Sous Chef – Central London

ESS Government Services (Compass Group UK & Ireland)
Location: Central London
Salary: £18.05 per hour

Join ESS Government Services

ESS, part of Compass Group UK & Ireland, is looking for a talented and motivated Sous Chef to join our team at a prestigious government services contract in Central London.

This is an exciting opportunity for an experienced chef to support the delivery of high-quality food services within a professional and highly secure environment. Working alongside the Head Chef and wider catering team, you'll play a key role in maintaining exceptional culinary standards while ensuring operational excellence, compliance, and customer satisfaction.

Key Responsibilities

• Support the Head Chef in the day-to-day management of kitchen operations.
• Prepare and deliver high-quality, fresh food to agreed specifications and standards.
• Assist with menu planning, development, and innovation.
• Supervise and motivate kitchen team members, providing guidance and support where required.
• Ensure all food safety, hygiene, and HACCP procedures are followed at all times.
• Manage stock levels, ordering, and food wastage controls.
• Maintain excellent standards of presentation, cleanliness, and organisation throughout the kitchen.
• Support the management of labour and food costs to meet budgetary targets.
• Assist with training, development, and induction of team members.
• Ensure compliance with all health and safety regulations and company policies.

About You

We're looking for a passionate and proactive chef who thrives in a professional catering environment.

You'll ideally have:

• Previous experience as a Sous Chef or Senior Chef de Partie in a high-volume catering, hospitality, or contract catering environment.
• Strong culinary skills and knowledge of fresh food preparation.
• Experience supervising and developing kitchen teams.
• Excellent organisational and time management skills.
• A sound understanding of food safety and health & safety legislation.
• Relevant food hygiene qualifications.
• A flexible and positive approach to work.
• The ability to work effectively under pressure while maintaining high standards.

Security Clearance Requirements

Due to this role being in a high-security government environment, all applicants must be able to meet the following vetting requirements:

• Be a British citizen.
• Have continuously lived in the UK for at least the last 5 years.
• Not have been outside of the UK for more than 2 months at any one time during the last 3 years.
• Be willing and able to successfully complete all required security clearance and vetting checks prior to employment.

Please note that employment is conditional upon successfully passing the necessary vetting process.

What We Offer

• Competitive salary.
• Opportunities for career progression within Compass Group and ESS.
• Access to industry-leading training and development programmes.
• Company benefits package.
• Pension scheme.
• Employee assistance and wellbeing support programmes.
• A supportive and inclusive working environment.

Apply Today

If you're an ambitious Sous Chef looking to develop your career within one of the UK's leading food and support services providers, we'd love to hear from you.

ESS is committed to creating an inclusive workplace where everyone is treated with respect and has the opportunity to thrive.