Sous Chef

Grade 7: currently £41,936 p.a.- £50,848 p.a. for 40 hours per week inclusive of Oxford University Weighting Allowance
Fulltime and Permanent
40 hour week, with split-shift working 5 days out of 7 to include evening and weekend working
Closing date: Monday 31 August 2026 at 12:00

Background

Our passionate kitchen team have built a great reputation for delivering outstanding food. Often quoted as one of the best colleges in Oxford for its food, we are looking for someone to contribute to these high standards.

We may be a relatively small operation, with a cosy 60 – 72-seater dining room within the iconic Radcliffe Observatory , but we pride ourselves on exciting high-quality food across a range of formats, including daily lunch for up to 140, weekly formal college dinners, graduation ceremonies, prestigious VIP events, buffets and commercial events.

The college is committed to the professional development of all team members, and we actively invest and support our staff to grow their careers.

The current Kitchen Brigade is comprised of:

• Head Chef
• Two Sous Chefs
• Head Pastry Chef
• Senior Chef de Partie
• Chef de Partie
• Junior Chef de Partie
• Kitchen Assistant

Main duties and responsibilities

1. Working as part of a team to ensure the provision of the highest quality meals to students, fellows, staff, their guests and commercial customers. Along with our existing Sous Chef, the Sous Chef is expected to deputize for the Head Chef in his absence and will be involved in all aspects of the kitchen operation.
2. Prepare, cook and present food, as well as overseeing the work of others, to a consistently high standard.
3. To keep up to date with any hygiene / health and safety training required for the post in order to maintain our high level of food safety standards.
4. Assist with the Head Chef with design, planning and preparation of menus for College lunches and dinners, keeping up to date with new menu trends.
5. Work with the Head Chef and the rest of the brigade to contribute towards creating a sustainable kitchen.
6. Work flexibly across all sections of the kitchen as required.
7. Supervise, train and delegate work to other members of the kitchen team.
8. To have a flexible attitude towards work and to understand that the requirements of the post may vary and develop depending on changing circumstances within the College.
9. To work harmoniously with the catering team and bring a positive attitude to your work.
10. To undertake any other duties as directed by the Head Chef or Head of Catering.

Administrative duties

1. To assist the head chef with the provision of food and materials ordering, with budget constraints in mind.
2. Ensure team compliance with agreed risk assessments, HACCP and COSHH regulations and ensure that all HACCP paperwork is completed correctly.
3. To assist with the acceptance of deliveries and ensuring the standards of goods received.
4. Ensure good stock management and control.
5. Ensure that kitchen processes comply with all relevant standard operating procedures, regulations and hygiene requirements.
6. Work collaboratively as part of a busy team.
7. Oversee use and care of kitchen equipment, including daily and weekly cleaning.
8. Report maintenance, hygiene and hazard issues to the Head Chef or Catering Manager.

Events services with food

Outline of current events requiring kitchen services. Please note that these are an indication and may change and develop.

• Monday to Friday Lunch Canteen
• Up to five formals a week, more often this is a maximum of four per week
• Graduation buffets
• Freshers Welcome Canape Events
• Fundraising and Alumni Events
• Conference and Events Services:
  • Commercial dinners
  • Conference catering
  • Wedding receptions

Sustainability

Within the kitchen we ensure all food services are delivered as sustainably as possible, this includes working with local suppliers and seasonal produce where possible, purchasing energy efficient goods and ensuring any carbon produced by our meal services in college can be reduced as far as possible.

Green Templeton recognises that the actions and choices of our community have a huge impact on the college’s environmental footprint, and are committed to embedding sustainable thinking throughout its operations.

Person Specification

The successful candidate will be able to demonstrate that they have or are:

Essential

• Qualified to a minimum level of NVQ Level 3, or equivalent (or qualification by kitchen experience)
• Significant experience of working in the catering industry and of working across all sections of the kitchen producing high quality food in a fine dining environment.
• A passion for creating great food
• Excellent verbal, written communication and interpersonal skills
• Relates professionally with all members of the College and other stakeholders
• Experience of supervising others, including delegating work, instructing and training
• Ability to keep calm under pressure
• Reliable, enthusiastic and self-motivated with a smart professional appearance
• Articulate, innovative and creative
• High attention to detail
• Ability to accept instruction from supervisors
• Well-organised with excellent time management skills
• A good level of computer literacy
• Positive and friendly attitude
• A solid understanding of health and safety and food safety.
• Reliability, honesty and integrity
• Physically fit enough to spend long periods of time on your feet, occasionally lifting and carrying
• Flexibility to work the hours demanded by the position

Desirable

• Advanced Food Hygiene Qualification
• Supervisory qualification
• Experience of managing a kitchen and being the most senior chef on a shift
• Demonstratable experience catering to restricted-diet menu and meal types such as coeliac, lactose free and vegan.
• Experience producing creative, high quality vegan food
• A knowledge of current food trends and modern cooking techniques.
• The desire to create new dishes using seasonal produce and continually develop recipes.

Terms and conditions of employment

Reporting

Head Chef

Hours

Working hours are 40 hours per week to be worked on a split-shift basis (5 days out of 7) to include evening and weekend working. This is a management grade and in line with the seniority of the post, flexibility will be required to meet the demands of the role. Overtime is not paid to staff in management grades.

Salary

Salary Scale 7, within the range £41,936 p.a. – £50,848 p.a. for 40 hours per week, inclusive of Oxford University Weighting Allowance. Appointment salary will be dependent on qualifications and experience. Pay award pending.

Location

The successful candidate will be based on the site at Green Templeton College, Woodstock Road, Oxford, OX2 6HG. The post may require travel to and work at other College and University sites.

Duration

Permanent position. The position is subject to a six-month probationary period.

Other benefits

• Eligibility for Oxford Colleges Healthcare Scheme (paid by employee through salary deduction)
• Enhanced maternity pay
• Sick pay, related to length of service, rising to six months full pay and six months half pay after five years
• Interest-free travel to work loan
• Cycle-to-work scheme
• Parking is currently available on a first-come first-served basis
• Free lunches are provided when the kitchens are open
• Use of college sports facilities including squash, punt and gym
• University Card giving free access to the various university facilities including Oxford Botanic Garden and Arboretum, libraries, sports and other college gardens (by appointment)

Green Templeton welcomes applications from people from all sections of the community and are particularly encouraging those from diverse groups, such as LGBTQ+ and Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic candidates, who currently are under-represented in the college staff team.

How to apply

Please submit the following to hr@gtc.ox.ac.uk by Monday 31 August 2026 at 12:00:

• CV providing details of relevant achievements as well as your professional and educational history.
• Covering letter summarizing your interest in this post and providing evidence of your ability to match the criteria outlined in the Person Specification.
• Details of your latest salary, notice period and names and contact details of two referees. Green Templeton will assume that it is free to approach referees at any stage of the application process unless the applicant states otherwise.
• A Diversity Monitoring Form, which will assist us with monitoring equal opportunities in recruitment. We can assure you that the information given is kept separately from the information used in recruitment decisions; that all information is strictly confidential, used purely for statistical purposes and to ensure that policies are being applied fairly

Recruitment timetable

The closing date is Monday 31 August 2026 at 12:00. Interviews will take place on Monday 28 September 2026. Due to the availability of interview panel members, we regret that will not be able to change this date.

Data protection

All data supplied by applicants will be used only for the purposes of determining their suitability for the post, and will be held in accordance with the principles of the Data Protection Act 2018 and the College’s Data Protection Policy.

Travel expenses

The college will reimburse receipted travel expenses to interview at the rate of a second class rail fare, within the UK.