Sous Chef

What you'll be doing:

Sous Chef – Brompton Barracks, Chatham

Salary: £15.69 per hour
40 hours per week | 5 days out of 7
Shifts between 05:30 and 20:00

We’re recruiting an experienced and confident Sous Chef to join our large‑scale catering operation at Brompton Barracks, Chatham. This is a high‑profile role within a fast‑paced Defence environment, ideal for a chef with a hotel or events background who thrives on volume, variety, and leading teams.

You’ll be working primarily in the Main Mess, with opportunities to support and cover across the wider operation when required.

🍽️ About the site

• Serving 200+ covers per day
• 3 kitchens on site
• A large, diverse team of 25 kitchen colleagues
• A mix of daily service and functions, offering variety and challenge

👩‍🍳 The Role

As Sous Chef, you’ll play a key leadership role within the kitchen, supporting the Head Chef and ensuring smooth day‑to‑day operations across a large, multi‑kitchen site.

You’ll be hands‑on, highly organised, and confident managing people, standards, and service at scale.

🔪 Key Responsibilities

• Oversee all kitchen operations in the absence of the Head Chef
• Lead from the front, ensuring high‑quality food preparation and presentation across all kitchens
• Maintain and enforce food safety, hygiene, and Health & Safety standards
• Support service delivery for both main mess catering and functions
• Act as a positive role model, keeping kitchens organised, clean, and audit‑ready
• Support recruitment activities including interviews, trials, and onboarding
• Communicate regularly with the Head Chef regarding stock levels, ordering, and operational needs
• Take a proactive, hands‑on approach to team leadership and service delivery

✅ About You

This role would suit a Sous Chef who:

• Has experience in a hotel, large‑scale, or function‑led environment
• Is comfortable managing volume, multiple kitchens, and large teams
• Enjoys being hands‑on and visible in the kitchen
• Communicates confidently and works well as part of a senior kitchen team
• Is organised, reliable, and adaptable in a structured environment
• Is physically able to manage manual handling tasks such as stock and equipment
• Is confident using Microsoft Office and Outlook

We ensure you're rewarded for all your hard work, which is why we offer a comprehensive benefits package which includes but is not limited to:

• Contributory pension scheme
• Grow your career with our Career Pathways and MyLearning programmes
• Quick access for you and your immediate family to a Digital GP, and wider healthcare benefits
• Exclusive travel discounts with TUI, Expedia, Booking.com and many more
• Save money on your food shop with discounts on Tesco, Sainsbury's, Morrisons and many more
• Up to 44% off cinema tickets to enjoy your favourite blockbuster
• Receive cash rewards every time you spend and use them on a wide range of brands
• Un-wind with us with free wellness, mindfulness and exercise classes
• You can share all discounts and offers with your friends and families

About Us

Part of Compass Group UK&I, ESS is the Defence, Government, and Energy services sector of Compass Group UK & Ireland. We support 250+ UK military establishments, high profile police, secure environments and government sites, along with a range of onshore and offshore facilities including platforms, drilling rigs, floatels and offices for the energy sector. We know that a friendly face makes all the difference, so we look for people who are passionate about delivering excellent customer service, at all levels, to join our teams.

Job Reference: com/0104/79198001/52089123/SU #Defence

Compass Group UK&I is committed to fostering an environment where every individual can truly be themselves at work and has equal opportunities to advance in their careers. We strive to build a culture that respects and celebrates the unique talents, beliefs, backgrounds, and abilities of all our team members. We want our colleagues to feel valued, empowered to reach their full potential, and to thrive - because diversity is our strength!