Head Chef

Department/Team: Backstage Food and Beverage

Hours: 45 Hours per week, on a shift basis across Monday-Sunday (Monday to Saturday initially, but we may open on Sundays as the operation develops)

Location:  Backstage, The Old Vic, The Cut, London, SE1 8NB

Salary: £45,000 per annum

Direct reports: Sous-chef, 3 x Chef de Parties, 2 x Kitchen Porters

Benefits
• Enhanced annual leave, starting at 25 days per year, increasing by one day per year up to 30 days (plus bank holidays). Opportunity to switch statutory bank holidays to mark a religious event or festival
• Complimentary tickets for you and a guest to Old Vic preview productions
• Discretionary invite to Press Night performances and parties
• Free therapy from our therapy partner SelfSpace
• Mental health support via our in-house Mental Health Champions
• Enhanced employer pension contributions with The People’s Pension
• Festive day – one discretionary additional paid day off around the festive period for a collective pause
• Time to volunteer – one day per year to support a charity or project of your choosing
• Commitment to learning, education and development
• Enhanced sick pay
• Access to interest free travel schemes including Cycle 2 work and Season Ticket loans after your probation period
• Family friendly policies and enhanced maternity/paternity/adoption/shared parental pay
• All staff social events
• Staff discount in Penny and The Old Vic bars as well as discounts in local bars and
restaurants
• Opportunities to get involved with staff clubs and working groups such as the Inclusion Working Group
• Buddy schemes including New Starter and Parental buddies to support your induction and return to work after parental leave

Backstage

Backstage is a project for the future – a six-storey space for creativity, education and community right next door to our historic building.

Together with award-winning architects Haworth Tompkins, we have built a low-carbon building that includes:

• A welcoming public cafe and workspace during the day, which evolves into a vibrant bar and restaurant at night
• A Clore Learning Centre for our award-winning outreach work
• A Writers’ Room where creatives can work
• A free to use Script Library
• A modern and flexible rehearsal room which can transform into a Studio theatre
• An event space and terrace

We believe Backstage creates a stronger Old Vic for the future, providing a welcoming space for our generation and the next.

Within Backstage, the F&B offer is primarily centred around the ground floor and first-floor café and bar space – but also extends to event catering provision and a grab-and-go offer for the theatre.

With an overall capacity of 181 (61 covers) across the two floors, Backstage will be open.

The daytime artisanal café will serve the very best coffee, coupled with delicious baked goods. A comfortable place where culture meets great coffee in a vibrant and dynamic space.

This same space then seamlessly transitions into an enticing evening bar – a destination. A socially inspired bar/dining offer; celebrating cultural diversity, vibe and buzz in a stylish and comfortable environment coupled with a strong ‘sense of place’ as an intrinsic part of The Old Vic as a whole.

The food offer will be based on conviviality and sharing – built around the concept of small plates.

NB: The initial Winter/Spring menu is being created by an external chef, so the first requirement for menu creation will be for summer next year.

The Team

The Backstage F&B team is responsible for all Food & Beverage related activity within Backstage and The Old Vic theatre itself. The kitchen team is central to this; and includes the Head Chef, Sous Chef, Chef de Parties and KPs.

Role summary

The role of the Head Chef is to have full responsibility for all food provision across The Old Vic – including management of the Backstage kitchen and team; and menu development and delivery (for the café and bar, grab-and-go Theatre options, and varied Event catering).

Areas of responsibility

Kitchen

• Lead the day-to-day kitchen and catering operations.
• Design, develop and cost exciting seasonal menus in accordance with budget, and brand vision.
• Liaise with Finance to effectively manage cost control points. (Wastage and GP)
• Ensure consistently high levels of food safety, hygiene and cleanliness.
• Work with management on strategy, planning and forecasting.
• Maintain a culture of positivity, efficiency, creativity and continuous improvement.

Customer Service

• Act as an ambassador for the Backstage Venue.
• Always deliver the highest possible level of customer service, ensuring a friendly, safe and secure environment in which the public can enjoy their experience.
• Receive all comments, raised by the public and following them with by immediate action, including escalation as required.

