Production Manager

Support Hub - Kitchen Days; Swindon; On-site; GBP 34,000 - 42,000; Full time

Job summary

Support Hub - Kitchen Days is seeking a Kitchen Manager to oversee the Central Production Unit in Cheltenham. You will manage end-to-end food production, ensure safety and quality standards, and lead daily kitchen operations with a shops-first mentality.

Responsibilities include staff training, stock control, scheduling, and compliance with COSHH and health & safety regulations. A strong focus on delivering high-quality product and team development is essential.

Qualifications

• Experience in high-volume food production or kitchen environments.
• Supervisory/management experience in a food business.
• Food Level Qualification – Level 3 or equivalent.

Responsibilities

• Lead the kitchen across daily operations, ensuring safety, quality and hygiene.
• Oversee stock control, inventory and supplier coordination to minimise waste.
• Recruit, onboard, train and develop team members; conduct performance reviews.

Skills

Leadership

Communication

Coaching

Planning & Organisation

Stock management

Problem-solving

Working under pressure

Attention to detail

Commercial mindset

Education

Food Level Qualification

Tools

Edify system

Job description

Job Title: Kitchen Manager

Location: Cheltenham (5 days a week across 7 days, 6.30am to 5pm)

Reporting to: Director of Food & Marketing

Contract Type: Full Time

Job Purpose

The Kitchen Manager is fully accountable for all elements of the Central Production Unit, overseeing the end-to-end food production process. They are responsible for ensuring they consistently meet safety and quality standards. Key duties include managing stock inventory, optimising productivity, enforcing compliance, and training staff to deliver consistent output at speed. They also manage daily kitchen operations, ensuring consistently high standards of food quality, hygiene, and staff management are continuously maintained, as well as embedding and role modelling a shops first mentality.

Key Responsibilities

Leadership & People Management

• Promote a positive, inclusive and collaborative working culture, building clear and open two-way communication
• Lead by example, inspiring the team to achieve their individual and central targets
• Manage employee relations in accordance with company policies and procedures.
• Deliver team meetings and communicate effectively at all time

Recruitment, Training & Development

• Manage the recruitment process including interviews and offers
• Ensure all team members complete required onboarding and compliance training.
• Monitor training progress and maintain training records.
• Conduct regular one-to-ones, performance reviews, appraisals, and development planning
• Create and support Personal Development Plans (PDPs) for team members.
• Promote a culture of continuous learning and operational excellence.

Food Safety and Health & Safety Compliance

• Ensure full compliance with Food Safety, Health & Safety, COSHH, allergen management, fire safety, and company procedures
• Maintain all legal and company compliance records through Alert65 and Check65 systems.
• Manage risk assessments, accident reporting, RIDDOR processes, maintenance checks, pest control, and audit requirements.
• Maintain accurate training records and ensure completion of all mandatory training programmes.

Product quality and brand Standards

• Ensure all daily kitchen duties, including product and ingredient preparation, cooking and baking, to ensure smooth workflow and timely delivery of finished product
• Driving a stores first mentality, delivering 100% availability, right first time approach. Constantly striving for excellence, ensuring the kitchen team supports the store teams with consistently great quality product every single day
• Ensure all product is prepared according to spec card recipes and quality standards, monitoring portion control, temperature, packaging and presentation

Stock & Inventory Management

• Maintain effective stock control procedures and minimise waste.
• Manage ordering, deliveries, stock counts, transfers, and supplier discrepancies through the Edify system.
• Investigate stock variances and implement corrective actions.
• Ensure accurate inventory reporting and stock integrity at all times.
• Ensure ingredients are used efficiently and within shelf-life guidelines, monitoring food costs and identify opportunities to reduce waste

Financial & Commercial Performance

• Manage labour scheduling, holiday requests, absence management, and payroll.
• Ensure rotas are created and published minimum two weeks in advance
• Manage and control labour hours versus budget
• Monitor productivity and identify efficiency improvements, constantly striving to improve

Maintenance and equipment

Ensure kitchen equipment is maintained and used correctly. Report and follow up on repairs and maintenance issues. Maintain the highest standards of cleanliness throughout the production facility

Required Qualifications and Experience

• Experience working with in high-volume food production or kitchen
• Experience supervisory/management within a food business
• Food Level Qualification – Level 3 or equivalent

Skills and Competencies

• Excellent leadership skills, always leading by example to create a positive work environment
• Strong communication skills
• Strong coaching skills, with the ability to motivate and mentor a team
• Passionate about delivering consistently great quality food each and every single day
• Excellent attention to detail and problem-solving abilities
• Proactive and solutions-focused mindset
• Ability to work under pressure and adapt to the needs of the shift
• Excellent planning and organisational skills, particularly when managing stock holding
• Strong commercial mindset, always striving to improve productivity and are performance driven, with a results driven mindset

Compensation: To be discussed