Job at a glance
The Group Head Chef reports to the Associate Director of Catering & Events and works collaboratively with the Catering & Events SMT to deliver departmental strategic goals, leading and supporting operational chefs and front-of-house teams to consistently provide exceptional food experiences and uphold high culinary, service, and compliance standards. They oversee food safety and health and safety processes, manage menu and recipe development in line with strategic and financial targets, participate in regular business reviews to address performance strengths and weaknesses, and build strong internal and external stakeholder networks.
They also work closely with the Head of Student Experience & Stakeholder Engagement to manage effective recruitment and strengthen community and industry relationships., At King's, we believe that the diversity of our community and a culture that is welcoming, open, inclusive and collaborative, are great strengths of the university. The Equality Act of 2010 protects the rights of our students and staff and provides a framework to fulfil our duties to eliminate unlawful discrimination, harassment and victimisation and in addition, to advance equality of opportunity and foster good relations between those who share a protected characteristic and those who do not.
At times, this will include balancing rights and beliefs that can feel in tension. We are committed to free speech and to academic freedom, believing that our foundational purpose as a university, is to create spaces where a wide range of ideas, including ideas that are controversial, can be discussed and debated, and where members of our community can express lawful views without fear of intimidation, harassment or discrimination.
When engaging in the robust exchange of ideas, we ask that our community is mindful of our Dignity at King's guidance. We ask all candidates to submit a copy of their CV, and a supporting statement, detailing how they meet the essential criteria listed in the person specification section of the job description. If we receive a strong field of candidates, we may use the desirable criteria to choose our final shortlist, so please include your evidence against these where possible.
Artificial intelligence (AI) is evolving rapidly, and we recognise its growing role in professional work. Applicants may use AI tools to support preparation of their application, for example to research the role or structure written responses. However, applications must reflect the applicant's own work and experience. AI tools should not be used during interviews or assessment activities unless this has been agreed in advance as a reasonable adjustment.
Further guidance on the use of AI in recruitment can be found We reserve the right to close adverts early due to the volume of applications we receive. While the closing date may change, all adverts will close at 23:59 to allow sufficient time for applications to be submitted on that day. We encourage you to apply at the earliest opportunity to avoid disappointment as once we have closed a vacancy you will be unable to submit your application.
To find out how our managers will review your application, please take a look at our pages. Interviews are due to be held week commencing 21st September 2026. To be successful in this role, we are looking for candidates to have the following skills and experience: Essential criteria Relevant Culinary Qualification or Relevant Demonstratable Experience Excellent knowledge of food safety legislation and the ability to apply this to practical operational catering situations.
Experience in running multi-site kitchen and front-of-house operations. Experience identifying team training needs and facilitating appropriate solutions. Experience in mentoring and coaching kitchen and front of house teams to achieve robust and stretching financial targets. Ability to plan and prioritise work effectively under own motivation to achieve short-, medium and long-ter