head chef
Head chefs manage the kitchen to oversee the preparation, cooking and service of food.
head chef head chefs manage the kitchen to oversee the preparation, cooking and service of food. The role shows moderate AI exposure (0.46 on a 0-1 scale) — some tasks are being automated but the role adapts. The most in-demand skills for the role include food waste monitoring systems, food storage, types of whisks, train staff to reduce food waste, comply with food safety and hygiene.
Pay in the UK
UK: median £30,010 a year for Chefs (ONS ASHE 2025, full-time)
Middle half of full-time jobs: £25,894 to £36,126 a year
UK jobs are grouped differently; this is the closest UK occupation group (ONS SOC 2020 5434). ONS rates this estimate precise. 2025 provisional figures; ONS revises them a year later. Source: ONS Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (Open Government Licence)
Pay in India (occupation group)
Average monthly earnings of salaried employees in the occupation group “Technicians and associate professionals” in India, from the Government of India's Periodic Labour Force Survey (January–December 2025). It covers everyone in this group, not only head chef, and it is not US pay converted to rupees.
Source: MoSPI (Government of India), Periodic Labour Force Survey Annual Report 2025, Table 51 — average wage/salary earnings of regular wage/salaried employees, NCO-2015 division 3. Official India data gives one average per occupation group: there are no official India figures for single careers, experience levels or cities. Read the report
Top skills
Knowledge you'll build
- Food Production
- Production and Processing
- Customer and Personal Service
- Personnel and Human Resources
- Administration and Management
- Mathematics
- Education and Training
- English Language
What you'd actually do
- Monitor sanitation practices to ensure that employees follow standards and regulations.
- Instruct cooks or other workers in the preparation, cooking, garnishing, or presentation of food.
- Supervise or coordinate activities of cooks or workers engaged in food preparation.
- Order or requisition food or other supplies needed to ensure efficient operation.
- Inspect supplies, equipment, or work areas to ensure conformance to established standards.
- Check the quantity and quality of received products.
Tools & technology you'd use
Frequently asked questions
What does head chef do?
Head chefs manage the kitchen to oversee the preparation, cooking and service of food.
What skills does head chef need?
The most in-demand skills for this role include food waste monitoring systems, food storage, types of whisks, train staff to reduce food waste, comply with food safety and hygiene, manage budgets. These are the skills O*NET identifies as most important for competent performance.
Will AI replace head chef?
Our AI-durability model gives head chef a score of 0.46 on a 0-1 scale (higher = more exposure). That places it at moderate AI exposure — some tasks are being automated but the role adapts. Learning to work with AI tools rather than against them is the path forward.