Performance Chef
14 hours ago
Portsmouth
Job title: Performance Chef – Portsmouth Football Club Location: Portsmouth FC Training Ground at Pompey Health and Fitness, 442 Copnor Road, Hilsea, Portsmouth PO3 5EW with travel where required Hours of work: Full time – 42.5 hours/week The role will require flexibility to work irregular hours, including evenings, weekends, Sundays and Bank Holidays, in line with the Club's training and match schedule. Reports to: Sporting Director Remuneration: £47590 per annum Join Our Team – Be Part of Pompey's Future Are you a passionate and experienced Performance Chef looking for an exciting opportunity within professional football? We are looking for a motivated individual to lead the kitchen operations and oversee the food provision for the First team, Pompey FC Academy, Café and Pompey Women FC. Working in a fast-paced, team-focused environment, you will play an important role in providing high-quality, nutritious food that supports the health, wellbeing and performance of our players and staff. You will lead and develop our kitchen team, working closely with the Club's Performance Nutritionist and wider Performance and Medical teams to ensure our food provision supports player performance, recovery and individual dietary needs. We are looking for someone who is passionate about food and takes pride in delivering consistently high standards of quality, hygiene and presentation. You will bring strong leadership, creativity and organisation, alongside the professionalism, flexibility and discretion required when working within a professional football environment. This is a great opportunity to lead an important part of our training ground operation and make a real contribution to the day-to-day environment and performance of the Club. Role Summary As the Performance Chef, you will plan, prepare and deliver a high‑quality, nutritionally aligned meals that support athlete performance and wellbeing. Working closely with the club's nutrition and sports science teams, the role translates dietary plans into healthy meals tailored to the training demands, match schedules, and individual needs. The Performance Chef ensures consistency, innovation, and professionalism in all culinary outputs, contributing directly to the club's wider performance culture. Key Responsibilities: Kitchen Operations & Performance Nutrition Oversee all food provision at the training ground, including breakfast, lunch, recovery meals and snacks for players and relevant staff. Work closely with the Club's Performance Nutritionist and Performance team to develop varied, balanced and performance-focused menus that support training, matchday and recovery requirements. Ensure individual player requirements are appropriately catered for, including allergies and intolerances, as well as religious, cultural and other dietary needs. Plan and coordinate pre- and post-match food provision for away travel, working with the Performance Nutritionist and Club Secretary to maintain consistently high standards. Adapt menus to reflect seasonal ingredients, changing schedules and evolving player and team requirements. Lead on food safety, hygiene and allergen management, ensuring all relevant records, processes and management systems are maintained. Source high-quality, fresh and sustainable ingredients, managing budgets responsibly and minimising food waste. Build positive relationships with players and staff, supporting a positive culture around food, nutrition and wellbeing. Support informal nutrition education alongside the Performance Nutritionist, sharing knowledge and encouraging positive food choices. Leadership & Management Lead, develop and motivate the kitchen team, creating a positive and high-performing environment that reflects the standards expected across the First team, Pompey FC Academy, Café and Pompey Women FC. Manage the day-to-day performance of the team, including rotas, training, performance management and recruitment. Set clear standards and expectations, ensuring consistently high levels of professionalism, quality and service across the kitchen operation. Work collaboratively with Football, Performance, Medical and other relevant departments to ensure the kitchen operation effectively supports the wider needs of the Club. Attend relevant meetings and contribute to the planning and implementation of performance nutrition and operational requirements. Given the hours of work in this role, the successful candidate should live within close travel proximity to Portsmouth or be willing to relocate to within close proximity to the city. Your Skills and Experience Qualifications: Essential: Level 3 Food Safety and Hygiene Certificate This role requires an enhanced DBS Check Desirable: NVQ Level 3 in Professional Cookery Sports Nutrition Qualification Experiences: Essential Significant experience as a Head Chef Evidence based track record of leading a team and managing a budget Excellent planning and organisational skills to quickly adapt to changing schedules Knowledge of specialist diets (e.g. plant-based, gluten-free) and cultural dietary requirements. Confident managing kitchen operations independently and in fast-paced environments. Desirable Experience working in elite sport or high-performance settings. Genuine interest in professional football and elite athlete performance Ready to Lead the Way: The Club will not consider applications via third parties. To apply send your CV and cover letter to Lina Small – hr@pompeyfc.co.uk no later than 5pm on 8th November 2026. If you don't hear from us within 7 days of the closing date, please consider that your application was unsuccessful. Given the hours of work in this role, the successful candidate should live within close travel proximity to Portsmouth or be willing to relocate to within close proximity to the city. If you don't hear from us within 7 days of the closing date, please consider that your application was unsuccessful. At Portsmouth Football Club we are committed to Equality, Diversity and Inclusion and we aim to build an accurate picture of the make-up for our talent pools. Therefore, we ask that you submit the information on the below link to ensure we are always attracting a broad and diverse range of exceptional talent from all areas of society. Responses are anonymous and the data gathered will be used to inform our future initiatives but filling in this form is voluntary https://forms.gle/H7NmjG95fgLSaWPD7 General Information: We promote an equal, diverse, and inclusive workplace and we are committed to providing the best experience for our colleagues. As a business we aim to be as representative of as many sections of society as possible, and for each colleague to feel respected and able to give of their best every day. We ensure that we treat people the right way, promote respect and believe that making the most of our differences is the key to the success of our business. We take a robust approach to modern slavery and human trafficking and our organisation is absolutely committed to preventing slavery and human trafficking in our corporate activities, and to ensuring that our supply chains are free from slavery and human trafficking. Safeguarding Portsmouth Football Club is committed to the safeguarding and welfare of all children, young people and adults at risk and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. We are committed to ensuring that any club related activity will be in a safe environment where children, young people and adults at risk are protected from harm or abuse whilst under our care. We acknowledge that every child, young person, or adult at risk who plays or participates in football should be able to take part in an enjoyable and safe environment and be protected from poor practice and abuse. Portsmouth Football Club recognises that this is the responsibility of every adult involved in our club. We must always respect the dignity and spirit of all people, including children, young people and adults at risk. Treat everyone fairly, encourage a supportive and positive environment to promote healthy competition, skill development, fun and achievement. Avoid contact or conduct that may be interpreted or defined as inappropriate. Health and Safety Portsmouth Football Club is committed to ensuring the health, safety, and well-being of all employees, contractors, visitors, and others who may be affected by our operations. As part of this commitment, you are expected to take reasonable care for your own health and safety, as well as that of others. You must comply with the company's health and safety policies, procedures, and any legal requirements relevant to your role. Together, we aim to maintain a safe and supportive environment that promotes the welfare and security of everyone involved in our activities. Data Protection The Club process all personal data collected during the recruitment process in accordance with complies with Data Protection Act (2018) and GDPR. Data collected as part of the recruitment process is held securely and accessed by, and disclosed to, individuals only for the purposes of managing the recruitment exercise effectively. All data that is deemed unnecessary will be disposed off at the end of recruitment process in line with our GDPR procedure. TPBN1_UKCT