Culinary Director

Culinary Director (North & Midlands)

Salary: Up to £65,000 per annum + Car Allowance + Performance KPI Bonus (10%)

Location: Field-Based / Regional Coverage

Contract: Full-Time, Permanent

The Opportunity

Pineapple Recruitment is proud to partner with a dominant force in the UK education catering sector. Managing large-scale foodservice contracts across primary and secondary schools, our client combines strict adherence to government nutritional standards with modern, trend-led menu innovation.

They are seeking a strategic, commercially driven Culinary Director to lead the continued delivery and operational quality across their North and Midlands regions. Serving as the business's "culinary engine," you will balance high-level financial planning and budget management with creative culinary leadership—translating high-street food and allergen trends into scalable, sustainable, and high-volume school menus while driving gross profit margins and inspiring multi-site kitchen teams.

Key Responsibilities

• Strategic Menu & Trend Innovation: Design forward-thinking, nutritionally compliant menus for primary and secondary portfolios. Proactively track, evaluate, and integrate emerging culinary, dietary, and allergen trends into scalable high-volume concepts.

• Financial & Budgetary Control: Manage regional culinary budgets, protect Gross Profit targets through rigorous cost control, waste reduction, site-level recipe compliance, and strategic alignment with core supplier contracts.

• Allergen & Regulatory Compliance: Maintain absolute, up-to-date compliance across all sites regarding UK School Food Standards, Natasha’s Law, allergen management protocols, and dietary requirements.

• Operational Excellence: Standardise recipes, spec sheets, and presentation guides to guarantee consistent food quality and service across all regional contracts.

• Sales & Mobilisation: Lead the culinary presentation strategy for sales bids, delivering high-impact food tastings, client pitches, and seamless mobilisations for new school contract wins.

• Team Leadership & Coaching: Mentor and upskill kitchen teams across multiple locations through hands-on training, workshops, and practical technique demonstrations.

Skills & Experience Required

• Strategic & Financial Acumen: Strong budget management, GP, and P&L oversight within high-volume or multi-site catering operations, with a strategic approach to food cost optimisation.

• Allergen & Trend Expertise: Up-to-speed with modern culinary developments, consumer food trends, and deep expertise in UK allergen legislation and food safety frameworks.

• Bid & Pitch Delivery: Confident and engaging FOH presence with a track record of winning client tenders through food tastings and commercial presentations.

• Culinary Leadership: A passionate, innovative chef with the technical skills to adapt high-street food trends into creative, high-volume school menus.

• Hands-on Coaching: A "roll-up-your-sleeves" approach to mentoring and upskilling kitchen teams across a wide geographical region.

What’s On Offer

• Financial Package: Base salary up to £65,000 per annum, company car allowance, and a 10% performance-based KPI bonus.

• Generous Leave: 28 days annual leave + Bank Holidays + your birthday off as an extra paid day!

• Flexibility: Option to buy or sell annual leave to suit your lifestyle.

• Health & Security: Private healthcare, generous pension scheme, life assurance, and enhanced family-friendly leave.

• Perks & Wellbeing: High street discount and rewards platform, dedicated wellbeing resources, and clear pathways for senior career growth.

Contact Us About This Vacancy

Pineapple Recruitment is acting as a Recruitment Agency on behalf of our client for this vacancy.