Senior Sous Chef - Bodymoor Heath Training Ground, Birmingham | Full-Time / Permanent

Competitive salary + excellent benefits including healthcare, wellbeing support, 23 days' annual leave plus bank holidays, life assurance, meals on duty, and more.

Role purpose

The Senior Sous Chef for Aston Villa Men’s First Team plays a key operational and leadership role in delivering a comprehensive nutrition strategy, ensuring performance nutrition and athlete requirements are optimised at every level.

The role will be primarily training ground-based; however, there is an expectation to follow the first-team schedule and provide support where required.

Working closely with the Executive Performance Chef and club nutritionists, the Senior Sous Chef is responsible for leading all first-team training ground operations, ensuring exceptional food quality, consistency, and innovation that directly support player performance, recovery, and first-team preferences.

This role is integral to the performance nutrition “fresh, food-first” philosophy that fuels European performances and Premier League excellence. This is not just another culinary role — it is an opportunity to impact elite athletic performance through world-class nutrition.

The position combines hands-on culinary expertise with leadership responsibility, overseeing service delivery, mentoring junior chefs, and delivering consistent standards across all men’s first-team training ground operations.

The Senior Sous Chef may also play a key role in matchday catering at both Bodymoor Heath and Villa Park, ensuring seamless execution for the first team.

This is a unique opportunity to contribute to the continued growth and success of Aston Villa Men’s First Team, aligned with the club’s philosophy: “Proud History, Bright Future.”

About Bodymoor Heath Training Ground

Aston Villa’s Bodymoor Heath Training Ground is one of the most advanced football training facilities in the country. It is home to the men’s and women’s first teams, as well as the academy, serving as a central hub for player development, sports science, and elite performance.

The kitchens and dining areas form a vital part of this environment, providing tailored, performance-focused nutrition that fuels Aston Villa athletes every day.

Aston Villa Key Relationships

• Head of Nutrition
• Performance Nutritionists
• Executive Performance Chef
• Catering Manager

Senior Sous Chef - The Role

• Kitchen Leadership: Support the Executive Performance Chef and the Levy Head Chef in leading the day-to-day operations of the men’s first-team training ground kitchen, ensuring high and consistent standards across strategic preparation, planning, and delivery.
• Food Preparation and Service: Lead and actively participate in the preparation, cooking, and presentation of meals to elite standards.
• Performance Nutrition Delivery: Execute menus and nutritional strategies in collaboration with Aston Villa’s nutritionists and Executive Performance Chef, ensuring meals are aligned with the specific needs of the men’s first team.
• Training Ground Operations: Lead and manage all areas of the training ground in the absence of the Levy Head Chef for a short period of time, ensuring standards are consistently maintained and delivered effectively while working efficiently under pressure.
• Team Management & Development: Supervise, mentor, and develop junior chefs, fostering a culture of excellence, learning, and accountability.
• Menu & Strategy Development: Contribute to and lead menu planning and innovation, incorporating modern food trends and performance nutrition principles. Support the creation of a fresh, food-first performance nutrition strategy aligned with the men’s first-team philosophy.
• Food Safety & Compliance: Ensure full adherence to food safety, allergen management, and health & safety standards.
• Stock Control & Cost Management: Assist in managing stock, ordering, and waste reduction to maintain efficiency and cost control.
• Collaboration: Work closely with chefs, nutritionists, sports science, operations, and performance teams to deliver the requirements of the men’s first team.
• Standards & Continuous Improvement: Drive consistency, quality, and continuous improvement across all kitchen operations, both at the training ground and when representing Aston Villa in any capacity.