Head Chef (Pastry)

Salary on appointment will be £30,805 per annum with an annual increment up to £37,174 per annum. 

Would you enjoy a role where you’ll have time off over Easter and Christmas and a typical shift pattern of Mondays to Fridays 7:00am – 3:00pm?

With only very occasional weekends and evenings for events, this is a rare opportunity in the Catering sector – read on to find out more.

UEA Catering Services looking for a Head Chef (Pastry) to help with the day-to-day operation of our on-campus catering outlets. You will be responsible for ensuring and managing the efficient production of the patisserie kitchen, managing the day-to-day and our event hospitality offering supplied across campus, and generating new ideas and menus to sustain and grow the business.

Is this role for me?

This role isn’t your typical Head Chef role; our patisserie kitchen caters for the 16,000 students and 3,500 staff members at UEA, and we thrive on high volumes of catering.

About you

We’re looking for a strong leader who can manage and lead a kitchen team, ensuring smooth operations and efficient workflow, overseeing food production with a great eye for detail, ensuring high quality and adherence to food safety standards.

Relevant experience in a Second Chef or Head Chef role is essential. An NVQ in Professional Cookery (Levels 1-3) or equivalent qualification would be advantageous.

If you meet all of the essential requirements of the person specification, including having a flair and passion for creating quality innovative dishes, whilst managing high volume production, it would be great to hear from you!

What are the benefits of working for UEA?

Our benefits include:

• 39 days annual leave inclusive of Bank Holidays and University Customary days.
• Family and Work-life balance policies including considerable maternity, paternity, shared parental leave and adoption leave.
• Generous pension scheme with life cover for dependants, plus incapacity cover.

• Health and Wellbeing: discounted access to Sportspark facilities, relaxation rooms, 320 acres of rolling parkland, wellbeing walks, Wellbeing Ambassador network, on-campus medical centre including NHS Dentist, Occupational Health and a 24/7 Employee Assistance Programme.

• Campus Facilities: Sportspark, library, nursery, supermarket, post office, bars and catering outlets.
• Exclusive shopping discounts to help cut the cost of household bills, childcare salary sacrifice scheme, Cycle to Work scheme and public transport discounts.
• Personal Development: unlimited access to LinkedIn Learning courses, specialist advice and training from our Organisational Development and Professional Learning Team.

The interview will include a trade test for you to show off your pastry skills.

For further information about the University of East Anglia’s catering services, please visit: https://www.uea.ac.uk/uea-life/campus-life/eat-and-drink

This full-time role is available immediately on an indefinite basis.

Closing date: 18 August 2025

The University holds an Athena Swan Silver Institutional Award in recognition of our advancement towards gender equality. 

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