Fixed Term Chef Manager - Hook Junior School

Compass Group UK; Hook; On-site; GBP 34,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading catering service provider in Hook, England, is seeking a dedicated Chef Manager to deliver exceptional food experiences at a school. You will oversee kitchen operations, manage staff, and ensure compliance with standards while maintaining strong relationships with the school. This role offers competitive salary and excellent work-life balance with a term-time-only contract.

Benefits

Holiday pay

NEST pension scheme

Employee Assistance Programme

Training and development opportunities

Qualifications

• Proven experience in a kitchen environment.
• Financially astute with knowledge of processes and software.
• Ability to develop and motivate a large team.

Responsibilities

• Prepare food and manage kitchen operations.
• Ensure Health & Safety compliance and training.
• Develop relationships to ensure a growing catering contract.

Skills

Passionate about food

Excellent supervisory skills

Excellent communication skills

Education

Culinary qualifications

Job description

Overview

Pabulum Catering are recruiting for a Chef Manager to help us deliver exceptional food experiences to our children at one of our schools, Hook Junior School. This role is on a fixed-term basis until 31 July 2026.

The school has a lovely team in a well cared-for environment. You will have a close relationship with the school, be responsible for a well-established kitchen, and be dedicated to providing the best for all children. As a Chef Manager, you will work within an enthusiastic and hard-working team to create an outstanding experience for the school.

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 are today with such a strong, innovative, and growing business.

With over 120 sites across Southern England, there are opportunities to grow, learn, and develop.

Role responsibilities

• Preparing our delicious food
• Managing the main aspects of the kitchens including Health & Safety and Training & Development; unit bookwork to keep up to date
• Receiving and managing food deliveries and storage
• Developing great working relationships with clients, team, and customers to ensure the catering contract is growing in the right direction

Our ideal Chef Manager

• Passionate about food and great customer service
• Fantastic communicator who works well as part of a team
• Excellent communication skills throughout the customer and client journey
• Excellent supervisory skills to manage, develop, and motivate a large team
• Financially astute with full training in processes and software systems provided
• A craft background with qualifications/experience to match

Role details and benefits

• £34,000 per annum
• Monday to Friday – 40 hours per week
• Excellent work-life balance due to term-time‑only contract
• Holiday pay
• NEST pension scheme
• Comprehensive Employee Assistance Programme
• Consistent training and development
• Perks at Work – discount membership

Company values

• The food – Education, Passion, Sensation, and Innovation; 94% of food freshly prepared on site daily, using ~75% British produce and little or no frozen or processed foods

• The people – Happy customers lead to repeat business; ensure an excellent customer experience

• And you – We are recruiting for a Catering Assistant to join our positive and professional team

As you will be working in Education, you must provide two employment/character references, and we will carry out an Enhanced DBS / Criminal Record Check (paid for).

Interested in becoming part of the Pabulum family?

Please apply online.

Job Reference: com/1709/42335001/52749677/R/BU #Pabulum

CH&CO, a part of Compass Group UK&I, is committed to fostering an environment where every individual can truly be themselves at work and has equal opportunities to advance in their careers. We strive to build a culture that respects and celebrates the unique talents, beliefs, backgrounds, and abilities of all our team members. We want our colleagues to feel valued, empowered to reach their full potential, and to thrive – because diversity is our strength!