Regional Executive Chef

Posting date:	05 January 2026
Salary:	£45,000.00 to £47,000.00 per month
Additional salary information:	Competitive
Hours:	Full time
Closing date:	04 February 2026
Location:	Perth, EH3
Company:	Sodexo Ltd
Job type:	Permanent
Job reference:	SDX/TP/736016/152100

Summary

Regional Executive Chef

Location: Scotland-Wide Role– Sodexo Independent Schools Portfolio

Salary: upto £47,000DOE – Travel Expenses and Sodexo Benefits

Hours: 40 hours per week- Day shifts (occasional evenings/weekends)

Would you like the opportunity to fully embrace the Christmas Season next year with your family?Working in education and Independent schools means you can truly enjoy a work-life balance during holiday periods.

This is a rare opportunity for an accomplished, forward-thinking chef with a background in fine dining and high-volume service to step into a role with real influence, variety, and balance.

You’ll be the driving force behind our food offer; travelling between sites, championing fresh, seasonal produce, launching new menus and concepts, and coaching teams to deliver consistently exceptional experiences.If you’re a confident communicator who brings energy, ideas, and leadership to every kitchen you enter, we’d love to hear from you.

What the Role Involves

• Acting as the mobile lead chef across a portfolio of independent school sites: stepping into kitchens to cover when needed, drive performance, and deliver excellence.
• Leading the design and roll-out of seasonal, fresh-produce-driven menus, ensuring alignment with our overarching food strategy (nutrition, sustainability, presentation).
• Inspiring, training, coaching and mentoring kitchen brigades: raising standards of cooking technique, plating, food presentation, kitchen discipline, brigade culture and continuous improvement.
• Collaborating with on-site teams and stakeholders (catering managers, school leadership, hospitality/event teams) to deliver high-profile events such as summer balls, galas and conferences, and to launch new openings or food initiatives.
• Driving operational kitchen performance: food cost control, menu costing & pricing, stock control, labour utilisation, waste minimisation and P&L awareness.
• Maintaining and exceeding standards in food safety, hygiene, allergen management, HACCP, COSHH and overall kitchen compliance in an education setting.
• Acting as a subject-matter expert within the education catering sector: bringing best-in-class culinary practices, adapting fine-dining techniques to large-volume environments, and sharing that knowledge across sites.

We’re Looking For

Proven Experience & Leadership

A chef with significant experience in fine dining or upscale hospitality (restaurants, luxury hotels, events) and demonstrable experience of high-volume catering or multi-site operations.

• A track record of leading, managing and developing kitchen teams, fostering a positive, high-performance culture.
• Proven menu-planning capability: designing innovative, seasonal, produce-led menus with excellent presentation, flavour combinations, and technical execution.
• Strong operational and commercial acumen: food costing, vendor relationships, stock control, budget monitoring, labour efficiency and waste management.
• Exceptional knowledge of food safety, hygiene, allergen control and kitchen compliance systems (HACCP, COSHH, EHO, etc.).
• Flexible and mobile mindset: able to travel across Scotland, proactively engage with varied sites (boarding houses, dining halls, events suites), and adapt to different teams, contexts and volumes.

Skills, Behaviours & Attributes

• Inspirational communicator and motivator: able to engage with kitchen teams, school staff and stakeholders, articulate a culinary vision, and inspire others to deliver.
• Creative, curious and forward-thinking: stays abreast of current and emerging culinary trends, embraces seasonal produce, sustainability, flavour innovation and plating technique.
• Resilient, adaptable and highly organised: able to manage competing demands, multi-site travel and variable service patterns, delivering excellence under pressure.
• High standards mindset: committed to culinary excellence, presentation, consistency and service quality.
• Team-first, mentoring mindset: sees themselves as a coach and mentor, prioritising development of those around them.
• Professional, polished and client-centric: understands the importance of food as part of broader hospitality and school life, representing the brand with pride.
• Commercial awareness: balances creativity with cost-effectiveness, understands large-scale catering dynamics and the educational/residential context.

Qualifications & Requirements

• Formal culinary qualification (NVQ Level 2/3, City & Guilds 706/1+2, HNC/HND, or equivalent) strongly preferred.
• Food Safety qualification (Level 3 or equivalent) plus HACCP and allergen-management certification.
• Significant chef experience (typically 5–10 years+) with several years in a senior role (Head Chef, Executive Chef or Development Chef) in a fine-dining or high-volume catering environment.
• Experience of large-scale catering, banquets, events or multi-site operations is strongly advantageous.
• Full UK driving licence and willingness to travel regularly across Scotland (travel expenses paid).
• Strong IT literacy: experience using recipe/menu costing software, kitchen management systems and inventory tools.
• A flexible approach to working patterns, including occasional evenings and weekends to support events or special services.

What We Offer

• A unique opportunity to work across some of Scotland’s most prestigious historic Independent Schools, bringing chef-led creativity and high standards into the educational catering sector.
• A dynamic, varied mobile role with travel across beautiful venues and a portfolio approach rather than a fixed single site.
• A leadership position with real influence: set standards, shape menus, mentor teams and drive innovation.
• Competitive salary (to be discussed) plus travel expenses and access to continuous professional development opportunities.
• Predominantly day shifts with a good work-life balance compared to traditional hospitality environments.
• The chance to leave a legacy: build programmes, develop talent, introduce innovation and make a true difference.

Why Join Us?

This is a career-defining opportunity to work with some of the best in the industry, in settings that shape future leaders.You’ll help craft exceptional food experiences, influence culinary direction, and mentor rising stars – all while working in Scotland’s most beautiful and inspiring educational environments.

Additional Perks & Benefits

• Unlimited access to an online mental health and wellbeing support platform.
• An Employee Assistance Programme for legal, financial, and personal support.
• 24/7 access to a virtual GP service.
• Exclusive discounts for you, your family, and friends through the Sodexo Discounts Scheme.
• Membership in Pension Plan to help you save for your future.
• Learning and development opportunities to enhance your career growth

If you’re an ambitious, highly motivated chef seeking the next step up – a role where you lead, innovate, travel and make a real impact – we’d love to hear from you.

Please note:Sodexo reserves the right to close this advert early if we receive a high number of applications.

Sodexo are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children within schools. All successful candidates will undergo appropriate background, PVG (disclosure) and vetting checks.