Section Chef

Join the University of Cambridge Catering Team as a Section Chef

Are you a skilled and motivated chef eager to take on a leadership role in a dynamic and professional kitchen environment? The University Catering Service (UCS) is looking for three Section Chefs to join our team, helping deliver exceptional food experiences across our diverse catering outlets.

About Us

UCS delivers a wide range of high-quality catering services across the University estate from departmental cafés to large-scale hospitality events. Our flagship venue, the West Hub, serves over 1,000 students, staff, and visitors every day.

About the Role

As a Section Chef, you will play a crucial role in producing high-quality meals and overseeing kitchen operations during your shifts. You will lead by example, ensuring that food safety, sustainability, and health and safety standards are rigorously maintained. You'll also support the creation of innovative menus and seasonal hospitality offerings.

This is a hands-on leadership position, involving supervision and training of kitchen staff, management of food costs within budget, and contributing to the University's Sustainable Food Policy. The role also includes involvement in hospitality events, which may require occasional driving of a University vehicle.

This is a full-time role working Monday to Friday, with occasional flexibility required to support hospitality events across the University estate.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead food preparation and ensure consistent quality and presentation.
• Collaborate on menu development and respond to customer feedback.
• Manage food costs, stock ordering, and kitchen documentation.
• Supervise and train a team of kitchen staff (2 direct reports).
• Promote safe working practices and maintain compliance with food safety regulations.

What We're Looking For

• Proven experience in a similar chef or kitchen leadership role.
• Strong understanding of food safety, allergen regulations, and sustainability practices.
• Excellent communication and team management skills.
• Ability to work flexibly across multiple catering outlets and events.

Why Join Us?

You'll be part of a supportive and forward-thinking team, contributing to a catering service with annual sales exceeding £2.5 million. We offer opportunities for professional development, a collaborative working environment, and the chance to make a meaningful impact on the University's food services.

Benefits of working at the University of Cambridge include:

• Competitive rates of pay with automatic service-related pay progression and annual cost of living increases
• Generous annual leave allowance
• Flexible and hybrid working opportunities
• Generous maternity, adoption, and shared parental leave entitlement, plus other family-friendly schemes such as workplace nurseries
• An auto-enrolment pension scheme with a generous employer contribution
• Travel benefits and retail discounts at over 2,000 local and national stores
• Schemes to support with relocation

Click the 'Apply' button below to register an account with our recruitment system (if you have not already) and apply online.

Interviews will be held on Friday, 3rd October 2025.

If you have any questions about this vacancy or the application process, please email Estates Division on [email protected]

Please quote reference XM47100 on your application and in any correspondence about this vacancy.

The University actively supports equality, diversity and inclusion and encourages applications from all sections of society.

The University has a responsibility to ensure that all employees are eligible to live and work in the UK.