Catering Team Leader- Head Chef

We are looking for an enthusiastic and experiencedCatering Team Leader to join our busy and friendly Hospital Catering Department. This is a hands-on leadership role where you'll play a vital part in providing nutritious, high-quality meals to both patients and visitors, while leading a team committed to delivering excellent service across our hospital site., You will take the lead in hands-on cooking, menu design, dish costings, and daily kitchen operations, ensuring that all catering services meet the highest standards of quality, safety, and compliance with food hygiene and health & safety legislation.

• Lead, motivate and support the catering team to deliver outstanding food and service.
• Plan and prepare balanced, appealing menus for patients, staff, and visitors, ensuring dietary and cultural needs are met.
• Oversee the day-to-day running of the staff & visitor restaurant and patient meal service.
• Manage food production and portion control, ensuring cost-effective use of resources.
• Ensure all catering operations are fully compliant with current food safety, hygiene, and health & safety legislation.
• Support team training and development, fostering a positive and professional working environment.
• Work collaboratively with colleagues to continually improve catering standards and customer satisfaction.
• If you're a motivated catering professional who takes pride in great food and great teamwork, we'd love to hear from you
  
  We're looking for someone who is:
• Food-focused with a genuine passion for creating nutritious, tasty meals.
• Positive and proactive, with excellent organisational and leadership skills.
• Experienced in catering management or senior chef roles, ideally within a healthcare or large-scale catering environment.
• Knowledgeable about food safety, allergen management, and HACCP systems.
• Creative and detail-oriented, with the ability to design menus that balance quality, cost, and variety.
• A team player, eager to contribute to a department with great potential and a shared commitment to achieving excellent results.
  
  A wide range of staff benefits are available to our staff including staff development, enrolment in the NHS pension scheme, auto-enrolment to our Temporary Workforce Service, access to onsite nurseries. staff restaurants and accommodation.
In addition to an internal Occupational Health department, all staff also have access to free psychological support through our confidential Employee Assistance Programme. Onsite parking is available from only £50 a year. There has never been a better time to join East Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust, submit your application today.


• Regular working hours - mainly Monday to Friday, with no late nights.
• The opportunity to make a real difference in the experience and wellbeing of our patients, staff, and visitors.
• Ongoing training and development opportunities within a growing catering service.