Chef Manager

Ark Atwood Primary Academy; Greater London; On-site; GBP 35,000 - 41,000; Full time

Job summary

Ark Atwood Primary Academy in Westminster, London, is seeking a Chef Manager to lead the catering team, create innovative menus for around 450 pupils and staff, and drive the food education programme across the school.

You will manage budget, stock, and safety standards within a 36-hour week (term time plus two weeks), with a start date in November 2026. This role requires a catering qualification and experience with large-scale food service.

Qualifications

• Experience cooking in large quantities for school-age children.
• Experience managing kitchen staff.
• Experience working with children and diverse dietary needs.
• Knowledge of healthy eating and nutrition.
• Excellent communication skills with children and adults.

Responsibilities

• Lead the catering team and ensure high-quality lunches and refreshments for around 450 pupils, staff and visitors.
• Develop menus on a three-week cycle and manage costs, stock, and wastage.
• Oversee food education, health and safety, and customer service across the school.

Skills

Cooking in large quantities

Kitchen staff management

Working with children

Nutrition knowledge

Communication skills

Customer care

Stock and cost control

Education

GCSE/O-level standard

Catering qualification

Tools

Stock management systems

Budgeting tools

Job description

ChefManager

Be supported andencouraged to be the best that you can be

Start date: November2026

Salary: Ark Support Staff (Inner London) Band 7: Full timeequivalent circa £35,368 - £41,010; actual pro-rata salary circa dependent onthe experience and calibre of candidate.

Hours: 36hours per week Monday - Friday, term time plus two weeks during school holidayperiods (41 weeks per year in total)

Location: ArkAtwood Primary Academy, Westminster, London

Nearest Tube station: RoyalOak (Hammersmith & City, Circle) or Warwick Avenue (Bakerloo)

Deadline: Friday 6th November 2026 10am

Ofsted: Outstanding in all areas (2024)

Visits to our school are warmly encouraged; to arrange, please call 0207 266 7070.

Ark Atwood is passionate aboutlife-changing teaching and instilling an eagerness to learn within our pupils.The success of our staff has led to a rating of outstanding by Ofsted, just twoyears after opening.

In order tohelp us achieve our vision for success, we are looking for a Chef Manager to join our team. You will be responsible for leading the catering team, creating new exciting menus andleading the food education across the school. You will play a pivotal role in acommitted team and make a real impact on the outcomes of our pupils. Greatimportance is placed on the welfare of the pupils, with the catering operationbeing central to this.

As a member of staff at Ark Atwood, youwill be part of Ark, an international charity and one of the UK's mostsuccessful multi-academy trusts, with a network of 35 schools in 4 locationsacross the country.

JobDescription: Chef Manager

Reporting to: Executive Principal

Responsible for: Catering assistants

Start date: November2026

Location: Ark Atwood PrimaryAcademy, W9 2JY

Contract: Term time + 2 weeks (41weeks per year), 36 hours per week Monday – Friday

Salary: Ark Support Staff (Inner London) Band 7: Full time equivalent circa £35,368 - £41,010;actual pro-rata salary circa dependent on the experience and calibre of candidate.

The Role

As ChefManager you will lead the team responsible for ensuring the highest quality oflunches and afterschool refreshments to around 450 pupils, staff and visitorsdaily, within pre-agreed budgetary terms.

Tocontinuously develop the catering service and education at school through theintroduction of innovation and interest, being mindful that all innovation mustbe to the benefit of the health and well-being of the pupils and the promotionof a healthy well-balanced lifestyle.

Key Responsibilities

Meal Service

• Continuously develop thecatering service at school through innovative planning, prioritising the healthand well-being of students and the promotion of a healthy well-balancedlifestyle.
• Be the lead chef whencatering for meals, including special events or functions.
• Draw up a three weeklymenu cycle for each term based on suitability for 4 – 11 year old's,seasonality, fresh ingredients and nutritional balance and market initiative.
• Create individual menusfor specific hospitality events.
• Order all items requiredfor the production of these menus.
• Manage costs and stock ofall areas of food productions, in keeping with the academy’s catering budget,recording monthly stock counts and calculate food costs accordingly.
• Keepa record of all kitchen (not plate) wastage and cost this wastage at the end ofeach week. Calculate the percentage wasted to total food consumption monthly(target 5%).

Finance Management

• Ensurethat the Catering Department operates at maximum efficiency within budgetarytargets to deliver the required level of service at all times.
• Atleast one term in advance of the start of the budget financial year, draw up adraft catering budget in conjunction with the Headteacher for discussion. Makerevisions and agree final budget against which targets will be set.
• Monitorfinancial performance monthly and in a format agreed with the Senior LeadershipTeam. Any overspends to be either justified or an action plan produced whichrectifies the overspend in the following reporting period.
• Evidenceof catering financial best practice to be in place such as recipe/dishcostings, cost per head calculations, wastage monitoring and minimum monthlystock-takes.
• Arrangethe working rota cover effectively ensuring that all areas are fully coveredand that the labour force is used to best effect both operationally andfinancially.

