Head Chef
| Posting date: | 12 January 2026 |
|---|---|
| Salary: | £35,229.07 to £37,606 per year |
| Hours: | Full time |
| Closing date: | 01 February 2026 |
| Location: | Canterbury, Kent |
| Remote working: | On-site only |
| Company: | The Marlowe Theatre |
| Job type: | Permanent |
| Job reference: |
Summary
We are recruiting a customer focused Head Chef with a passion for a variety of styles of cuisine to lead the Kitchen team of the Green Room, the Marlowe Theatre’s established onsite café and restaurant.
Our all-day menu features stunning dishes prepared with ingredients sourced from across Kent, alfresco dining and a busy pre-show dining service ensures that our audiences can enjoy a fantastic meal with a guarantee that they will be in their seats in time for the performance.
Working with the Food and Beverage Manager, our Head Chef will develop and deliver an enticing food offer to suit the variety of customers from our hospitality and events business, so that we reach our commercial targets.
Our Head Chef will be a strong and encouraging team leader, with a focus on developing the skills of the kitchen team.
Our Head Chef will have a strong understanding of all Food safety and Health and safety procedures, commercially minded, and thrives in a fast-paced environment with a positive approach to problem solving.
We want to work with people who are passionate about their work, resilient in the face of challenge and supportive of their colleagues.
About Us
The Marlowe Theatre, Canterbury is one of the UK’s most successful large-scale regional theatres (UK Theatre of the Year in the Stage Awards 2022). Our mission is to be the engine house for the performing arts in Kent, shaping the spirit of our region.
We bring West End musicals, national companies, a symphony orchestra season and high-profile tours to Kent audiences, in a year-round programme of theatre, dance, opera, music and comedy in our 1,200-seat Main House. This year we begin producing large-scale plays made in Kent and touring nationally. Our 150-seat Studio is dedicated to the development of new ideas, with a mix of R&D with resident and visiting companies, sharings and presented shows.
Our ground-breaking work with young people focuses on skills development and includes co-delivery of a UAL Level 3 Performing Arts course with East Kent Colleges Group; being the national home of Matthew Bourne’s New Adventures’ Cygnet School and the RSC’s Associate Theatre in the South East. We launched our Writers’ Room, developing regional talent and supporting our producing aspirations. As the largest performing arts employer in the region, we are committed to developing the workforce of the future, providing apprenticeships and work experience opportunities for over 100 young people every year across all areas of theatre-making.
We are also fast outgrowing our spaces and developing major capital projects as a result, including turning the 800-year-old Poor Priests’ Hospital within the city walls into a Creative Learning Centre and free heritage destination, with support from Levelling Up and the National Lottery Heritage Fund. We are also looking towards the long-term development of our theatre building, increasing our technical and producing capacity.
Our investment in our loyalty strategy has ensured that we have consistently strong and engaged audiences for our varied programme. We’ve also received recognition from our industry, winning a Stage Award for our innovative approach to supporting the theatre sector and a Workforce Award from UK Theatre for our investment in our People Plan, ensuring our high calibre team are rewarded and supported.
The Marlowe Theatre is an inclusive employer and disability confident employer. We value difference and recruit by merit based on fair and open competition.
We welcome candidates from all backgrounds regardless of gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, religion, ethnicity, age, neurodiversity, disability status, citizenship, or any other aspect which makes them unique. We want to hear from all sectors including veterans.
We are a Creative Green organisation and are committed to taking action on climate change and environmental sustainability.
Our all-day menu features stunning dishes prepared with ingredients sourced from across Kent, alfresco dining and a busy pre-show dining service ensures that our audiences can enjoy a fantastic meal with a guarantee that they will be in their seats in time for the performance.
Working with the Food and Beverage Manager, our Head Chef will develop and deliver an enticing food offer to suit the variety of customers from our hospitality and events business, so that we reach our commercial targets.
Our Head Chef will be a strong and encouraging team leader, with a focus on developing the skills of the kitchen team.
Our Head Chef will have a strong understanding of all Food safety and Health and safety procedures, commercially minded, and thrives in a fast-paced environment with a positive approach to problem solving.
We want to work with people who are passionate about their work, resilient in the face of challenge and supportive of their colleagues.
About Us
The Marlowe Theatre, Canterbury is one of the UK’s most successful large-scale regional theatres (UK Theatre of the Year in the Stage Awards 2022). Our mission is to be the engine house for the performing arts in Kent, shaping the spirit of our region.
We bring West End musicals, national companies, a symphony orchestra season and high-profile tours to Kent audiences, in a year-round programme of theatre, dance, opera, music and comedy in our 1,200-seat Main House. This year we begin producing large-scale plays made in Kent and touring nationally. Our 150-seat Studio is dedicated to the development of new ideas, with a mix of R&D with resident and visiting companies, sharings and presented shows.
Our ground-breaking work with young people focuses on skills development and includes co-delivery of a UAL Level 3 Performing Arts course with East Kent Colleges Group; being the national home of Matthew Bourne’s New Adventures’ Cygnet School and the RSC’s Associate Theatre in the South East. We launched our Writers’ Room, developing regional talent and supporting our producing aspirations. As the largest performing arts employer in the region, we are committed to developing the workforce of the future, providing apprenticeships and work experience opportunities for over 100 young people every year across all areas of theatre-making.
We are also fast outgrowing our spaces and developing major capital projects as a result, including turning the 800-year-old Poor Priests’ Hospital within the city walls into a Creative Learning Centre and free heritage destination, with support from Levelling Up and the National Lottery Heritage Fund. We are also looking towards the long-term development of our theatre building, increasing our technical and producing capacity.
Our investment in our loyalty strategy has ensured that we have consistently strong and engaged audiences for our varied programme. We’ve also received recognition from our industry, winning a Stage Award for our innovative approach to supporting the theatre sector and a Workforce Award from UK Theatre for our investment in our People Plan, ensuring our high calibre team are rewarded and supported.
The Marlowe Theatre is an inclusive employer and disability confident employer. We value difference and recruit by merit based on fair and open competition.
We welcome candidates from all backgrounds regardless of gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, religion, ethnicity, age, neurodiversity, disability status, citizenship, or any other aspect which makes them unique. We want to hear from all sectors including veterans.
We are a Creative Green organisation and are committed to taking action on climate change and environmental sustainability.
Proud member of the Disability Confident employer scheme
Disability Confident
About Disability Confident
A Disability Confident employer will generally offer an interview to any applicant that declares they have a disability and meets the minimum criteria for the job as defined by the employer. It is important to note that in certain recruitment situations such as high-volume, seasonal and high-peak times, the employer may wish to limit the overall numbers of interviews offered to both disabled people and non-disabled people. For more details please go to Disability Confident.