Executive Chef | London, 155 Bishopsgate EC2M 3YD
The Opportunity
We are looking for an Executive Chef to lead our culinary strategy, kitchen operations, and culinary team at 155 Bishopsgate—one of our premier Meetings & Events venues in the heart of London. Reporting directly to the General Manager, you will oversee the full culinary offering across our state-of-the-art corporate, conference, and private event spaces.
This role requires operational flexibility that mirrors the natural rhythms of the corporate events calendar. Driven by corporate schedules, day-to-day operations predominantly lean towards a Monday-to-Friday structure, interspersed with evening and weekend events throughout the year. Unlike traditional restaurant hospitality, our event cycle offers distinct non-peak periods—particularly during August and over the festive season, when our venues close completely for Christmas. This provides a genuine contrast to traditional high-street restaurant hours, allowing for far greater work-life balance during quieter periods, paired with dynamic, high-energy execution during our peak event seasons.
You will bring exceptional agility to adapt to bespoke client requests and dynamic event requirements, whilst driving seasonal and artisan menu development, managing department finances, and building a high-performing kitchen culture. Working closely with our Head of Culinary, you will also help drive broader culinary standards and training initiatives across our UK portfolio.
We’re Here For You:
At Convene, you’ll receive:
- Generous paid time off, including an extra day off for your birthday
- Participation in our pension scheme with contributions from Convene
- Professional development support
- Wellness subsidy to support your wellbeing
- Savings on bikes and equipment through Convene’s Cycle to Work programme
- A chance to be part of a truly dynamic, growing team and business
- The opportunity to have a significant impact on your team and the business in the work that you do
Food Vision
Our culinary direction at Convene is anchored in six core values: Modern, Seasonal, Generous, Innovative, Sustainable, and Commercial. You will ensure our food remains highly relevant to discerning London professionals and international guests, delivering high-impact flavours and artisan quality that challenge and transcend traditional expectations of corporate event dining.
What You’ll Do
Culinary Direction & Menu Development
- Formulate and execute our culinary vision, menu design, and overall culinary identity, incorporating dynamic food trends, fine-dining precision, and seasonal/artisan sourcing.
- Deliver tailored, bespoke culinary experiences by maintaining a high degree of flexibility and responsiveness to diverse client requests, custom event requirements, and guest preferences.
- Establish and manage direct supplier relationships to secure the best produce, pricing, and product knowledge.
- Oversee end-to-end food production for all onsite outlets, high-profile conferences, and multi-million-pound private events.
- Drive innovation by staying ahead of global culinary trends, ensuring Convene remains at the forefront of the London dining scene.
- Review Programme Event Orders (PEOs), mapping out preparation workflows and delegating station assignments to ensure high-volume, customised execution across all spaces.
- Align culinary programming with venue brand pillars, member expectations, and London’s competitive dining landscape.
Kitchen Operations & Quality Assurance
- Manage all day-to-day culinary operations across the venue, ensuring food quality, presentation, and service consistency meet elevated Convene standards. Working closely with the Head Chef, develop the team to ensure robust operational coverage.
- Supervise daily setup, anticipate business volume, and dynamically adjust work schedules, staffing levels, and station preparation accordingly.
- Maintain strict sanitation, food handling, food safety, and organisation standards to keep the kitchen in continuous "tour-ready" condition.
- Direct the purchasing, receiving, proper storage, and inventory control of all food items, kitchen supplies, and equipment to minimise waste and ensure peak readiness.
- Oversee the maintenance, servicing, and care of all kitchen equipment.
Financial Management & Administration
- Own food cost, labour cost, and overall kitchen operating expenses, maintaining disciplined, data-driven targets.
- Conduct weekly and monthly financial and stock audits to evaluate food costs, operational efficiency, and overall profitability.
- Actively participate in client satisfaction initiatives and guest feedback programmes, adapting operations to continuously elevate the client experience.
Team Leadership & Culture
- Attract, hire, mentor, and retain a high-performing culinary team, fostering a supportive, adaptable work environment focused on daily skill development.
- Conduct pre-shift meetings to brief staff on daily business, bespoke client specifications, production goals, and service details.
- Ensure fair, equitable treatment of all team members and address staff issues professionally and promptly.
The First 90 Days
- Immerse yourself in the venue, team, and Convene culinary vision.
- Finalise the venue's culinary operational strategy and establish key daily workflows.
- Conduct supplier and kitchen reviews and ensure proficiency across daily and weekly management platforms.
- Support hiring and onboarding key culinary team members whilst establishing kitchen protocols.
- Lead menu development, tastings, and preparation for seasonal rollouts.
- Refine service workflows and embed Convene's culinary identity within the venue.
What We Look For
- Education: Qualified by experience, Degree or diploma in Culinary Arts (or equivalent NVQ/City & Guilds qualifications), or recognised professional cookery qualification backed by hands-on culinary leadership.
- Experience: Minimum 5 years of progressive culinary and kitchen management experience in high-volume, premier venues, including leading teams ranging from small kitchen crews up to 20+ staff members.
- Specialised Knowledge & Attributes
- High operational adaptability and a client-first mindset to accommodate tailored menus and dynamic event needs.
- Proven track record leading fine-dining, farm-driven, or high-volume complex food service operations.
- Extensive experience managing large-scale private events, banquets, and customised corporate hospitality programmes.
- Deep understanding of UK Food Safety regulations, HACCP guidelines, Food Hygiene Standards, labour management, profit-and-loss targets, and inventory systems.
- In-depth knowledge of the London food scene, market trends, and how to integrate local concepts into property offerings.
- Technical Proficiency: Proficient with software tools including Google Workspace, Slack, and Zoom.
- Leadership Style: A visionary leader who inspires excellence, promotes a culture of continuous learning, and maintains composure in high-pressure operational environments.
Physical Requirements & Working Conditions
- Capability to stand, sit, or walk for extended periods.
- Flexibility to work long or irregular hours, including early mornings, late nights, and weekends based on operational volume and client events.
Who We Are:
Convene is a premium hospitality company that designs and operates meeting, event, flexible office, and membership spaces. With a network of 38 locations across nine cities in the U.S. and UK, Convene thoughtfully combines beautiful yet intuitive design, fully-integrated technology services, and a warm and welcoming environment to create a turnkey solution for extraordinary meeting and work experiences. Founded in 2009 with the goal of bringing hospitality and lifestyle into traditional commercial real estate assets, Convene partners with the industry’s top landlords to deliver increased value to their assets and premium experiences to their tenants. The company counts Hudson’s Bay Company, Ares, and RXR Realty among its investors and has been named one of America’s 100 Most Promising Companies by Forbes and a Best Workplace by Inc. magazine, Fortune magazine, and Built In. Learn more at https://convene.com/
