Sous Chef - Wattisham Airfield

£33,500 per annum | 37.5 Hours per Week

Shifts between 6am and 8.30pm

Looking for your next leadership opportunity?

We're seeking a talented and motivated Sous Chef to join our team at Wattisham Airfield.

This is a fantastic opportunity to take on a key leadership role within a busy and professional catering environment, supporting the Head Chef in delivering high-quality food and service while developing your own management and culinary skills.

Whether you're an experienced Sous Chef or an ambitious senior chef ready for the next step, this role offers the chance to lead a dedicated team, influence kitchen standards and build a long-term career within a supportive business.

What Makes This Role Special?

• A genuine opportunity to develop your leadership and management skills.
• Be part of a well-established and supportive catering team.
• Play a key role in delivering quality food and hospitality services.
• A varied position combining food production, team leadership and operational responsibility.
• Excellent work-life balance compared to many hospitality environments.
• Clear opportunities for career progression and development.

The Role

Working closely with the Head Chef, you'll help oversee the day-to-day kitchen operation, ensuring consistently high standards of food quality, service and compliance.

Key responsibilities include:

• Leading kitchen teams during service and supporting daily operations.
• Preparing and delivering high-quality, nutritious meals.
• Supporting hospitality and special catering requirements.
• Training, coaching and developing team members.
• Managing stock, ordering and waste reduction initiatives.
• Assisting with food cost control and kitchen performance.
• Maintaining excellent food safety, health & safety and hygiene standards.
• Promoting a positive and collaborative kitchen culture.

About You

We're looking for a chef with a passion for food, strong leadership skills and a hands-on approach.

You'll ideally have:

• Experience as a Sous Chef, Senior Sous Chef or Senior Chef de Partie.
• A positive and supportive leadership style.
• Experience working within volume catering, hospitality or contract catering environments.
• Strong organisational and communication skills.
• Knowledge of food safety, compliance and kitchen best practice.
• Commercial awareness and an understanding of food costs and stock management.
• A genuine passion for delivering great food and developing others.

Why Join Us?

• £33,500 salary
• 37.5 hour working week
• Overtime opportunities available
• Strong work-life balance
• Career development and progression opportunities
• Access to training and development programmes
• Stable, long-term opportunity within a leading organisation
• Supportive leadership team and collaborative culture

If you're looking for a Sous Chef role where you can develop your career, lead a great team and make a real impact every day, we'd love to hear from you.

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

About Us

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.

Job Reference: com/1310/95373001/52622265/R/SU #Defence

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!