Overview
Head Chef – Contract Catering – Middlesbrough Area – Up to £45,000
Monday to Friday | High-Volume Retail Operation | Excellent Work-Life Balance
We’re recruiting a Head Chef to lead a large-scale Business & Industry catering operation close to Middlesbrough.
This is a fantastic opportunity to take ownership of a busy, modern retail kitchen delivering around 1,000 fresh meals every day. You’ll lead a large brigade, drive food innovation and help shape an exciting retail offer within a well-supported national contract caterer.
The Offer
- Up to £45,000 salary
- Monday to Friday operation
- Mainly daytime hours
- Excellent work-life balance
- Paid overtime or TOIL
- 28 days holiday including bank holidays
- Company pension scheme
- Free meals on duty
- Company sick pay
- Ongoing training and development
- Internal career progression opportunities
- Employee referral bonus scheme
- Long-term, stable contract
The Operation
- Large-scale Business & Industry contract.
- Around 1,000 covers served daily.
- Multiple fresh food retail counters.
- Modern, fast-paced kitchen environment.
- Large chef brigade with dedicated production sections.
- High-volume retail alongside hospitality catering.
The Food
- Fresh food prepared on-site every day.
- Modern retail and street food concepts.
- Rotating seasonal menus and weekly food themes.
- Premium salads, deli offers and grab-and-go options.
- Restaurant-quality presentation with consistency at scale.
- Creativity and food trends actively encouraged.
The Role
- Lead the entire kitchen operation.
- Inspire, mentor and develop a large chef brigade.
- Drive food quality, presentation and consistency.
- Create exciting seasonal retail menus and concepts.
- Oversee retail production and hospitality catering.
- Manage ordering, stock control and supplier relationships.
- Control labour, food costs and GP performance.
- Maintain exceptional food safety and compliance standards.
- Support food innovation, promotions and seasonal activations.
- Lead from the front and build a positive kitchen culture.
About You
- Experienced Head Chef within contract catering.
- Strong background leading high-volume fresh food operations.
- Reliable, consistent and committed to long-term roles.
If you’re looking for a Monday to Friday Head Chef role where you can lead a large operation, develop your team and deliver fresh, modern food in a fast-paced environment, we’d love to hear from you.
If you are keen to discuss the details further, please apply today or send your cv to yasmin at COREcruitment dot com
Job Tenure: Permanent
