Chef Manager

Surrey County Council; Staines-upon-Thames; On-site; GBP 16,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading organization is seeking a kitchen supervisor for Laleham School, focusing on delivering nutritious, tasty meals to children. The role involves managing kitchen operations, supervising staff, and ensuring a high-quality dining experience aligned with health regulations. This position offers a competitive salary, rewards, and benefits, supporting a healthy work-life balance, and a commitment to inclusivity.

Benefits

Final salary pension

Discounts on various services

Health and wellbeing support

Employee Assistance Programme

Full induction

Training and development opportunities

Qualifications

• Passion and skill for cooking to produce high-quality meals.
• Understanding of kitchen safety and health regulations.
• Experience in supervising staff and managing kitchen operations.

Responsibilities

• Manage daily kitchen operations and meal production.
• Order supplies and control stock effectively.
• Inspire a team using creativity to produce nutritious meals.

Skills

Passion and skill for cooking

Health and Safety Certificate Level 1

Level 2 Food Safety Certificate

NVQ Level 2 in food preparation and cooking

Excellent communication skills

Teamwork skills

Leadership skills

Customer service skills

Experience supervising staff

Good time management

Education

NVQ Level 2 in food preparation and cooking

Level 2 Food Safety Certificate

Job description

Description

This role is based at Laleham School. You will work during term time and be paid a salary throughout the year, including school holidays.

The starting salary is £15,707 per annum for working 27.50 hours per week, 38.4 weeks per year (equivalent to £12.93 per hour), plus an annual leave allowance.

Rewards and Benefits

• Final salary pension
• Discounts on various services including food shopping
• Health and wellbeing support
• Employee Assistance Programme
• Full induction
• Term-time hours that support a good work/life balance
• Training and development opportunities, including a Level 3 Food Hygiene Qualification

About the Role

You will use your passion, creativity, and enthusiasm to inspire a team to produce an outstanding menu using fresh ingredients. Your responsibilities include recording meal transactions, controlling stock, ordering supplies, and managing the daily operations of the kitchen. The main goal is to provide nutritious, tasty meals to support children's health and development.

Customer service aligns with the Twelve15 Vision and Mission. You should be a great communicator, capable of working with school clients and promoting the service's benefits.

Key Skills

• Passion and skill for cooking, with the ability to produce high-quality meals
• Health and Safety Certificate Level 1 and understanding of kitchen safety
• Level 2 Food Safety Certificate
• NVQ Level 2 in food preparation and cooking or equivalent
• IT and administrative skills
• Excellent communication, teamwork, leadership, and customer service skills
• Experience supervising staff and managing a kitchen
• Experience using catering equipment and training others
• Good time management and flexibility regarding locations

Additional relevant skills, interests, or knowledge, such as expertise in allergies or nutrition, are welcome. If you have extensive experience in catering management without the formal qualifications, we encourage you to apply.

Shortlisting

To be considered, your CV and responses to the following questions must demonstrate your knowledge, skills, and qualifications:

• Why is healthy eating important for children, and what is the impact of healthy school meals?
• Describe your experience working in a kitchen and your role in food production.
• Share your experience supervising or managing staff responsible for large-scale food production.
• List relevant skills and qualifications for this role.

Contact Us

Contact us with questions about the role, flexible working, transferable skills, or barriers to employment. The application deadline is 23:59 on 10th July 2025, with interviews to follow. Please apply online using the button below.

Additional Information

Surrey County Council is preparing for Local Government Reorganisation, which will create new unitary councils from April 2027. This role will transfer to the new council with existing terms and conditions.

We value our staff and are committed to inclusivity. Surrey is a Disability Confident Employer, offering guaranteed interviews to disabled applicants who meet the role's minimum criteria and have disclosed their disability. Reasonable adjustments can be requested during the application and interview process.

We welcome applications from all underrepresented groups to reflect our diverse community.