Deputy Head Chef

Do you want to help lead an innovative Catering Team within one of Europe's leading cancer centres?

We have a rare opportunity to join The Christie as Deputy Head Chef. Working alongside the Executive Head Chef, you will help lead day-to-day kitchen operations, ensuring consistently high standards of food quality, safety, and service for patients, staff, and visitors.

This is a hands-on leadership role that combines food production with people management, training, menu planning, stock control, dietary and allergen management, compliance, and service improvement. You will deputise for the Executive Head Chef when required and help create a positive, well-organised kitchen where high standards, teamwork and compassionate customer service are at the heart of everything we do., o Supporting the Executive Head Chef in running the kitchen and deputising in their absence.

o Leading, allocating and supervising kitchen staff, including rotas, induction, training and appraisal.

o Ensuring high standards of food preparation, presentation, hygiene, HACCP and due diligence.

o Planning menus, ordering provisions, controlling stock and helping reduce food waste.

o Managing therapeutic, special and ethnic diets, allergens and patient-specific requests.

o Liaising with wards, Dietetics, Estates and other teams, and responding to complaints and incidents.

o Supporting audits, inspections, catering policies and continuous service improvement.

If you are an experienced catering professional with strong leadership skills, sound food-safety knowledge and a passion for fresh food, we would love to hear from you., o City & Guilds/NVQ Level 1 and 2 in Catering Services or equivalent.

o Intermediate Food Hygiene; Advanced Food Hygiene desirable.

o Supervisory experience in large-scale catering and awareness of budgetary control.

o Strong leadership, communication, organisational, staff-management and IT skills.

o Knowledge of food-safety legislation, HACCP Level 4 principles, COSHH and specialist diets.

o Knowledge of NHS Standard Recipes desirable.

You will be joining a fast-paced Catering Department where food quality, patient experience, safety and teamwork matter every day. The Deputy Head Chef is a key operational leader, working closely with the Executive Head Chef and wider Catering management team to support staff, maintain standards and continuously improve the service.

We are looking for someone who is approachable, organised and confident leading others; someone who can make sound decisions under pressure, communicate well with patients and colleagues, and role-model The Christie values and behaviours.

What's in it for you?

o Band 4: £28,392 - £31,157 per annum

o Full-time: 37.5 Hours per week (5 days out of 7)

o Shift Patterns within the hours of: 07:00 - 19:00 (with the exception of events).

o Workplace pension

o 27 days annual leave per year - pro rata, rising to 29 days after 5 years' service - pro rata

o Fun, friendly, and caring working environment

o Unrivalled individual training and development with apprenticeship opportunities

o Employee Assistance Programme

o VivUp - Discounts at major retailers, restaurants, gyms etc

o Cycle to work scheme