People Management

• Tobe the primary point of contact for the catering team and to be responsible forall matters relating to the welfare, motivation, achievement of best practiceand development of this team.
• Toassist with all interviews for the catering team, appointing new employees asnecessary. Ensuring induction training, setting early objectives and acting asa guardian/mentor, as appropriate, for new team members.
• Toconduct annual and mid-year appraisals for the Catering Team, identifying areasfor improvement, setting new targets and formulating training plans to improveskills etc.
• ProduceIndividual and Group Training Plans and conduct internal training accordingly,noting all training on the Individual Training Record Cards.Organise all internal training for thecatering team, producing a comprehensive Training Plan three months prior tothe beginning of the following academic year, from the training needsidentified at the annual appraisals. Update personnel files accordingly.

Operational

• Promoteexceptional standards of customer service, interacting with customers toreceive feedback, to ensure that all services, operate in a friendly andefficient manner at all times
• Completedaily pre-service checks to ensure that all areas are fully sourced and readyfor service
• Ensurethat all members of the kitchen team are aware of their duties, especiallyduring service periods, and the kitchen team are motivated and work closely, toensure they run smoothly
• Establishand maintain systems and procedures in all operational areas under your controlin order to monitor, maintain and improve upon the standards of the product andservice as agreed.
• Interactwith customers at every service period ensuring that the service is runningsmoothly and that the customers are happy with the service they are receiving.
• Operatea customer feedback system that allows constructive feedback to be gathered andsuggestions to be implemented if practically or financially possible.Acknowledge and respond to all customer feedback.
• Ensurea set of pre-service checklists that ensures that all areas, whether within themain dining hall or at a function, are fully sourced and ready for the serviceto commence.
• Promoteexceptional standards of customer service, ensuring that all services, whethercore feeding or hospitality, operate in a friendly, smooth and efficient mannerat all times.
• Introducenew service innovations on a regular basis including special days andschool-related themes.
• Ensurewith that all members of the catering team are aware of duties throughoutthe day, especially during service periods, and that the kitchen team work veryclosely together during these periods to ensure that they run as smoothly aspossible

Food safety

• Ensure all food is prepared and cooked inaccordance with food safety policies
• Ensurethat all records relating to the safe storage, preparation and storage of foodare maintained and accessible for inspection at any time.
• Ensurethat all kitchen equipment, work and service areas are maintained andspotlessly clean at all times and that appropriate cleaning schedules are inplace, completed and archived.
• Carryout deep cleans of the kitchen, food storage and dining areas of the school asdirected by the Headteacher.
• Ensurethat all food handlers are food safety trained and understand theirresponsibilities.

Health and Safety

• To be responsible for alllegislative requirements including health, safety, fire and hygienelegislation.
• To ensure that all staffmembers are trained and follow safe working practice at all times.
• Ensure that all cateringequipment is safe to use and that all maintenance issues are reported as theyarise.

Education

• Tolead on the food education for the school, engaging directly with the pupils ina variety of ways, such as assemblies, cooking classes and staff meetings.
• Toengage all children in food education through interesting and relevant displaysin the hall and any other appropriate school spaces
• To manage an effective communication strategy between all departments and thecatering department
• Ensureall marketing, menus and emails are correct in tone and language.

Other

• Carryout other tasks as directed by the Senior Leadership Team.
• Attendexternal meetings or training courses as required.

Person Specification: Chef Manager

Qualification Criteria

• Right to work in the UK
• Educated to O Level/GCSEstandard or equivalent with passes in English and Maths. (High standard ofliteracy and numeracy)
• Relevant cateringqualification is essential
• Health & Safety andFood Hygiene L2, desirable
• First Aid qualification,desirable

Knowledge, Skills and Experience

• Experience of cooking in large quantities
• Experience managing kitchen staff, desirable
• Experience working with children, desirable
• Experience of cultural diversity, with particular referenceto food preparation and dietary preferences, is desirable
• Knowledge of healthy eating and nutrition and creatingrelated menus
• Excellent communication skills with children and adults,verbally and in writing
• Strong and demonstrable experience in providing first classcustomer care
• A working knowledge of booking, stock management or financialIT packages
• A diverse career portfolio to include culinary experience,front of house management and catering management, desirable

Personal Characteristics

• Genuinepassion for and a belief in the potential of every student
• Deepcommitment to Ark’s mission of providing an excellent education to allstudents, regardless of their background
• Aninnovator with a creative flair, who is up to date with modern food trends
• Conscientious,detail orientated and highly organised
• Goodpeople management with the ability to delegate and motivate
• Excellentteam player, helpful, friendly and willing to undertake extra tasks as and whennecessary
• Goodrole model for students and staff, with high expectations for self and others
• Genuineinterest in and willingness to help children learn how to eat healthily
• Enthusiasmfor high nutritional standards
• Hard-working,flexible and able to work with minimal supervision
• Calmand approachable, even under pressure
• Commitmentand enthusiasm for environmental issues
• Smartand well presented at all times

Other

• Commitmentto equality of opportunity and the safeguarding and welfare of all pupils
• Willingnessto undertake training
• The post holder will be subject to an enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service check