Sous Chef reference: R-182894

ABOUT THE ROLE As a Sous Chef, you'll be working as part of our friendly kitchen brigade to ensure the efficient day-to-day running of our kitchens and assist in providing a consistently high quality dining experience. You'll lead and inspire the kitchen team to create exceptional culinary experiences that leave a lasting impression, using your creativity and flair to develop and execute a food offer while also ensuring that it meets the highest standards of quality, innovation, cost control, health and safety. . John Lewis Northampton NDC is one of our smallest Catering operations within the Distribution network. Catering for around 30-40 partners per shift Monday to Friday. We offer a Breakfast and Dinner service with a selection of grab and go and Vending options throughout the day too.. As a Sous Chef at Northampton you will be the soul Chef within the Unit, working alongside our friendly Established catering Assistants to ensure the efficient day-to-day running of our kitchens and assist in providing a consistently high quality dining experience. You'll lead and inspire the kitchen team to create exceptional culinary experiences that leave a lasting impression, using your creativity and flair to develop and execute a food offer while also ensuring that it meets the highest standards of quality, innovation, cost control, health and safety. Key Responsibilities Working in an open planned kitchen environment at Northampton your responsibilities will include: -Plan and manage a menu that suits the sites clientele, allowing you to deliver a high standard dining experience within the contract catering world. - Using your knowledge and expertise to train and develop others in the kitchen team in all aspects of food preparation. - Leading the team to deliver food safety compliance at all times. - Assisting the Head Chef to plan, produce and deliver great food offerings and agreed food presentation standards. - Meeting all legislative requirements for the catering environment, including allergens. - Achieving sales targets by managing food offer availability and ensuring the front of house team is fully equipped to upsell. - Taking great care in controlling food and pay costs and minimising food wastage. - Conducting daily compliance checks - checking all the records are up to date, temp of fridges, cleaning schedules, correct use of chemicals, PPE, H & S & business dress and customer service standards food safety policies. Essential skills/experience you'll need - Food Safety Level 3, Relevant professional chef qualifications: City & Guilds diplomas in professional cookery, BTEC HNC in professional cookery or equivalent. - Proven experience leading a team in a commercial kitchen environment. Desirable skills/experience you may have - Skilled influencer/ motivator/ coach - Previous experience in a Senior Chef Role in a similar venue. . Closing Date: September 7, 2025 Pay: £28,500.00 - £42,000.00 Annual Contract Type: Permanent Hours of Work: 37.5 Job Level: Partnership Level 9 Where You'll Be Working: Northampton Distribution Centre (John Lewis & Partners), 2 Mercury Drive, Northampton, Northamptonshire, NN4 7PN ABOUT THE PARTNERSHIP We’re the largest employee owned business in the UK and home of our cherished brands, John Lewis and Waitrose. We’re not just employees, we’re Partners, driven by our purpose to build a happier world. As we look to our future, there never been a more exciting time to join us. We’re ruthlessly focused on being brilliant at retail. We continue to innovate, adapt and diversify. Never Knowingly Undersold on price, quality and service in John Lewis and passionately serving food-lovers in Waitrose. As Partners we all share the responsibility of ownership and in its rewards. We use our voices to contribute to our success, working together through the good and challenging times, holding true to our behaviours and treating everyone with kindness and respect. We all own making the Partnership somewhere we belong. Embracing our differences and creating an environment where we’re free to be ourselves and can THRIVE. Growing ourselves individually, and as a collective. As Partners, we make all the difference. And, we all own it. Important points to note: It important to note that some of our roles are subject to pre-employment vetting (which may include DBS checks for successful candidates). If required, you’ll be informed and provided with information about vetting during the recruitment process and we encourage you to complete any vetting documents quickly to avoid delays. Any DBS checks required will be carried out by a third-party registered body and financial probity checks may also be required for some of our roles. We also recommend that you apply as soon as possible as vacancies can close early if we see a high number of applicants. We want all of our Partners to have a good work-life balance and we support flexible working. This might mean flexible or compressed hours, job sharing or shorter hour contracts, where possible. Please discuss this further with the hiring manager during your interview. At the John Lewis Partnership we’re not just employees; we’re co-owners, and that why we’re called Partners. Being a Partner means not only do we all collectively share the responsibilities of being the UK largest employee-owned business, but we also share in its rewards and successes. It this ownership model that makes the Partnership a very unique place to work.