Kitchen Manager in Minehead

Kitchen Manager – Education Catering Are you an experienced Kitchen 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 * Company pension * Monday to Friday: 7:00am – 4:30pm – no regular evenings/weekends * Term-time working (42 weeks per year, including INSET days and three additional working weeks) * Ongoing training and supportive employer with genuine opportunities to grow * Excellent work-life balance About the Role: * As Kitchen 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: * Kitchen Manager / Cook Manager / Head Chef / Catering Manager / Chef 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 Why Join Us: * This is more than just another Kitchen 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 Kitchen Manager, Cook Manager, Head Chef, or Catering Manager ready for your next challenge in education catering, we'd love to hear from you