Chef Manager

re you a passionate culinary leader looking for your next challenge? We are seeking an experienced Chef Manager to lead our catering operation at NESCOT College in Surrey . This is an exciting opportunity to combine your culinary expertise, people management skills, and commercial awareness in a busy education sector environment, delivering high-quality food and excellent customer experiences every day.

As Chef Manager, you will take full responsibility for kitchen operations, food quality, health and safety compliance, financial performance, and team development. Working closely with both clients and customers, you will play a key role in driving innovation, maintaining exceptional standards, and creating a welcoming dining experience for students, staff, and visitors.

We are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people, and we expect all employees and workers to share this commitment . All roles are subject to safer recruitment checks, including references and an enhanced DBS check, in line with Keeping Children Safe in Education (KCSIE).

What's in it for you:

• £44,000 dependant on experience + package 
• You will have access to our online benefits platform which includes 100's of discounts, including savings on your weekly supermarket shop and weekend treats!  
• We also offer a company package including life assurance, pension contributions, generous holiday entitlement with the option to buy more, and many more perks. 
• You will also be joining a great team, with fabulous career prospects and could lead to all sorts of opportunities – we LOVE to promote from within! 
• As we are passionate about developing our people from within, great training is provided. We also offer apprenticeship schemes, so your learning journey can continue! 

Job Responsibilities

  Lead and manage all day-to-day kitchen operations, ensuring efficient food production and service delivery.

  Inspire, motivate, and develop the kitchen team to maintain high standards of performance and customer service.

  Oversee the preparation, cooking, and presentation of meals, ensuring quality, consistency, and compliance with dietary and allergen requirements.

  Ensure full compliance with food safety, hygiene, health and safety, and company policies, maintaining accurate records and audit standards.

  Manage kitchen budgets, food costs, and labour expenditure to achieve financial targets.

  Control stock ordering, inventory management, and waste reduction through effective stock rotation and operational planning.

  Build strong relationships with clients and customers, acting as the main point of contact and responding to queries and feedback.

  Support catering events, special dietary requests, and client meetings while driving continuous improvement and business growth opportunities.

Key Requirements:

  Proven experience in a Chef Manager, Head Chef, or similar kitchen leadership role within a high-volume catering environment.

  Strong culinary knowledge with the ability to consistently deliver high-quality food and excellent customer experiences.

  Sound understanding of food safety, hygiene, allergen management, and health & safety regulations.

  Demonstrable experience managing budgets, controlling food and labour costs, and reducing waste.

  Excellent leadership, communication, and organisational skills, with the ability to motivate and develop a team.

  Valid DBS check (or willingness to obtain one) and Food Hygiene Level 3 qualification preferred.