Head Chef

Heartwood Inns Ltd; United Kingdom; On-site; GBP 35,000 - 45,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading hospitality company in Reading is seeking an experienced Head Chef to lead their kitchen team. The ideal candidate should have 3-4 years of experience, a proven track record of leadership, and the ability to run a kitchen effectively with a focus on fresh food cuisine. This full-time role offers a competitive salary and various employee benefits including private healthcare and generous discounts at company locations.

Benefits

Competitive salary package

Private healthcare through Bupa

50% off food at any Heartwood Collection sites

25 days of holiday plus Bank Holidays

Employee Assistance Program

Career progression opportunities

Qualifications

• 3–4 years of experience as a Head Chef.
• Proven record of leadership skills.
• Experience with financial management in a kitchen.

Responsibilities

• Lead and inspire the kitchen team.
• Run service from the line with fresh food cuisine.
• Deliver training and support to chefs.

Skills

Leadership skills

Fresh food cuisine preparation

Team training and support

Job description

Join to apply for the Head Chef role at Heartwood Inns.

We’re on the hunt for an experienced Head Chef who can lead and inspire their team, work magic with fresh, seasonal ingredients, and maintain the highest standards across the Heartwood Collection. If you care deeply about quality, enjoy mentoring others, and want to bring vibrant, honest cooking into homes and hearts, this is the role for you.

What We Offer

• Competitive salary package, includes TRONC* and Bonus based on KPIs
• Contract of 48 hours
• Private healthcare through Bupa
• The Pantry – 100s of retailers and experience discounts through Reward Gateway
• 50% off food at any Heartwood Collection sites
• 20% off Friends and Family discount on food at any Heartwood Collection sites
• 33% discount when booking our Heartwood Rooms
• 15% Friend and Family discount on our Heartwood Rooms
• Enhanced Maternity & Paternity package
• 25 days of holiday plus Bank Holidays
• Up to £1,500 Referral Bonus
• Additional holiday – option to buy an extra 5 days holiday per year
• Instant access to pay you have already earned through EarlyPay
• Employee Assistance Program with Hospitality Action
• Cycle to Work Scheme
• A thoughtful gift to celebrate your birthday
• Long service rewards

About You

• Be passionate about the food, culture and bringing out the best in the food, service and people
• Must be able to run a service from the line, fresh food cuisine and delivering training and support to a team of chefs
• Able to run all aspects of a kitchen and team, proven record of leadership skills, delivering results and reporting to the Area Chefs
• 3–4 years experience as a Head Chef with branded operations knowledge and taking control of financial aspects of running a kitchen and hitting KPIs
• Previous experience of using Procure Wizard would be preferable.

Seniority level

Mid‑Senior level

Employment type

Full‑time

Job function

Management and Manufacturing

Industries

Hospitality

Location: Reading, England, United Kingdom