Minehead, Somerset (TA24)
£35,000 per annum + Up to 10% Performance Bonus
Monday to Friday | Term Time Only | Excellent Work-Life Balance
Lead a School Kitchen Where Quality Food Makes a Difference
Are you an experienced Chef Manager, Cook Manager, Head Chef, or Catering Manager looking for a rewarding role within education catering?
This is an excellent opportunity to lead the catering operation at a well-established education site in Minehead, Somerset, delivering fresh, nutritious meals to students in a supportive and professional environment. If you're passionate about quality food, team leadership, and achieving a healthy work-life balance, we'd love to hear from you.
Salary and Benefits:
Competitive salary of £35,000 per annum
Up to 10% annual performance bonus
Monday to Friday only – no regular evenings or weekends
Term-time working (42 weeks per year, including INSET days and three additional working weeks)
Working hours: 7:00am – 4:30pm (45 hours per week)
Company pension
Ongoing training and career development
Supportive employer with genuine opportunities to grow
Excellent work-life balance
About the Role:
As Chef Manager, you'll have full responsibility for the day-to-day management of a busy school catering operation, serving approximately 360 freshly prepared meals each day across the main school, sixth form, and specialist education unit.
You'll lead and inspire a team of three General Assistants, ensuring every meal is prepared to the highest standards while maintaining a safe, efficient, and welcoming kitchen environment.
Daily meal service includes:
Approximately 150 freshly prepared meals
Around 200 Grab & Go meals
Approximately 10 specialist unit meals
This is a hands-on management role where you'll have the autonomy to drive standards, develop your team, and create a positive dining experience for students and staff.
Key Responsibilities:
Lead, coach, and develop the catering team
Plan and prepare fresh, nutritious, and seasonal menus
Deliver consistently high standards of food quality and presentation
Manage food purchasing, stock control, ordering, and supplier relationships
Monitor budgets and control food costs
Ensure compliance with HACCP, allergen management, food hygiene, and Health & Safety legislation
Maintain excellent customer service standards
Drive continuous improvement across the catering operation
About You:
We're looking for an experienced catering professional who has previously worked as a:
Chef Manager
Cook Manager
Head Chef
Catering Manager
Kitchen Manager
You'll also have:
Experience managing catering operations within schools, education, healthcare, contract catering, or high-volume food service
Strong leadership and team management skills
A passion for producing fresh, nutritious, high-quality food
Excellent organisational and communication skills
Experience managing budgets, food costs, stock control, and ordering
A thorough understanding of HACCP, allergen management, and food safety legislation
A proactive, customer-focused approach
Why Join Us:
This is more than just another Chef Manager position.
You'll enjoy the opportunity to lead your own kitchen, make a genuine impact on students' wellbeing through quality food, and enjoy a role that offers the work-life balance many chefs are looking for.
If you're an experienced Chef Manager, Cook Manager, Head Chef, or Catering Manager ready for your next challenge in education catering, we'd love to hear from you
Salary description
£35000.00 - £35000.00 per year