Head Chef - Central Production & Events - SEC

£53,000 + excellent benefits including healthcare, wellbeing support, 23 days' annual leave plus bank holidays, life assurance, meals on duty, and more.

We're looking for...

To organize ordering, preparation and food service within SEC Food Production Kitchen which caters for all conference and exhibitions within the SEC Centre. Monitor the quality of food being served from the kitchen and maximizing the profit potential and the development and training your team

We are Levy

We are a visionary venue partner. We design and deliver bespoke guest experiences that prioritise people and the planet.

Trusted by some of the world's most iconic stadiums, entertainment venues, and major events from Wimbledon and Twickenham to Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, Edgbaston, the SEC and ExCeL London we bring experiences to life with passion and precision.

Our mission is to succeed the right way. From pioneering tech and seamless operations to show-stopping menus and exceptional service, we use insight and innovation to understand guests, improve the customer journey, reduce environmental impact, and support local communities.

We are a passionate, diverse team of venue specialists dedicated to making the planet better for future generations.

Head Chef - Central Production & Events - The Role

Customer Care:

• Ability to communicate with client, responding to requests and feeding back comments and reactions to management
• To provide a food service of the highest standard that exceeds the customer’s expectation
• To adhere to the company procedure for the ordering of food and non-food stuffs
• Maintain good relations with the client through always being polite and courteous to all personnel on site
• To seek ways to improve our service to our customers and increase overall customer satisfaction

Preferred Employer:

• Abide by company regulations, setting the standard for those employees reporting to you.
• Demonstrate good knowledge of good health and safety at work procedures
• Complete a full briefing for all staff (including back of house). The brief should include general housekeeping and site-specific health and safety brief
• To fully participate in all unit team meetings including any Chefs forum and any other Chefs meetings included in the Compass business
• To be able to self-motivate and motivate others
• The evaluation of colleagues with the annual performance review

Operational Excellence: 

• To manage the kitchens, ensuring the provision of a first-class quality cuisine for all functions and events
• Ensure the highest possible standards of food preparation and hygiene are maintained to at least the Silver standard level within the H & S Award in both retail and Hospitality
• Ensuring that standards of kitchen cleanliness and safety of work areas and equipment are maintained by all kitchen staff
• Ensure all food is ordered to the required level using nominated suppliers through the approved purchasing route
• Be responsible for stock rotation of all food product
• Co- ordinate the regular maintenance of kitchen equipment and introduce any necessary system to produce inventories and undertake equipment planning for events
• Support the business needs within the SEC Campus

Market Leadership:

• Ensure all staff are dressed in the correct uniform and it is all clean
• Assess staff competency and carry out ‘on the job’ training where necessary. Ensure all results are relayed to the Staffing Department
• Provide all food to specification as agreed with the General Manager
• Support the sales team with seasonal, innovative menus and service ideas
• Fully participate in all tasting for potential clients
• Be aware and adhere to statutory, legal and Company requirements for:
• Health and Safety
• Food Hygiene
• Licensing Laws
• Fire Regulations
• Sales of Goods / Trade Description
• Make personal recommendations based on your knowledge and experience to improve products and service
• The collation and archiving of all food safety documents
• Recommend improvements, which you believe, would help to grow our business and sustain our position in the market

Financial Performance: 

• Maintain good security of products
• To work within the financial controls of the business
• To ensure that staff levels match the business requirements
• Analyse working methods to ensure that all jobs are completed in the most cost and time effective manner
• Keep breakages and wastage to a minimum.
• Ensure all stock sheets are done at the required time
• Ensure any transfer dockets are completed and signed for.

What we're looking for:

Corporate Alignment – Aligns team to the business

Results Orientation – Goes the extra mile

Responding to Customers – Takes personal responsibility

Integrity – Acts on values and beliefs

Working Together for the Business – Keeps people informed

Essential:

• Experience in a demanding food environment
• Relevant Food safety qualifications
• Experience of working with a client group
• Previous P&L accountability
• Ability to lead others
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills
• Able to influence and operate at all stakeholder levels
• Ability to drive change with effective project and stakeholder management skills

Desirable

• Experience of working in environments involving high levels of customer care.   
• Experience of working collaboratively with a client and experience of managing and delivering all contractual terms.
• Retail and C&E experience

What you'll get in return

• Competitive salary with bonus and full company benefits
• 23 days' annual leave plus bank holidays, your birthday off, and a holiday purchase scheme
• Healthcare & wellbeing: Aviva Digicare, Medicash (dental, optical, therapy treatments)
• Mental health support: 24/7 Employee Assistance Programme
• Family benefits: Enhanced maternity, paternity, and adoption leave. 2 days additional leave after returning from maternity leave, day off for your baby's first birthday, enhanced family leave
• Perks & discounts: Shopping, entertainment, and travel discounts, 20% off Nuffield Health and 10% off PureGym memberships
• Financial wellbeing: Pension scheme, Life Assurance, preferred rates on salary finance products
• Development opportunities: Professional subscriptions, ongoing training and structured career pathways
• Meals on duty included

Why Join Us?

Levy UK & Ireland is part of Compass Group, the world's largest catering company, and a vibrant leader in hospitality.

We believe in celebrating individuality and building inclusive teams where everyone feels they belong. Our diverse team fuels creativity, innovation, and excellence.

We are proud to be an equal opportunities employer and welcome candidates from all backgrounds to join us in creating a supportive, empowering workplace where everyone can thrive.

Together, we create unforgettable experiences and shape the future of hospitality.

• Medicash - Healthcare benefits, including dental, optical and therapy treatments (includes up to 4 dependent children)
• Aviva Digicare - Free annual healthcare check
• Exclusive Benefits & Wellbeing site (Perks at Work)
• Entertainment discounts - up to 55% off cinema tickets
• Health & Wellbeing discounts - Discounts for Nuffield Health (20%) and Pure Gym (10%)
• Travel discounts - Discounts with holiday companies such as TUI and Expedia
• Shopping discounts - Save up to 15% at high street and online stores by purchasing Shopping Cards
• Meals on duty
• Vodaphone discounts
• Pension scheme and Life Assurance
• Employee Assistance Programme
• 23 days + BH's and additional day off for your birthday
• 2 days additional leave, following return from Maternity leave during first year back
• Competitive and supportive family benefits
• Day off for baby's first birthday
• Holiday purchase scheme
• On-going training & development and career pathways
• Professional subscriptions paid
• Financial wellbeing programme and preferred rates on salary finance products

As part of Compass you'll help to feed people, fuel progress and forge connections in around 6,000 venues. Join us to grow your career with the industry leader, and get competitive pay, great perks and unrivalled opportunities for learning and development, at one of the UK's biggest businesses.

Job Reference: com/1409/68674001/52833010/SU #SCOT #Levy UK

Compass Group UK&I is committed to fostering an environment where every individual can truly be themselves at work and has equal opportunities to advance in their careers. We strive to build a culture that respects and celebrates the unique talents, beliefs, backgrounds, and abilities of all our team members. We want our colleagues to feel valued, empowered to reach their full potential, and to thrive - because diversity is our strength!