Mobile Chef Manager

Surrey County Council; England; On-site; GBP 14,000 - 15,000; Full time

Job summary

A local government council in Surrey is seeking experienced Mobile Chef Managers to deliver high-quality catering events in schools. The ideal candidates will have a passion for cooking, food safety qualifications, and excellent communication skills. This role offers a part-time schedule during term-time, ensuring a great work-life balance. Join us in providing exceptional nutrition for children during school hours.

Benefits

Final salary pension

Discounts on various services

Health and wellbeing support

Training and development opportunities

Qualifications

• Experience of catering for high profile hospitality events is advantageous.
• Proven understanding of health and safety in a kitchen.
• Experience with diverse types of foods to manage allergens.

Responsibilities

• Deliver high quality catering events with exceptional service.
• Collaborate with customers to promote the benefits of the service.
• Mobilize between sites as required for service delivery.

Skills

Cooking passion and skills

Food presentation and planning

IT and administrative skills

Excellent communication skills

Experience supervising staff

Ability to work autonomously

Flexibility and adaptability

Education

Health and Safety Certificate Level 1

Level 2 Food Safety Certificate

Minimum NVQ Level 2 in food preparation

Job description

• Salary: £14,279.41 per annum (pro-rated from £24,275 FTE)
• Category: Catering - Qualified
• Contract type: Permanent
• Working hours: 25 hours per week, 38.4 weeks per year
• Posted on: 22 October 2025
• Directorate: Resources
• Location: Surrey

Description

Though you will only work during term time, you will be paid a salary every month including the school holidays.

This role has a starting salary of £14,736.47 per annum for working 25 hours per week, 38.4 weeks per year (equivalent to £13.35 per hour, plus annual leave allowance).

We are excited to be recruiting 4 Mobile Chef Managers, each role will cover a specific area. The areas we are currently recruiting to are:

• Walton and Thames Ditton Area
• Sunbury and surrounding area
• Reigate, Redhill and surrounding area

Rewards and Benefits

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

About the Role

We are excited to be hiring 3 Mobile Chef Managers with excellent craft skills, a keen eye for detail and the ability to deliver exceptional levels of customer service. Driven by passion, creativity, and enthusiasm, you will be required to deliver high quality event hospitality catering events ranging from refreshments through to a full hot or cold buffet service in additional to supporting our catering teams delivering services both Primary and Secondary schools. A need to mobilise between the sites will be an essential requirement of this role.

Customer service is at the front and centre of the Twelve15 Vision and Mission. You will be a fantastic communicator with an ability to collaborate with our customers to promote the benefits of the service we offer.

The key skills we are looking for in our new chef managers are as follows:

• A passion and skill for cooking with an ability to deliver high quality food and customer service in varying food production environments
• Excellent food presentation and planning skills, with a proven understanding of health and safety in a kitchen environment
• Health and Safety Certificate Level 1, Level 2 Food Safety Certificate and Minimum NVQ Level 2 in food preparation and cooking or equivalent
• IT and administrative skills
• Excellent communication skills (including teamwork, and customer service)
• Experience of supervising staff and delivering functions
• Ability to work autonomously
• Flexible and adaptable to suit variety of work with excellent time keeping and flexibility around locations
• Experience of working with diverse types of foods to manage allergens

We'd also love to hear about any other relevant skills, interests, or knowledge that you could bring to the table. If you don\'t hold these qualifications but have a significant amount of experience catering for high profile hospitality events, please don\'t hesitate to apply.

Shortlisting Criteria

In order for you to be considered for shortlisting, your CV and answers to the following questions will clearly evidence the knowledge, skills and qualifications listed above. The questions are:

• Why do you think eating healthily is so important for children and what is the impact of a healthy school meal for children?
• Please tell us about your experience of working in a kitchen, including the part you played in the production of food.
• What experience do you have supervising / managing staff responsible for producing large quantities of food?
• Please list any skills and qualifications you have that are relevant to this role.

Contact Us

Please contact us for any questions relating to the role. This could be to discuss flexible working requests, transferable skills or any barriers to employment.

The job advert closes at 23:59 on 12/12/2025 with interviews to follow.

We look forward to receiving your application, please click on the apply online button below to submit.

Local Government Reorganisation

Surrey County Council is undergoing Local Government Reorganisation, moving from a two-tier system to two new unitary councils in April 2027. If you are employed by Surrey on 1st April 2027, your role will transfer with current terms and conditions to one of the new organisations, supporting local devolution and greater powers for our communities.

We are a disability confident employer which means if you have shared a disability on your application form and have evidenced you meet the minimum criteria, we guarantee you an interview.

Your skills and experience truly matter to us. From application to your first day, we\'re committed to supporting you with any adjustments you need, we value inclusion and warmly welcome you to join and help build a workplace where everyone belongs.