Executive Chef Manager - Sidcup

Compass Group; Sidcup; On-site; GBP 40,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading catering company in Sidcup is recruiting an Executive Chef Manager to oversee kitchen operations at Blackfen School for Girls. You will be responsible for menu planning, managing kitchen staff, and ensuring excellent customer service. This role offers competitive compensation of £40,000 per year, with a term-time contract that provides a great work/life balance. Ideal candidates should have experience in a similar role and a passion for food and customer service.

Benefits

Holiday pay

NEST pension scheme

Employee Assistance Programme

Consistent training and development

Qualifications

• Proven experience managing a busy kitchen environment.
• Ability to create and prepare daily menus that delight customers.
• Demonstrate strong leadership skills to manage kitchen staff efficiently.

Responsibilities

• Prepare high-quality food for students.
• Manage kitchen operations ensuring compliance with health and safety.
• Develop a positive working relationship with clients and team members.

Skills

Leadership

Customer service

Food preparation

Health and safety standards

Menu planning

Problem solving

Education

Proven work experience as an Executive Chef / Chef Manager

Job description

Pabulum Catering are now recruiting for a Executive Chef Manager to help us deliver exceptional food experiences to our children at Blackfen School for Girls.

You will have a close relationship with the school and be responsible for a well-established kitchen, dedicated to providing the best for all children.

As a Executive Chef Manager, you will be working in a passionate and hard‑working team to create an outstanding experience for our school.

In return we offer an excellent work life balance, support and a fantastic company culture for a business committed to providing healthy food to children. At Pabulum, you’re important; without our employees we wouldn’t be where we’re today with such a strong, innovative, and constantly growing business.

With over 120 sites across Southern England there’s plenty of opportunity for you to grow, learn and develop.

Your key responsibilities will include:

• Preparing our delicious food
• Managing the main aspects of the kitchens including Health & Safety and Training & Development, and you’ll have the Unit Bookwork to keep up to date
• Receiving and managing food deliveries and managing storage
• With a reputation for an excellent service and fabulous food we always put our customers first, as one of our Unit Managers we expect you want to do the same. By developing a great working relationship with clients, team and customers alike you will be able to ensure the catering contract you are part of is always growing in the right direction.

Our ideal Executive Chef Manager will:

• Have proven work experience as an Executive Chef / Chef Manager in a busy secondary school or similar
• Be responsible for planning and preparation of daily menus
• Be passionate about food and providing great customer service
• Manage kitchen staff to maintain high standards
• Have experience in managing supplier ordering and weekly stock taking
• Adhere to recipes, plate presentation and cooking standards
• Need to train kitchen staff on preparation methods, portion sizes, and presentation standards
• Control budget and minimise wastage
• Ensure kitchen operations meet health and safety standards
• Monitor the quality of products and services provided
• Resolve customer queries promptly and professionally
• Have an understanding of various cooking methods, ingredients, equipment, and procedures
• Have an excellent record of kitchen management
• Be able to spot and resolve problems efficiently
• Demonstrate excellent leadership and management skills

Role details and benefits include:

• £40,000 per annum
• 40 hours a week
• Monday to Friday
• Excellent work/life balance due to term time only contract (44 weeks per year)
• Holiday pay
• NEST pension scheme
• Comprehensive Employee Assist Programme
• Consistent training and development
• Unlock - discount membership

At Pabulum there are three basic ingredients for your role;

• The food-Here at Pabulum, we take our values so seriously that we put Education, Passion, Sensation, and Innovation forefront of everything we do. 94% of our food is freshly prepared on site every day, using 75% British produce and little or no frozen or processed foods.
• The people - Happy customers always come back for more, so we expect you to ensure they have an excellent customer experience.
• And you - We are recruiting for a Chef Manager to join our positive and professional team.

As you will be working in Education, you must provide two employment/character references and we’ll also carry out an Enhanced DBS / Criminal Record Check as well (which we’ll pay for).

Interested in becoming part of the Pabulum family?

Please apply online.

About Us

As part of Compass you’ll help to feed people, fuel progress and forge connections in around 6,000 venues. Join us to grow your career with the industry leader, and get competitive pay, great perks and unrivalled opportunities for learning and development, at one of the UK’s biggest businesses.