Assistant Kitchen Manager

Longleat Enterprises Ltd; Warminster; On-site; GBP 26,000 - 32,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

29 days holiday

Free park entry

Complimentary tickets to Longleat and

Friends and family discount

Food & retail discounts

VIP experiences discount

Discretionary bonus

Employee assistance programme

Pension scheme

Life assurance

Perks at work

Flexible working

Job summary

Longleat Enterprises Ltd is seeking a hands-on Kitchen Supervisor to deputise for the Kitchen Manager and lead the park's food production teams. You will ensure high standards of food preparation, safety and service across Longleat and its outlets, while driving cost controls and staff development.

You will work closely with the Kitchen Manager, participate in daily briefings, support recruitment, and promote a culture of continuous improvement and safety in a busy, high-footfall environment.

Qualifications

• Experience in managing kitchen teams in a food production environment.
• Proven ability to meet quality, safety and cost targets.
• Strong coaching and succession planning skills.

Responsibilities

• deputise for Kitchen Manager when needed and lead kitchen teams.
• Attend daily briefings and communicate key information across departments.
• Support recruitment of staff for the food production team.
• Train and develop kitchen team tiers for succession planning.
• Ensure high standards of food preparation and service across outlets.
• Manage stock rotation and FIFO processes; monitor storage levels.
• Conduct regular stock checks and promote safety-first culture.

Skills

Team leadership

Line management

Staff recruitment

Training & coaching

Stock control

Food safety

Tools

Stock management software

Job description

About the role:

Reporting to the Kitchen manager, this role is to deputise in that absence and operationally line manage the Longleat Park food and beverage kitchen teams to deliver both full corporate food safety compliance and to deliver food production excellence consistently across the Longleat and associated food outlets

This is a hands‑on role with a focus on direct team management.

Key responsibilities

To achieve business objectives as set by the Kitchen Manager, which include quality of food guest scores, food safety audit scores, food wastage control tolerances and food production labour costs

• Attend daily briefings as a departmental ambassador and contribute key information to all departments
• Support the Kitchen manager in the recruitment of staff for the food production team in line with requirements
• Train, coach and develop the kitchen team tiers to support succession planning at all levels
• Deliver the highest standard of preparation and service of all food and beverage items
• Line manages the delivery of the required volumes of food items for the food and beverage production areas to meet variable demands as cascaded by weekly park footfall forecasts and data provided by the Food and Beverage Product and Compliance manager.
• Support the Kitchen manager in the control and maintaining of levels of all food storage areas and ensure deliveries are packed away upon receipt and that all stock is rotated using the FIFO system of work
• Provide regular stock checks in line with standard operating procedures
• Manage kitchen safety and promote a culture of safety first within the food and beverage teams.

A little about us

At Longleat we offer a day out like no other, our guests are invited to step into the Thynn family home where they will find the finest example of Elizabethan Architecture. They are also immersed into the wild side, where they can visit over 120 species of animals by car, foot, train, bus, and boat.

With a core business welcoming around 1 million guests every year, we are passionate about providing unforgettable experiences that bring family and friends together to create memories that will last a lifetime.

Why join the Longleat team?

In this unique work environment, you will be surrounded by historic landscapes and listed buildings, all whilst listening to our lions roar and wolves howl. You will even have the opportunity to visit our adorable Koalas and cheeky meerkats during your lunch break.

You will receive attractive benefits that include:

• 29 days holiday inclusive of bank holidays, rising to 31 days at 5 years’ service.
• Unlimited free entry to Longleat for our employees
• Complimentary tickets to Longleat and Cheddar Gorge and Caves, 18 per annum pro rata
• 50% off Membership for Friends and Family
• Discounts on food and beverages and retail merchandise
• Discounts on VIP Experiences and Accommodation
• Discretionary bonus scheme
• Employee Assistance Programme
• Employer contributory pension scheme
• Life assurance scheme
• Perks at work
• Range of flexible working schemes