Kitchen Team Leader

What's the role?

Be part of the team bringing Terracotta to life!

We're opening Terracotta, our brand-new Italian kitchen, at the heart of Waterloo Station in Q4 2026, and we're looking for a passionate and dedicated Kitchen Team Leader to help deliver an exceptional back-of-house operation from day one.

Inspired by the warmth, flavour and authenticity of Italy, Terracotta is all about great food, great people, and memorable dining experiences. As a Kitchen Team Leader, you'll play a vital role in supporting the Head Chef and Sous Chef, ensuring every service runs smoothly and every dish is prepared to the highest standards.

This is a hands-on leadership role where you'll lead by example, support and develop your colleagues, and help create a positive, high-performing kitchen culture. From maintaining food quality and safety standards to coordinating service and training team members, you'll be instrumental in helping Terracotta become one of Waterloo's most exciting dining destinations.

Responsibilities:

• Support the Head Chef and Sous Chef in the day-to-day running of the kitchen.
• Lead and coordinate the kitchen team during service, promoting teamwork, efficiency and high performance.
• Oversee food preparation and cooking processes to ensure consistency, quality and presentation standards are always met.
• Maintain exceptional levels of Food Safety, Health & Safety and kitchen cleanliness.
• Help manage stock levels, deliveries and kitchen organisation.
• Train, coach and support team members, helping to develop their skills and confidence.
• Lead by example, creating a positive and collaborative working environment.
• Assist in ensuring the kitchen is always service-ready and operating efficiently.

The Ideal Candidate Will Have:

• Previous experience in a supervisory, team leader or senior chef role within a busy kitchen environment.
• The ability to motivate, coach and support a diverse team, creating a positive and productive culture.
• A genuine passion for food, hospitality and delivering exceptional guest experiences.
• Strong organisational skills and the ability to perform under pressure in a fast-paced environment.
• A good understanding of Food Safety and Health & Safety requirements.

Wondering who we are?

HMSHost UK, part of the Avolta Group, operates across thousands of locations worldwide in airports, train stations, cruise ships, ports, and motorways. In the UK, we partner with well-known brands such as Leon, Burger King, Starbucks, Comptoir Libanais, and KFC, as well as creating our own unique concepts. Our mission? To transform travel dining into an experience that’s as rewarding as the destination.

What we offer:

We offer a competitive salary, comprehensive benefits package, and the chance to make a meaningful impact within a dynamic, growing business. Our people are at the heart of everything we do, which is why we’re committed to ensuring your satisfaction by providing:

Financial Benefits*:

• An opportunity to earn an extra £50-£500 each time you successfully recommend a friend – unlimited!
• Discount Designer Shopping Platform – up to 50% off retail prices
• Free meals on site
• 50% off any of our locations for you & up to 4 others when you are not working – share the love with your loved ones!
• Benefit platform with exclusive discounts on shopping, cinema tickets, travel, and more

Health Benefits*:

• Access to an employee assistance programme offering support to you and your family members with 24/7 telephone advice, free face-to-face counselling sessions and much more. Your well-being is important to us!
• Healthcare Cash Plan – receive cash back for healthcare expenses including dental, optical, physio, and more
• Access to 24/7 virtual GP appointments
• Discounted gym memberships at over 3000 gyms across the UK
• Free access to apps for virtual physiotherapy treatment and skin cancer screening

Lifestyle benefits*:

• Your birthday off, as a paid holiday, every year!
• A generous life assurance benefit. We want our employees to have peace of mind and security with their future.
• Dedicated training and development plans to support progression. Did you know that almost 70% of our managers were promoted internally? And over 50% at our support office! We want you to grow with us.

*Please note some benefits are non-contractual and may be changed or removed at the company’s discretion; further information will be provided upon commencing employment.

Right to Work in the UK

Candidates must have a valid Right to Work in the UK. This can be demonstrated through one of the following:

• A valid UK passport.
• An original UK birth certificate accompanied by your National Insurance number.
• For non-British nationals, a share code and date of birth to verify your immigration status via the UK Government’s online Right to Work checking service.

Security Pass Requirements: As this role involves working at an secured site, successful candidates will also need to obtain a security pass. For this, we will require valid photo ID, such as a Driving Licence or Passport. Please ensure you can provide the appropriate original documentation during the recruitment process

What Next?

If you want to join us in this exciting adventure & be a part of the Avolta family, apply now and if you are shortlisted, we will be in touch soon to discuss the role further. We regret that due the high volume of applications we may not be able to contact every applicant, if you haven’t heard from us within two weeks then your application has not been shortlisted on this occasion.

Your Data & Privacy

By asking you to submit your CV, HMSHost requests that you only include personal data that is necessary and relevant to the job which is being applied for. We will use your data for recruitment purposes only and will keep your details for one year following the date of your application. For more information, please ask for a copy of our Recruitment Privacy Policy.

At Avolta, we are committed to ensuring our recruitment process is inclusive and accessible for everyone. If you require any reasonable adjustments throughout the recruitment process, please let us know and we will do our best to accommodate your needs.

#INDEP

Benefits:

• Company pension
• Discounted or free food
• Employee discount

Work Location: In person