Head of Culinary - Midlands

Our head offices based in the beautiful village of Hook Norton near Banbury. Here you will find our teams of finance, HR, purchasing, marketing & creative that support all of our locations across the Thomas Franks family. There is ample parking space available when visiting.

We are looking for a Regional Head of Culinary for Midlands with a passion for food and creating and maintaining the highest quality food standards. The role will be Responsible for contributing towards business planning and the company vision. Developing the highest standards of food quality within a budgetary framework and in line with client needs. Promoting craft innovation in line with current and future food trends.

Supporting and developing our chef teams and leading and mentoring our apprentices. Building effective relationships with our clients and ensuring financial accountability, health and safety and food safety compliance, safeguarding, leadership and development of the chef team and culinary strategy across the region. Working to support Regional Directors to plan and manage the mobilisation of new contracts from a culinary, food budgeting, innovation and chef training perspective.

Being accountable for managing budgetary expectations, ensuring the co-ordination and cross charging of the mobile chef team in line with Regional Directors and Operations Managers requirements in a timely manner.

Key focus areas for this role:

1. Coaching & Mentoring – The RhoC will be responsible for the ongoing development of all chefs within the region in conjunction with the Culinary Director and Regional Director. Setting Food standards on a Regional basis in line with company & client expectations.

2. Training & Development - Taking full responsibility for driving food based training and development programmes within the region.

3. Setting Food Standards - Taking a mentoring role with regard to setting standards and kitchen practice within your Region. Leading the craft vision within the Region and regularly visiting each location to ensure food standards are of the highest quality. Ensuring that the locations within your region are aware of and perform all the day to day requirements placed on them by the Thomas Franks Food Hygiene, Allergen and Safety Standards, as set out the Food Hygiene & Health & Safety Manuals. Ensuring that all locations within your region fully engage with Food Safety audits and adhere to all Health and Safety Legislation, standards, policies and expectations.

4. Recruitment & Induction - Planning and taking responsibility for setting and creating new chefs induction programmes and ensuring they are educated in all aspects of the business including financial, people, craft, health and safety, client standards, procedures and expectations.

5. Policy & Procedures – Monitoring and ensuring that both yourself and those at location follow all stated company procedures to ensure standards are maintained, as set out as part of the Thomas Franks and location requirements and policy documents.

6. Communication - Engaging in regional planning and communications activities, with both the Regional Operations Directors and senior team, to ensure effective chef-led activity across the region. This includes new openings, events, support needs, pop-ups, client activities, charity, nutrition, marketing, purchasing and HR interventions are supported and shut-downs or transfers are effectively managed.

7. Financial - Managing the mobile team budgets ensuring that business needs are met in line with budgetary expectations, ensuring that all cross charges are processed through Finance in a timely manner and following due process. In conjunction with the Operations Manager and Regional Director, you must continually review location performance and introduce ideas/innovations to maximise profit generation for both Company and Client.

8. People - Working closely with the Head of Recruitment and Regional HR Manager to oversee the recruitment, induction, performance and management of all of the mobile regional chef team, encompassing the Thomas Franks ethos and culture, using stated Company procedures to guide processes and approach. Support the recruitment process as required, ensuring that recruitment is carried out in line with Thomas Franks processes and documentation and in accordance with legislation.

Benefits

• Wider wallet scheme (discounts at major retailers, restaurants, gyms etc).
• Free meals on duty
• Volunteers leave - up to one day per year.
• Enhanced maternity, paternity and adoptive leave.
• Cycle to work scheme.
• Recommend a friend bonus.
• Unrivalled individual training and development.
• Well established apprenticeship programme.
• Team & company social events.
• Employee assistance programme.
• Workplace pension.
• Excellent career progression within a leading independent contract caterer.

About us

Thomas Franks is a founder led, fresh food catering business with a focus on excellence and service delivered with individuality, passion and style. We are unique in every approach and our clients, and our people are paramount to our daily success.

Disclaimer

All applicants must be able to demonstrate that they have the Right to Work in the UK to be considered for this role.

An enhanced DBS, Identity & reference checks (covering the last five years) will form part of the selection process. As an organisation using the Disclosure Barring Service (DBS) Disclosure service to assess applicants' suitability for positions of trust, Thomas Franks Ltd complies fully with the DBS Code of Practice and undertakes to treat all applicants for positions fairly. We are committed to safeguarding the welfare of children and undertake not to discriminate unfairly against any subject of a Disclosure based on conviction or other information revealed. However, for any post in a school please be aware that any application is exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 and as such any criminal conviction, caution or bind-over must be declared.

Diversity and Inclusion at Thomas Franks

We actively encourage applications from candidates from diverse backgrounds and continue to develop a culture of growth and inclusion and would like to invite applications from groups who are currently under-represented, because we believe greater diversity leads to exceptional results and provides a better working life.