Chef Supervisor
Job overview
At present, University Hospitals of North Midlands is unable to offer visa sponsorship for Band 2 to Band 4 roles, as these positions do not meet the minimum salary and skill thresholds required under UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) regulations.
Are you a chef who’s passionate about great food, modern cooking, and making a difference every single day? At University Hospitals of North Midlands, we’re not just feeding people, we’re nourishing recovery, supporting wellbeing, and driving food innovation within the NHS
Join a catering team where your skills are valued, your creativity is encouraged, and your work-life balance is respected. With no split shifts, no late-night finishes, and weekend and bank holiday enhancements, where else can you find secure, rewarding work that still gives you time for life outside the kitchen?
As a Chef at County Hospital, you’ll be part of a supportive, forward-thinking team that’s passionate about food. We operate with the latest equipment in a modern kitchen environment, and we’re proud to serve menus that are both on-trend and nutritionally balanced.
Main duties of the job
Prepare, cook, and present a wide range of high-quality meals for patients, staff, and visitors, meeting all dietary and nutritional requirements.
Ensure all dishes are professionally garnished and presented to a high standard before service.
Conduct pre-service briefings with restaurant and counter staff to communicate key allergen information, portion sizes, and service expectations.
Develop and contribute to innovative, on-trend menus for our retail and staff catering services.
Ensure that all food is produced safely and hygienically in line with NHS food standards, HACCP regulations, and trust policies.
Supervise and support Catering Assistants during food production and service periods, ensuring duties are completed to a high standard.
Maintain excellent standards of cleanliness and hygiene in all food preparation and service areas.
Monitor and support effective cleaning practices across the kitchen, ensuring daily and deep cleaning schedules are followed and logged.
Take responsibility for the safe handling, storage, labelling, and rotation of stock, minimising waste and ensuring compliance with food safety legislation.
Assist with ordering, stock checks, deliveries, and supplier communication, as required by the catering supervisor or manager.
Proactively bring fresh ideas to the team, contributing to seasonal menu planning and continuous service improvement.
Working for our organisation
University Hospitals of North Midlands NHS Trust is one of the largest and most modern in the country. Based across two sites, Royal Stoke in Stoke-on-Trent and County Hospital in Stafford, we are proud to serve around three million people and we're highly regarded for our facilities, teaching and research.We are the specialist centre for major trauma for the North Midlands and North Wales.
All of our employees make a valuable contribution regardless of role here at UHNM and we are proud of our wide range of development packages aimed at ensuring that everyone has the opportunity to fulfil their true potential.
UHNM create and encourage a culture of inclusion, providing equal opportunities for career development that are fair and transparent. We are committed to being a diverse and inclusive employer and foster a culture in which all staff feel valued and respected.In return we ask all of our employees to make a commitment to the values, co-created by or staff, patients and carers, and that unite us as a Trust.
At University Hospitals of North Midlands NHS Trust we know that investing in, supporting and developing our staff has a direct impact on the quality of care that we deliver. Our employees are as important as our patients and the population that we serve.
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
For further information on this vacancy, please see the attached Job Description and Person Specification or contact the Hiring Manager
Person specification
Qualifications
Essential criteria- NVQ Level 2 Professional Cooking or Equivalent Experience
- Level 2 Food Safety / Aller Training
- NVQ Level 3 in professional cookery or Equivalent Higher Level Qualification
- Level 3 Food Safety / Advanced Allergen Training L2/L3
Skills
Essential criteria- Fresh Food Preparation and Cooking experience
- Retail Catering, Customer Engagement, Broad Menu experience
- All correspondence will be sent to you via the email address you applied from. Please ensure you check your emails regularly.
- References - please ensure you provide email addresses for all referees for the last three years of employment.
- We are committed to equality of opportunity and welcome applications from everyone regardless of ethnicity, disability, gender, age, faith or sexual orientation. Appointment will be based on merit alone.
- Flexible working will be considered in line with Trust policies
- New recruits are required to pay for their Disclosure and Barring Service check (and admin fee) prior to starting if the role requires a DBS check.
- We work with ‘trac.jobs’ to support out recruitment process. If you have any queries regarding this please read this privacy notice.
University Hospitals of North Midlands NHS Trust (UHNM) has been awarded the Gold Award for proudly supporting those who serve. We actively encourage applications from the Armed Forces community.
We will communicate with you regarding your job application via email. Please be aware that we cannot guarantee the security of any emails sent/received via non encrypted format.
If you would like support completing an application form, please contact the recruitment department on 01782 675533 where one of our trained assistants will be able to help
At UHNM we are fortunate to receive a high volume of applications for many of our roles, on this occasion we would reserve the right to close any advert early, therefore please apply without delay!
If you obtained your qualifications overseas, you will be required to provide an official government translation through ECCTIS (formerly known as NARIC). Please note, this is in addition to any professional registration requirements and not a replacement for your qualifications.
If you are currently in the UK on a visa, you must have at least six months remaining on your visa at the time of your start date to ensure sufficient time for the operational and training process associated with the role. The requirement of at least six months remaining on your visa does not apply to a Skilled Worker Visa, as a new Skilled Worker Visa would be required for a new role.
In line with the change of Immigration rules on 8th January 2026 if you require Sponsorship through the Skilled Worker Visa you must be able to provide B2 English evidence before a Certificate of Sponsorship can be issued.
Visa eligibility notice: The UK Home Office has imposed an emergency brake on specific visa routes.- Skilled Worker visas cannot currently be issued to Afghan nationals.
- Study visas cannot currently be issued to nationals of Afghanistan, Cameroon, Myanmar or Sudan.
As a result, we are unable to progress applications requiring sponsorship under these routes.
UHNM supports the responsible use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) to assist in preparing your supporting statement. However, we reserve the right to reject applications where AI has been used in a misleading manner, for example, by implying experience or understanding that the applicant does not possess or where its use is excessive or unfair.If AI has been used to support your application, you must declare this within your submission.