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Senior operations chef

Berkhamsted
Upham Head Office
Chef
Posted: 16h ago
The role

Field Based | Home Counties, Hampshire & Berkshire



Serving Up Great Memories





Initially offered as a 3-month fixed-term contract, with
the opportunity to progress into a permanent role.





An exceptional opportunity has arisen for a passionate and
experienced Senior Operations Chef to join Upham Inns.



Operating across 25 diverse managed venues, you'll
help deliver brilliant food experiences through four distinct menu formats,
alongside locally driven specials, events, breakfasts, dinners, takeaway and
buffet menus across our growing collection of premium pubs, inns and
steakhouses.



This is a highly visible, field-based role where you will
play a critical part in ensuring our kitchens consistently deliver exceptional
food, outstanding safety standards and operational excellence.



At Upham Inns, we believe great food starts with brilliant
fundamentals. You'll champion everything from the perfect breakfast and
stunning daily specials to exceptional steaks and the best Sunday roast for
miles around, ensuring every dish reaches our guests exactly as it was
developed — first time, every time.



You will take pride in ensuring that our food operation's
vital statistics are second to none:




  • Outstanding food quality
    and consistency.

  • Industry-leading food
    safety and compliance standards.

  • Five-star guest feedback
    and kitchen reputation.

  • Strong kitchen teams
    with effective succession plans.

  • A healthy talent
    pipeline of future Sous Chefs and Head Chefs.

  • Robust kitchen systems
    that support safe, profitable and consistent food delivery.



Working closely with our Head Chefs and Operations teams,
you will help embed best practice across:




  • Stock control and
    ordering systems.

  • Prep and production
    planning.

  • Portion control and
    specification guides.

  • Site-specific cleaning
    and food safety systems.

  • Kitchen organisation and
    labour efficiency.

  • Chef recruitment,
    development and succession planning.



Developing Great Chefs



A key part of the role will be developing our future
culinary talent.



You will support the induction and development of new Head
Chefs and Sous Chefs, coach Commis Chefs and Chef de Parties through the ranks,
and deliver both structured training programmes and hands-on coaching within
our kitchens.



You'll be equally comfortable running an off-site training
workshop as you are standing beside a chef during a busy service, helping them
improve their skills and confidence.



A Hands-On Operations Role



This is not an office-based position.



We are looking for a chef who leads from the front, is
comfortable rolling up their sleeves and stepping into any of our kitchens when
support is needed. Whether covering absence, supporting a new opening, coaching
a team through a busy weekend or helping deliver service during peak trading
periods, you'll be a visible and hands-on presence in our business.



You'll spend your time in chef whites, supporting frontline
teams, coaching and developing chefs at every level and helping ensure our
kitchens are safe, compliant, profitable and consistently delivering
exceptional food experiences.



To truly understand our guest journey and support our teams
when it matters most, you'll regularly work across all key dayparts. That means
being present for early morning breakfasts, busy lunch services, late-night
Friday and Saturday trading and, of course, the perfect Sunday roast. We
believe standards are built and maintained during peak trading periods, so
you'll be highly visible in our kitchens when the business is at its busiest,
providing hands-on support, coaching and leadership.



This is a role for someone who prefers chef whites to
spreadsheets
. Whilst there will always be reports to review, actions to
follow up and projects to deliver, your primary place of work will be in our
kitchens, shoulder-to-shoulder with our teams, helping them execute safely,
consistently and brilliantly.



We are looking for a true operations chef who gains
satisfaction from seeing a service run flawlessly, developing great people and
delivering exceptional food experiences for our guests.



What We're Looking For




  • Proven experience as a
    Head Chef, Executive Chef, Operations Chef or Multi-Site Chef.

  • Experience gained across
    both branded and independent hospitality businesses would be advantageous.

  • Strong operational,
    commercial and food safety knowledge.

  • A passion for developing
    and coaching chefs at all levels.

  • Excellent leadership and
    communication skills.

  • A hands-on approach with
    a genuine love of being in kitchens.

  • Full UK driving licence.

  • Flexibility to travel
    extensively across Hampshire, Berkshire and the Home Counties.

  • Willingness to undertake
    occasional overnight stays.

  • Availability to support
    key trading periods including weekends and peak seasonal events.



Why Upham Inns?



At Upham Inns we're passionate about serving up great
memories through heartfelt hospitality, exceptional food and beautiful pubs.



This is a unique opportunity to influence food standards
across an entire collection of premium pubs, develop the next generation of
great chefs and help shape the future of one of the South's most exciting
hospitality businesses.



If you're passionate about food, obsessed with standards and
happiest when you're in chef whites helping teams deliver their very best, we'd
love to hear from you.

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