School Chef Manager - Southampton

Chartwells Schools; Southampton; On-site; GBP 32,000 - 42,000; Part time

Benefits offered by this job

Contributory pension

Career Pathways

MyLearning programmes

Digital GP access

Healthcare benefits

Travel discounts

Retail discounts

Cinema discounts

Job summary

Chartwells in Southampton offers a Chef Manager role for a committed professional to lead a busy school kitchen during term-time (44 weeks). You will supervise a catering team, manage budgets, purchase, and ensure high-quality meals for pupils and staff.

The role focuses on leadership, food safety, and delivering nutritious meals while maintaining a compliant and cost-aware operation.

Qualifications

• Experience in a Chef Manager or similar leadership role.
• Strong food production and kitchen management skills.
• Experience managing budgets, stock and labour costs.
• Excellent communication and people-management abilities.
• Food Hygiene qualifications and Health & Safety practices.
• Ability to work independently while developing a positive team culture.

Responsibilities

• Lead and manage the school catering operation.
• Prepare, cook and serve fresh, nutritious meals to a high standard.
• Manage food purchasing, stock control and budgets.
• Ensure compliance with Food Safety, Health & Safety and company procedures.
• Motivate, train and develop the catering team.
• Build positive relationships with the school and customers.
• Monitor food quality, service standards and cost controls.
• Drive continuous improvement and maintain a clean, safe kitchen.

Skills

Leadership

Food production

Budget management

Communication

Food safety

Independent work

Job description

Chef Manager

Southampton

Term Time Only | 44 Weeks Per Year

Competitive Salary + Benefits

Lead a School Kitchen That Makes a Difference Every Day

We're looking for an experienced and passionate Chef Manager to lead the catering operation within a busy state primary school in Southampton.

This is a fantastic opportunity for a talented chef with strong leadership skills to enjoy a better work-life balance while continuing to do what they love. Working term time plus inset and training weeks (44 weeks per year), you'll play a key role in delivering nutritious, high-quality meals to pupils and staff while managing the day-to-day running of the school kitchen.

What You'll Be Doing

• Leading and managing the school catering operation
• Preparing, cooking and serving fresh, nutritious meals to a high standard
• Managing food purchasing, stock control and budgets
• Ensuring compliance with Food Safety, Health & Safety and company procedures
• Motivating, training and developing your catering team
• Building positive relationships with the school and customers
• Monitoring food quality, service standards and cost controls
• Driving continuous improvement and maintaining a clean, safe kitchen environment

These duties align with the operational, financial, customer service and people management responsibilities detailed within the role profile. [Chef Manager JD | Word]

What We're Looking For

• Previous experience in a Chef Manager, Catering Manager or similar leadership role
• Strong food production and kitchen management skills
• Experience managing budgets, stock and labour costs
• Excellent communication and people-management abilities
• A passion for delivering great food and customer service
• Food Hygiene qualifications and a strong understanding of Health & Safety practices
• Ability to work independently while developing a positive team culture

The role requires experience leading successful teams, strong commercial awareness and the ability to manage food service operations effectively. [Chef Manager JD | Word], [Catering Manager JD | Word]

What's In It For You?

• Term-time working with school holidays off
• Work-life balance rarely found in hospitality
• Opportunity to make a positive impact on children's wellbeing
• Career development within a leading contract catering business
• Pension scheme and company benefits
• Supportive team environment

Benefits

• Contributory pension scheme
• Grow your career with our Career Pathways and MyLearning programmes
• Quick access for you and your immediate family to a Digital GP, and wider healthcare benefits
• Exclusive travel discounts with TUI, Expedia, Booking.com and many more
• Save money on your food shop with discounts on Tesco, Sainsbury's, Morrisons and many more
• Up to 44% off cinema tickets to enjoy your favourite blockbuster
• Receive cash rewards every time you spend and use them on a wide range of brands
• Unwind with us with free wellness, mindfulness and exercise classes
• You can share all discounts and offers with your friends and families

About Us

Part of Compass Group UK&I, Chartwells is the leading provider of catering and support services to the education sector. For over a quarter of a century, Chartwells has been focusing on helping those in education to build strong bodies, sharp minds and lead long healthy lives. Every week, Chartwells serves millions of nutritious and delicious meals to pupils and students in primary and secondary schools, academies, independent schools, colleges, and universities across the UK. Chartwells is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and expect all employees to share this commitment. Any offer of employment will be subject to successfully completing pre-employment checks, including an enhanced DBS disclosure and a Children's Barred List check. This post is exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 and we ask applicants to declare all previous convictions and cautions in order to assess their suitability to work with children.

Job Reference: com/0210/44267001/52822957/SU #State Schools

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!