Job Description
P&O Cruises is Britain’s biggest cruise line. We are part of Carnival Corporation PLC and we have been for 20 years. With amazing career opportunities across the fleet, we’ll help you settle into an exciting life at sea as part of our P&O Cruises family.
We are seeking an experienced Executive Chef to join our fleet and take overall responsibility for food production and galley operations on board. Leading a large, diverse culinary team, you will deliver outstanding dining experiences for both guests and crew, ensuring the highest standards of quality, food safety and compliance. This role combines inspirational leadership with strong commercial awareness, overseeing budgets, stock control and menu execution while continuously enhancing passenger satisfaction. If you thrive in a fast‑paced, high‑volume environment and are passionate about developing teams and delivering exceptional cuisine at sea, this is a fantastic opportunity to advance your career.
We’re keen to connect with experienced culinary leaders who bring the following skills, experience and attributes:
- Senior culinary leadership experience within a high‑volume hospitality operation (e.g. premium hotels, resorts, cruise ships or large restaurant groups)
- A recognised professional culinary qualification (such as City & Guilds, NVQ Level 3 in Food Production, or equivalent)
- A strong understanding of food safety, hygiene and public health standards, ideally supported by a supervising food safety qualification
- Proven experience leading and developing management teams, with the ability to motivate large, multicultural workforces
- Commercially minded, with experience overseeing food costs, inventory, budgeting and waste control
- Passion for delivering exceptional, consistent food quality across multiple dining concepts and catering for diverse dietary requirements
- A collaborative leadership style with a genuine interest in training, coaching and succession development
- Confident communicator with excellent spoken and written English, comfortable engaging with guests and senior stakeholders
- Organised and adaptable, able to remain calm and effective in fast‑paced, operational environments
- Competent with IT systems, including stock, inventory or operational reporting tools
During the recruitment and on boarding process we may not be able to offer an exact start date, but as soon as we can, we will let you know and make sure you have plenty of notice and support to get ready for your adventure with us.
We are working hard to build a flexible and inclusive culture. As part of our culture difference is valued and our people can be themselves. We welcome applications from everyone because inclusivity is at the heart of everything we do. We do not discriminate on the basis of age, disability, gender, race, religion or belief, sexual orientation, marriage & civil partnership and pregnancy & maternity.
At P&O Cruises, we collaborate with a variety of reputable agencies who will never ask you to pay a hiring fee or any other associated monies in order to submit an application to us. All applications are reviewed against the same criteria and using an agency will not increase your chances of being successful.
Before starting an assignment with Carnival UK (P&O Cruises & Cunard), it may be necessary for you to obtain essential compliance documents or undertake training, initially at your cost. A number of these costs are refundable after your first assignment has begun; for further information, please speak to your recruitment contact.