Chef Manager - Pontefract

Chartwells Independent; Pontefract; On-site; GBP 34,000 - 41,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Company pension

Employee discounts

Wellbeing support

Job summary

Eurest is seeking a Chef Manager in Pontefract to lead a busy kitchen and front-of-house team, delivering high-quality food and service for workplace catering. The role emphasizes leadership, cost control, and guest satisfaction within a dynamic environment.

You’ll manage budgets, food costs, and stock, while ensuring compliance with food safety standards. The position includes occasional evenings and weekends, with opportunities to drive menu innovation and team development.

Qualifications

• Proven experience as Chef Manager or Head Chef in high-volume catering.
• Strong leadership and team development skills.
• Experience managing food costs, budgets, and stock control.
• Flexibility to cover evenings and weekends when required.
• Excellent organisational and communication skills.

Responsibilities

• Leading, motivating, and developing your kitchen and front-of-house teams.
• Preparing and serving fresh, high-quality food with creativity and consistency.
• Managing the day-to-day catering operation, ensuring exceptional customer experiences.
• Taking ownership of budgets, food costs, stock control, and labour management.
• Ensuring compliance with food safety, HACCP, and health & safety standards.
• Building strong relationships with clients and stakeholders.
• Driving innovation by introducing exciting menus and seasonal offers.
• Supporting the wider business when required, with occasional evening and weekend working.

Skills

Leadership

Team development

Food cost management

Budgets

Stock control

Food safety

Organisational skills

Communication skills

Job description

Chef Manager - Pontefract

£37,500 per annum | 5 Days over 7 | Mainly Day Shifts

Lead a kitchen where great food meets great leadership. Create better breaks with Eurest.

Are you an experienced Chef Manager who thrives on leading teams, delivering fantastic food, and running a successful catering operation? If you're looking for your next challenge with a business that values fresh ideas, commercial thinking, and people development, this could be the perfect role for you.

At Eurest, we're passionate about creating better breaks for people at work through delicious food, outstanding service, and memorable experiences. We're looking for an inspiring Chef Manager to take ownership of our catering operation in South Elmsall, leading from the front while driving quality, innovation, and performance.

What you'll be doing

As Chef Manager, you'll oversee the entire food operation, ensuring every service is delivered to the highest standards while maintaining a safe, efficient, and commercially successful kitchen.

Your responsibilities will include:

• Leading, motivating, and developing your kitchen and front-of-house teams.
• Preparing and serving fresh, high-quality food with creativity and consistency.
• Managing the day-to-day catering operation, ensuring exceptional customer experiences.
• Taking ownership of budgets, food costs, stock control, and labour management.
• Ensuring compliance with food safety, HACCP, and health & safety standards.
• Building strong relationships with clients and stakeholders.
• Driving innovation by introducing exciting menus and seasonal offers.
• Supporting the wider business when required, with occasional evening and weekend working.

What we’re looking for

We're looking for a confident and commercially minded leader who enjoys developing people and delivering exceptional food.

You’ll ideally have:

• Previous experience as a Chef Manager, Head Chef, or Senior Chef in a high-volume catering environment.
• Strong leadership and team development skills.
• A passion for fresh food and delivering outstanding customer experiences.
• Experience managing food costs, budgets, and stock control.
• Excellent organisational and communication skills.
• A flexible approach, with the ability to support occasional evenings and weekends when the business requires.

What’s in it for you?

As part of Compass Group UK & Ireland, you’ll benefit from:

• 5 days over 7 with mainly daytime working for a great work-life balance
• Career progression with the UK's leading food and support services provider
• Ongoing learning and development opportunities
• Company pension scheme
• Employee discounts and wellbeing support
• The chance to lead a talented team and make a real impact every day

Ready to lead the way?

If you’re a passionate foodie with strong leadership skills and a drive to create outstanding workplace dining experiences, we’d love to hear from you.

About Us

We connect workplaces to mindful, flavourful & planet-positive catering

At Eurest, we are the experts in workplace catering, operating in over 700 workspaces every day. We know that fuelling employees throughout the day can help to sharpen their thinking, nourish their bodies and minds and ultimately, motivate them to perform at their best. Our workplace food experiences are driven by our promise to live more sustainably and responsibly

We're people-powered at Eurest