and special events, including some weekend support
• Drive a positive, professional, and collaborative kitchen culture
• Support training and development of both civilian and military kitchen team members
• You're an experienced Head Chef or Senior Sous Chef ready to take ownership of a busy catering operation. You lead by example, remain calm under pressure, and have a genuine passion for developing teams and delivering outstanding food.

You'll Bring

• Proven experience as a Head Chef or in a senior culinary leadership role
• Relevant catering qualifications (NVQ, City & Guilds, or equivalent desirable)
• Experience managing and developing kitchen teams
• Strong leadership, communication, and organisational skills
• Sound knowledge of food safety, HACCP, and compliance requirements
• Ability to manage multiple priorities in a fast-paced environment
• A passion for producing fresh, high-quality food and exceptional customer experiences
• Flexibility to support occasional weekend functions when required
• Part of Compass Group UK&I, ESS is the Defence, Government, and Energy services sector of Compass Group UK & Ireland. We support 250+ UK military establishments, high profile police, secure environments and government sites, along with a range of onshore and offshore facilities including platforms, drilling rigs, floatels and offices for the energy sector. We know that a friendly face makes all the difference, so we look for people who are passionate about delivering excellent customer service, at all levels, to join our teams.
• Competitive salary of £36,000 per annum

• Predominantly Monday to Friday working pattern
• Opportunities for career development within Compass Group
• A supportive team environment
• The chance to lead a key catering operation within the Defence sector

We ensure you're rewarded for all your hard work, which is why we offer a comprehensive benefits package which includes but is not limited to:

• Contributory pension scheme
• Grow your career with our Career Pathways and MyLearning programmes
• Quick access for you and your immediate family to a Digital GP, and wider healthcare benefits
• Exclusive travel discounts with TUI, Expedia, Booking.com and many more
• Save money on your food shop with discounts on Tesco, Sainsbury's, Morrisons and many more
• Up to 44% off cinema tickets to enjoy your favourite blockbuster
• Receive cash rewards every time you spend and use them on a wide range of brands
• Un-wind with us with free wellness, mindfulness and exercise classes
• You can share all discounts and offers with your friends and families

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