UK Job Description Template · Head Chef
UK Head Chef Job Description Template 2026
Job purpose
To lead the kitchen operation, deliver consistently high food quality, manage the brigade, and run the kitchen as a profitable, efficient operation aligned with restaurant/venue concept.
Key responsibilities
- • Develop menus aligned with concept, season, and commercial targets
- • Manage daily kitchen operations from prep through service
- • Lead, train, and develop kitchen brigade
- • Manage food cost (GP), supplier relationships, and procurement
- • Ensure food safety and HACCP compliance
- • Maintain consistent quality across services
- • Manage kitchen rotas and staffing levels
- • Innovate within concept — new dishes, seasonal updates
- • Liaise with front of house and management
- • Manage kitchen P&L within budget targets
Essential skills
- ✓ Strong culinary skills across relevant cuisines
- ✓ Kitchen leadership and brigade management
- ✓ Menu development and food costing
- ✓ Service execution under pressure
- ✓ Food safety and HACCP
- ✓ Supplier management
- ✓ Stamina and resilience
Desirable skills
- + Specific cuisine specialism
- + Michelin or AA Rosette experience
- + Multi-site / chain experience
- + New restaurant opening experience
- + Food and beverage management qualifications
- + Specific dietary specialism (vegan, gluten-free, etc.)
Qualifications
City & Guilds Diploma in Professional Cookery (NVQ Levels 2-3) typical. Specific apprenticeships valued. Food Safety Level 3+ required. Experience often weighted more than formal qualifications.
Experience
Chef de Partie: 2-5 years. Sous Chef: 5-8 years. Head Chef: 8-15+ years. Executive Chef: 12-20+ years (multi-site).
UK salary ranges
Junior
£26,000-£32,000 Chef de Partie
Mid-level
£32,000-£45,000 Sous Chef
Senior
£45,000-£70,000 Head Chef / £70,000-£100,000+ Executive Chef
Working pattern
UK kitchen work is intense — 50-70+ hour weeks typical, split shifts, weekend and evening service. Significant physical demands. Best UK employers offering 4-day weeks and structured hours to address industry burnout.
Career progression
Commis → Chef de Partie → Junior Sous Chef → Sous Chef → Head Chef → Executive Chef → Restaurant Owner / Consultant. Specialisations: pastry, savoury, specific cuisines, food development, restaurant operations.
Recruiter pro tip
UK kitchen JDs in 2026 are increasingly explicit about working hours and team culture — the industry is responding to widespread burnout. Honest JDs about hours, split shifts, weekend expectations, and pay attract better candidates than ones that obscure these. Restaurants that pay above the median and offer 4-day weeks are increasingly winning the talent war.
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