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- Tasks: Lead a kitchen team to create nutritious meals for students and manage kitchen operations.
- Company: Join an award-winning provider of school meals dedicated to children's wellbeing.
- Benefits: Enjoy term-time hours, competitive pay, and generous leave during school holidays.
- Why this job: Make a real impact on children's health while working in a supportive team environment.
- Qualifications: Experience in high-volume catering and relevant food safety certifications required.
- Other info: Ongoing training and professional development opportunities available.
Chef Manager – Emsworth Primary School (Term-Time Only)
Job Reference: HCC622525
Salary Range: £14.40 – £15.84 per hour
Work Location: Emsworth Primary School, Emsworth
Hours per week: 27:50 Monday to Friday
Contract Type: Permanent, Term Time Only
Closing Date: 31st October 2025
Chef Manager – Term-Time Only – School Hours
At Education Catering, we’re proud to be an award‑winning provider of nutritious, freshly prepared school meals that fuel pupils for learning and growth. We understand the vital role food plays in children’s wellbeing—and we’re looking for a passionate Chef Manager to lead one of our on‑site catering teams.
Ready to lead with purpose? Apply today and help shape the future of school catering!
What you’ll do:
- Lead and manage a busy kitchen team, ensuring high standards and strong teamwork.
- Plan and deliver nutritious, allergen‑compliant menus in line with the School Foods Standards.
- Recruit, train and develop staff, fostering a positive and resilient working environment.
- Oversee kitchen operations, including stock control, food ordering and performance monitoring.
- Drive business performance, meeting KPIs for meal output, cost efficiency and service quality.
You will be required to undertake mandatory training on commencement and every 3 years thereafter in Food Safety, Allergen Awareness and Health and Safety Manual Handling.
What we’re looking for:
- Experience working in a large‑scale, high‑volume catering environment.
- NVQ Level 2 or equivalent in a relevant subject, or C&G 7061/2.
- Level 3 Food Safety certification.
- Ability to thrive in a busy, fast‑paced kitchen.
- Physically able to carry out all aspects of the role, including lifting kitchen and service equipment.
- Comfortable working in hot kitchen environments with variable temperatures.
- Proven experience managing a trading account and monitoring kitchen performance.
- Excellent communication skills to engage with staff and clients.
- Strong team management and leadership experience.
- A genuine passion for fresh, nutritious food and delivering high standards.
- Ability to motivate and inspire a team to maintain quality and service excellence.
- Term‑time only working – no evenings, weekends or school holidays.
- A friendly supportive team environment with ongoing training and professional development.
- The chance to make a real impact on children’s health and wellbeing.
- Full training and opportunities to progress.
- A minimum 24 days annual leave entitlement taken in the school holidays, plus bank holidays.
- Interest‑free travel loans and discounts.
- Employee Support Services.
- Family‑friendly policies.
- Access to Local Government Pension Scheme.
We reserve the right to close the vacancy once we have received sufficient applications, so we would advise you to submit your application as early as possible.
Vetting Requirements:
This post is subject to a Criminal Records Check. As part of the pre‑employment checks that are undertaken for this role, you will be asked to complete a Post Offer Medical Questionnaire. The questionnaire is confidential, and is screened by our Occupational Health Department, who will ensure that you are medically fit for this role before being formally offered the position.
Contact Details for an Informal Discussion:
If you’d like to talk to us about the job before you apply or for more information about the position, please call the manager below.
Karen Brewster, District Manager, 07721127642
Hampshire County Council is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and adults. We expect all employees, workers and volunteers to share this commitment. We will ensure that all our recruitment and selection practices reflect this commitment.
In order to combat discrimination, no unnecessary conditions or requirements will be applied which could have a disproportionately adverse effect on any one group. All sections of the population will have equal access to jobs. No applicant or employee will receive less favourable treatment because of age, disability, gender reassignment, race, religion or belief, sex, sexual orientation, marriage or civil partnership and pregnancy or maternity, unless a Genuine Occupational Requirement (GOR) applies.
We are a Disability Confident Employer – committed to ensuring that our recruitment and selection process is inclusive and accessible.
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Chef Manager - Emsworth Primary School, Emsworth Ed Catering 622525 (E) employer: Hampshire County Council
Contact Detail:
Hampshire County Council Recruiting Team
StudySmarter Expert Advice 🤫
We think this is how you could land Chef Manager - Emsworth Primary School, Emsworth Ed Catering 622525 (E)
✨Tip Number 1
Get to know the school and its values! Research Emsworth Primary School and understand their approach to nutrition and wellbeing. This will help you tailor your conversation during interviews and show that you're genuinely interested in making a positive impact.
✨Tip Number 2
Network with current or former staff if you can. They can provide insider info about the kitchen culture and what it’s like to work there. Plus, having a contact can sometimes give you an edge in the application process!
✨Tip Number 3
Prepare for practical assessments! As a Chef Manager, you might be asked to demonstrate your cooking skills or menu planning abilities. Brush up on your techniques and be ready to showcase your passion for nutritious food.
✨Tip Number 4
Don’t forget to apply through our website! It’s the best way to ensure your application gets seen by the right people. Plus, we love seeing candidates who take the initiative to engage directly with us.
We think you need these skills to ace Chef Manager - Emsworth Primary School, Emsworth Ed Catering 622525 (E)
Some tips for your application 🫡
Show Your Passion for Food: When writing your application, let your love for fresh, nutritious food shine through! We want to see how you can inspire a team and create menus that fuel children's learning.
Highlight Your Experience: Make sure to detail your experience in large-scale catering environments. We’re looking for someone who can manage a busy kitchen, so share specific examples of your past roles and achievements!
Be Clear and Concise: Keep your application straightforward and to the point. Use clear language to describe your skills and experiences, making it easy for us to see why you’d be a great fit for the Chef Manager role.
Apply Early!: Don’t wait until the last minute to submit your application. We might close the vacancy once we have enough applications, so get yours in early through our website to ensure you don’t miss out!
How to prepare for a job interview at Hampshire County Council
✨Know Your Menu
Familiarise yourself with the types of nutritious and allergen-compliant meals that are served at Emsworth Primary School. Be ready to discuss how you would plan and deliver these menus while adhering to the School Foods Standards.
✨Showcase Your Leadership Skills
Prepare examples of how you've successfully led a kitchen team in the past. Highlight your experience in training and developing staff, and be ready to discuss how you foster a positive working environment.
✨Understand Kitchen Operations
Brush up on your knowledge of stock control, food ordering, and performance monitoring. Be prepared to explain how you would oversee these operations to drive business performance and meet KPIs.
✨Communicate Passion for Food
Express your genuine passion for fresh, nutritious food during the interview. Share your thoughts on how quality meals impact children's health and wellbeing, and how you can inspire your team to maintain high standards.