Kitchen Manager / Chef

About the job

Key information

• 35 hours per week – Permanent – 38 weeks per year
• Monday – Friday 07.30 to 14.30
• Grade 11 Scale Point 23 – Actual salary £26,919
• Starting 2 September 2025

What will I be doing?

We are looking to recruit a dynamic Chef/Kitchen Manager to join us in September 2025 at our new purpose built kitchen at Holy Trinity C of E Primary School. You will be part of and managing an incredible team and be responsible for the day to day catering operations, providing a lunchtime hot meal service to the pupils and staff as well as providing and coordinating the delivery of 320 meals for 5 other schools.

Trust Ethos and Mission statement: Excellence through cultivating character, sharing talents and pursuing excellence.

All members of the team employed by the Academies for Character and Excellence support and promote the Trusts mission and vision and promotes character education which is a values led approach. Our Trust values and ethos enable us to fulfil our mission of transformation through making a positive difference to ourselves, others and the world around us

The main purpose of the role is to oversee the preparation of meals, organise food service and the purchase of food; supervision of staff

Key Duties

• Operational
  • Undertake skilled cooking activities connected to the full range of menu provision, for example meal planning, portion control, special dietary needs.
  • Oversee the preparation of healthy, nutritionally balanced menus that meet the government’s national nutritional standards for school lunches.
  • Supervise the preparation of ingredients for meals
  • Organise and supervise food service this may include transportation of meals
  • Present nutritious foods in ways that children will find attractive
  •  To include an element of hospitality catering for Head Office functions
• Maintenance of hygiene
  • Ensure that catering practice complies with appropriate health and safety legislation.
• Administration
  • Supervise the purchase and storage of food to ensure compliance with stator Requirements.
  • Have good financial knowledge to manage incoming invoices and account budgeting.
  • Computer literacy, to have working knowledge of Microsoft Teams, calendar and email
• Resources
  • Actively promote the school meals service to pupils and parents to increase awareness of healthy eating and the uptake of school meals.
  • Ordering and recording of all ingredients used and stock taking.
  • Create and maintain a purposeful, orderly and productive working environment
  • Maintain records as requested
  • Plan menus, following guidelines on nutrition and healthy eating
  • Ensure availability to staff of equipment and supplies
  • Monitor and manage supplies within an agreed budget, cataloguing and undertaking audits as required.
  • Refill and replace consumables
  • Report faulty equipment and other maintenance requirements to an appropriate person
  • Maintain the security of the school premise by securing entrances/exits as appropriate and reporting potential security breaches.
  • Ensure security of the school kitchen including freezers and stock cupboards etc
  • Ensure lights and other equipment are switched off as appropriate
  • Supervision and direction of other staff including allocation of duties and work rotas.

What kind of experience or qualifications do I need?

We are looking for a dedicated, professional and personable individual with a can-do attitude. You must have previous experience of working in catering and have a good knowledge of food hygiene and preparation. A Level 2 award in Food Safety in Catering qualification or equivalent will be required for the role.

Supporting documents and information

To discuss this exciting opportunity in more detail please contact Sam Ward at sam.ward@acexcellence.o.uk.

An application form is available to download from the Trust website or you can email our HR Advisor andrea.johnson@acexcellence.co.uk – Applications must be completed and emailed to recruitment@acexcellence.co.uk

The closing date for applications is 9am on Monday 25 August 2025 and these will be reviewed upon receipt.

Apply now