Kitchen Manager

National Trust for Places of Historic Interest or Natural Beauty; West of England; On-site; GBP 40,000 - 60,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Substantial pension scheme up to 10%

Free entry to National Trust places

Season ticket loan

EV car lease scheme

Perks at work discounts

Holiday allowance up to 32 days + buy

Job summary

The National Trust is seeking a Kitchen Manager to lead a large, high-volume kitchen operation, delivering fresh, seasonal food while upholding the highest standards of safety and quality. You will manage production planning, budgets, and a diverse team to ensure cohesive delivery across all menus and services.

You will foster an inclusive culture, develop staff, and use performance data to drive improvements in efficiency and guest experience at scale.

Qualifications

• Experienced chef or kitchen leader with a recognised professional cookery qualification such as NVQ Level 3 or equivalent.
• Experienced in leading busy kitchen teams within a high-volume food and beverage environment.
• Committed to producing high-quality food using fresh, seasonal ingredients.
• Confident managing budgets, food costs, stock control and waste reduction to achieve commercial targets.
• Knowledgeable about food safety, allergen management, health and safety and compliance requirements.
• Inclusive people leader who can motivate, develop and support a team to perform at their best.
• Able to analyse performance information and make informed decisions to improve results.
• Effective communicator who builds positive relationships with a range of stakeholders.

Responsibilities

• Oversee day-to-day performance of a busy kitchen operation, planning production, managing resources and ensuring high food quality across delivery.
• Lead and develop a varied team, creating an inclusive culture with clear expectations.
• Manage stock, ordering, waste, labour and budgets; use performance data to maximise efficiency.
• Take ownership of food safety, allergen management and back-of-house compliance.

Skills

Kitchen leadership

Food safety

Budget management

Team development

Allergen management

Communication

Education

Professional cookery qualification (NVQ Level 3 or equivalent)

Job description

We're looking for a Kitchen Manager to join us.

You'll lead a large and complex kitchen operation, delivering high-quality, fresh and seasonal food at scale while ensuring exceptional standards of food quality and safety to help create food experiences that connect visitors with the stories and places we care for.

The National Trust's commitment is "For everyone, for ever." Bringing that promise to life starts with the people that work here. It means building teams with a diverse range of backgrounds, cultures and experiences. It means creating an inclusive environment where everyone can thrive.

Our roles are open to all. However, we particularly welcome applications from people from ethnically diverse communities because they are underrepresented at the Trust.

What it's like to work here

Food plays an important role in supporting the National Trust's conservation work. Every meal served helps generate income to care for nature, beauty and history, and our food offer is designed to reflect the unique character and stories of our places.

As Kitchen Manager, you'll undertake a varied and rewarding role where you'll balance quality and compliance with commercial performance while leading a skilled and dedicated team. We welcome people from all backgrounds and are committed to creating an inclusive workplace where everyone can thrive.

What you'll be doing

You'll have responsibility for the day-to-day performance of a busy kitchen operation, planning production, managing resources and ensuring high standards of food quality across all areas of delivery. Using fresh, seasonal ingredients, you'll oversee the preparation and delivery of menus that reflect the Trust's values and brand standards.

You'll lead and develop a varied team, creating an inclusive culture where expectations are clear and people are supported to grow.

You'll manage stock, ordering, waste, labour and budgets, using performance data and commercial insight to maximise efficiency. You'll also take ownership of food safety, allergen management and back-of-house compliance, ensuring a safe and reliable operation.

Who we're looking for

You’ll bring a broad range of the following knowledge, skills and experience, shaped by different roles, sectors or career paths. Please use your application to demonstrate how you meet the criteria below:

• Experienced chef or kitchen leader with a recognised professional cookery qualification, such as NVQ Level 3 or equivalent.
• Experienced in leading busy kitchen teams within a high-volume food and beverage environment.
• Committed to producing high-quality food using fresh, seasonal ingredients.
• Confident managing budgets, food costs, stock control and waste reduction to achieve commercial targets.
• Knowledgeable about food safety, allergen management, health and safety and compliance requirements.
• Inclusive people leader who can motivate, develop and support a team to perform at their best.
• Able to analyse performance information and make informed decisions to improve results.
• Effective communicator who builds positive relationships with a range of stakeholders.

The package

The National Trust has the motto 'For everyone, for ever' at its heart. We're working hard to create an inclusive culture, where everyone feels they belong. It's important that our people reflect and represent the diversity of the communities and audiences we serve. We welcome and value difference, so when we say we're for everyone, we want everyone to be welcome in our teams too.

• Substantial pension scheme of up to 10% basic salary
• Free entry to National Trust places for you, a guest and your children (under 18)
• Season ticket loan
• EV car lease scheme (for roles that meet the salary criteria)
• Perks at work discounts such as gym memberships, shopping discount codes, cinema discounts
• Holiday allowance up to 32 days relating to length of service, plus holiday purchase scheme, subject to meeting minimum criteria.

National Trust place

Tyntesfield, Wraxall, Bristol, BS48 1NT

Documents

Kitchen Manager - C.pdf

Requirements

Compliance.Eligibility to Work in the UK

Additional information

Closing Date: 08 November 2026

Equal Opportunities Statement

The National Trust celebrates diversity and is committed to creating a fair and equal society, free from discrimination. You can read more about our commitment to inclusion and diversity here.

Safeguarding Statement

The National Trust is committed to a safe recruitment processes to help the organisation attract and appoint the right staff/volunteer for the role and responsibilities as set out in the vacancy advert. We will not accept applicants who are not suitable to work with children, young people or adults at risk. If you have any questions around your suitability for this vacancy, please contact the people service centre.