Head Chef

Job Title: Head Chef - Felix's Kitchen (Production Kitchen)

Reporting To: Kitchen Manager

Salary Range: £40,000 - 45,000

Contract Type: Permanent

Location: Felix's Kitchen, Thomas Road, Industrial Estate, Poplar, London

Hours/Days per week: 37.5 hours per week, 4-day compressed hours pattern available Monday - Saturday operation, (mainly Monday - Friday role)

We are Felix

We bring people together to rescue, repurpose, and share surplus food that would otherwise go to waste, turning an environmental problem into a social opportunity.

Together with 16 other independent charities, 18,000 volunteers, and thousands of partners, we are the UK's food rescue network, supporting 1.5 million people across the country.

We are about fuller plates, fuller communities, and fuller lives.

Our Mind Sets

SAFETY FIRST - ONE TEAM ONE MISSION - BUILD TRUST IN EVERY INTERACTION - GROWING TOGETHER

Purpose of the Job

We are looking for the Head Chef to play a key role leading the team at Felix's Kitchen to continue and grow on the success of the last four years of operations.

Felix's Kitchen opened in 2021 and has grown its impact and output since then, to now be a one-of-a-kind kitchen producing 4.5-5 thousand ready meals 6 days a week made from surplus ingredients.

No two days will ever be the same, we work with surplus ingredients meaning each dish is unique and based on the incredible seasonal surplus ingredients we have received into out Poplar Depot based next to the kitchen. We have a core team of staff who run the operation but our work force in made up volunteers who support all aspects of our kitchen operations.

The new Head Chef will line manage the chef team of roughly 10 people and be working in our main production kitchen every day, leading the team from the front, setting the standards and organising the days production.

Whilst managing, planning and leading are the core of the role it is a hands-on role working in the kitchen to achieve the daily production targets, setting the standards and cooking new recipes each day.

Duties and Responsibilities

• Lead the Kitchen side of the operation on a day-to-day basis, setting the prep, packing and cooking schedules for the day(s) ahead

• Support the team from the front in delivering the days output objectives and problem solving across the kitchen operation

• Line Manage the Kitchen team, focussed on the daily management but also working on people and team management alongside the kitchen manager

• Work alongside the kitchen management team to ensure all H&S, Food Safety and HACCP standards are met & monitored effectively

• Participate in all external Health & Safety and Food Safety audits and carry out internal audits/checklist

• Be accountable for the creation of unique recipe and spec sheets every day and managing the team to do so

• Create and monitor the packing list for the packing team to produce the final meal products, ensuring accurate labelling and allergen information is given Monitorand control inbound food supplies, ensuring the ingredients are used effectively and safely

• Maintaining cleanliness standards throughout the kitchen and food storage areas

• Working alongside the kitchen manager on improving quality, quantity and consistency of Felix Meals

• Ensure the team can provide a hot lunch for the staff at Poplar each day from our surplus ingredients

• Working to support the volunteers in the kitchen, with hands on instructions and overall experience management.

Your normal duties and responsibilities will be set out in your job description. However, the charity may require you to perform other duties from time to time.

Person Specification

Felix's Kitchen is a truly unique operation; we are looking for someone with experience cooking in a large production operation however people skills, working style and personality are the most important part of this role.

Being able to adapt and plan on the go is essential, enjoying knowing that each day will require a tweak to the plan and approaching this in a posistive manner is key. Being excited by the joy and the challenge of working with surplus food, adapting recipes and plans with the team.

You will be working with a diverse team of staff and volunteers, being open to meeting new people everyday and supporting them with your experience and knowledge. Ensuring our standards are always met but the volunteer experience is enjoyable and productive.

Being passionate about food insecurity, supporting communities and surplus food is essential, we are passionate about what we do and even more importantly why we do it.

Driving the standards within the team and operation whilst maintaining a posistive working environment and a culture of inclusivity throughout everything you do.

Research shows some people, especially women and marginalised groups, may hesitate to apply unless they match all the criteria. However, we want to assure everyone that we encourage applications from all individuals, regardless of whether they fulfil every point in the job description. Your unique perspective matters to us - please apply with confidence

Essential Criteria

• Experience leading a team as a head chef (or similar) in a kitchen operation

• Cooking in a professional production kitchen or large-scale operation

• Level 3 or higher Food Safety Training (fresh courses will be provided)

• Current or previous training in HACCP, Risk Assessments, Allergen awareness

• Knowledge on how to create and/or implement a HACCP Plan

• Confidence in the ability to create recipes daily, with a base experience and knowledge to facilitate this

We reserve the right to close advertisements early and we might assess candidates and arranging interview as applications come in, so please apply as soon as possible, to avoid missing out on this opportunity.

Recruitment timeline

We reserve the right to close advertisements early and we might assess candidates and arranging interview as applications come in, so please apply as soon as possible, to avoid missing out on this opportunity.

Due to the anticipated large number of applicants, if you do not hear from us within four weeks of your application, we regret to inform you that your application has been unsuccessful. Consequently, will not be able to provide feedback.