Head Chef

The above role is available on a full time, permanent basis from March 2026.

We are looking for an experienced and creative Head Chef to lead and inspire our in-house culinary operation across the University of Exeter’s Streatham and St Luke’s Campuses. This role will focus on maintaining and developing a contemporary, on-trend food offer, ensuring our services remain current, engaging and aligned with the expectations of our diverse community.

As Head Chef, you will play a central role in shaping the future of our food service by coordinating culinary functions across multiple venues and contributing significantly to the experience of students, staff and visitors.

Key responsibilities include:

• Delivering high-quality special events, bespoke menus and hospitality services.
• Leading on menu development and ensuring our food offer remains innovative, seasonal and commercially effective.
• Providing training, development and mentorship for our culinary teams, fostering a culture of excellence and continuous improvement.
• Monitoring and maintaining culinary standards, consistency and presentation across all outlets.
• Ensuring full compliance with University of Exeter procedures and systems, including food safety, allergen management and operational processes.
• The opportunity to represent the University through competitions, demonstrations and presentations, showcasing our commitment to culinary excellence.

This is an outstanding opportunity for a dynamic culinary leader to help to elevate our in-house services, shape the future of campus dining, and make a lasting impact within a vibrant university community.

If you’re passionate about quality, innovation and leading great people, we’d love to hear from you.

Our Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Commitment

We are committed to ensuring reasonable adjustments are available for interviews and workplaces.

Whilst all applicants will be judged on merit alone, we particularly welcome applications from groups currently underrepresented within our working community.

With over 30,000 students and 7,000 staff from 150 different countries we offer a diverse and engaging environment where our diversity is celebrated and valued as a major strength. We are committed to creating an inclusive culture where all members of our community are supported to thrive; where diverse voices are heard through our engagement with evidence-based charter frameworks for gender (Athena SWAN and Project Juno for Physics), race equality (Race Equality Charter Mark), LGBTQ+ inclusion (Stonewall Diversity Champion) and as a Disability Confident employer.

We are proud signatories of the Armed Forces Covenant and welcome applications from service people.

Benefits

We offer some fantastic benefits including:

- 41 days leave per year
- options for flexible working
- numerous discounts at leading retailers
- onsite gyms on all of our campus’ and a cycle to work scheme
- sector leading policies around maternity, adoption and shared parental leave (up to 26 weeks full pay), paternity leave (up to 6 weeks full pay) and a Fertility Treatment Policy
- stunning campus environments in Exeter and Cornwall, in the beautiful South West of England

For further information, please contact Richard Narramore, Email r.n.narramore@exeter.ac.uk Tel. 07837 286345

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