Management

• Ensure professional development and training opportunities to upskill your direct reports to continuously improve the kitchen team.
• Undertaking appraisals and probation management as required for your team.
• Represent Backstage/Old Vic values and mission to staff, company, customers and clients.
• Liaise with Backstage and building management in the event of emergency and evacuation.
• Ensure that the building and patrons are safe and secure, following all internal procedures and protocols.
• Ensure Health and Safety is always adhered to - staff and guests.
• Ensure the highest quality and consistency with all Food and Beverage processes, reporting any issues with delivering this immediately to senior management.

Backstage Responsibilities & Logistics

• Create daily briefing sheets for the Kitchen team.
• Respond to first aid and evacuation requirements.
• Produce daily Backstage summary reports.
• Ensure efficient and timely ordering, keeping all items always stocked (where available). Weekly stock keeping / inventory

Events

• Work closely with the Head of Commercial Events to devise event menu options – and to create corporate and private events packages
• Support catering requirements where required for donor or external events within the theatre or Backstage
• Liaise with third-party caterers for larger-scale events as required, ensuring that they are able to deliver seamlessly alongside the Backstage food operation
• Work with the events team to confirm menus and details for event sheets.

General

• Promote and comply with current legislation and Backstage/The Old Vic policies on Diversity, Sustainability, and Health & Safety both in the delivery of services and the treatment of others.
• Assist the Backstage F&B team in relation to continuous improvement within the venue. (Your manager will be able to go through this in more detail)
• Undertake any other reasonable duties, commensurate with the level of the post to ensure the smooth running of The Backstage venue.

This is not an exhaustive list of duties, and the Backstage venue management may, at any time, allocate other tasks which are of a similar nature or level.

PERSON SPECIFICATION

The post holder must be able to demonstrate the following:

Essential

• Proven experience of working as a Head Chef, leading a small team, in a similar sized venue
• A passion for food, local produce and ingredients, alongside demonstrable experience of creative approach to menu creation and development
• Experience of setting up a new kitchen operation
• Collaborative and hands on approach to team management
• Proven understanding of food safety and hygiene principles
• A proven ability to provide a high level of culinary skill in an often highly pressurised environment
• Highly motivated with a positive and flexible approach to work and ability to adapt quickly to new information and procedures
• IT literacy, with good experience of the Microsoft Office suite and Excel in particular.

• Excellent written and verbal communication skills

• Proven budgetary management and stock control
• A proven ability to work as both part of a team and independently
• Highly organised and good timekeeping.

How to Apply

We understand that everyone is different and we want you to apply in whichever way you feel best shows your skills and experience. There are a range of ways that you can apply with us:

• 1. Sending a short video file of yourself (no longer than two minutes in length), detailing your experience, why you are applying for the role and what about working at The Old Vic interests you (have a look at the person specification in the job description).
• 2. Sending a short audio file of yourself (no longer than two minutes in length), detailing your experience, why you are applying for the role and what about working at The Old Vic interests you.
• 3. Completing our application form.
• 4. Uploading your CV and covering letter, explaining why you are interested in the role and working at the Old Vic.

As a Disability Confident employer, The Old Vic has made a commitment that all applicants with disabilities who meet the essential criteria for this job will be invited to interview. H owever in the event that we have a high volume of applications all of whom meet the criteria and identify as disabled, meaning it is not practicable to interview everyone, we may apply a weighting to the shortlisting criteria, or add an additional shortlisting stage before any interviews take place. In all cases we will take care to ensure that any criteria or weightings do not disadvantage disabled applicants.

All appointments are made subject to satisfactory references and proof of eligibility to work in the UK.

The Process

The recruitment process for this role will be two stages :

• 1st stage virtual conversation
• 2nd stage in person conversation
• You may be asked to complete a work based skills assessment or challenge.

The closing date for this role is 21 July 2025 at 10am . First Conversations are likely to take place 24 July 2025 .

Equal Opportunities

We actively support and encourage people from a variety of backgrounds, experiences and skill sets to join us and help shape what we do. We are particularly keen to receive applications from people of the global majority, LGBTQ+, neurodiverse and disabled candidates.

We may take positive action, in cases where candidates are equally qualified, to increase the employment of under-represented groups at The Old Vic.

In the event that we ask you to attend the theatre for a conversation and you are struggling financially, we may be able to reimburse you for any reasonable travel costs.

We partner with a range of inclusive organisations, to find out more please read our FAQs.

FAQs

Read our recruitment and selection and equal opportunities FAQs here .