Title:  Head of culinary

Job Description

Are you a visionary culinary leader with a passion for shaping exceptional food experiences across diverse and high‑profile environments? We’re looking for an influential, forward thinking professional to drive the culinary strategy and delivery across our Government, Defence and Judicial sectors.

In this role, you’ll bring together operational excellence and creative innovation — building strong networks of culinary talent, designing sector‑leading menus, and elevating our food programmes to support growth, retention and new business opportunities. Working closely with our central culinary teams, you will champion high standards, drive continuous improvement, and ensure our food offer reflects our Be Well Do Well commitments.

If you’re ready to lead with purpose, support critical mobilisations, and set the culinary direction for one of the most impactful sectors of our business, we’d love to hear from you.

This is a permanent remote position with UK travel.

Job Responsibilities:

• Lead the culinary strategy and operational delivery across the Government, Defence and Judicial sectors, ensuring consistency, quality and innovation.
• Build and maintain a strong internal culinary network, identifying and developing talent while supporting reskilling initiatives where required.
• Design sector‑specific menus and culinary structures that support new business opportunities, working closely with the central culinary team.
• Drive the progression of culinary programmes, identifying development opportunities and supporting long‑term growth within the sectors.
• Oversee culinary input for sales, retention and mobilisation projects, ensuring our offers are competitive, compelling and operationally deliverable.
• Collaborate with the Head of Culinary Operations and wider teams to deploy specialist culinary resources for critical mobilisations and priority projects.
• Develop and champion a clear sector food charter, aligned with our Be Well Do Well commitments and reflective of our organisational values.
• Ensure full compliance with food safety, hygiene and UK legislation, including HACCP, Natasha’s Law and calorie profiling, escalating any issues appropriately.

Key Requirements:

• Proven senior culinary leadership experience within large‑scale or multi‑site foodservice operations.
• Strong menu development and culinary innovation skills, with the ability to design commercially viable, sector‑appropriate food offers.
• Excellent knowledge of UK food safety legislation, including HACCP, Natasha’s Law and calorie profiling standards.
• Ability to build, inspire and develop culinary teams, with a strong focus on collaboration and talent progression.
• Exceptional stakeholder management skills, with the confidence to influence, present and support bids, mobilisations and retention activity.
• Flexibility and resilience, with the ability to manage changing priorities, deadlines and the unpredictable demands of Government, Defence and Judicial environments.

About Aramark

If you are applying for this role and you already work for Aramark, you must notify your line manager before submitting your application. 

At Aramark UK, we are committed to creating a diverse and inclusive workplace where everyone is valued and empowered to thrive. As a proud Disability Confident employer, we actively encourage applications from individuals of all abilities and are dedicated to supporting employees with disabilities throughout their career journey. 

We ensure our recruitment process is accessible, and reasonable adjustments are available at every stage, from application to interview and employment. If you require any accommodations or have any questions, please reach out to our recruitment team – careers@aramark.co.uk 

Join us in fostering a workplace where everyone can achieve their full potential. 

All applications will be treated in the strictest confidence.