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