At a Glance
- Tasks: Lead a school kitchen, creating healthy meals and managing a dynamic team.
- Company: Talbot House Children’s Charity, dedicated to supporting pupils with complex needs.
- Benefits: Competitive salary, term-time hours, and a positive work environment.
- Other info: Join a supportive community focused on the success of every pupil.
- Why this job: Make a real difference in children's lives through nutritious and creative meal planning.
- Qualifications: 2 years of kitchen management experience and relevant food safety certifications.
The predicted salary is between 25000 - 30000 £ per year.
Talbot House Children’s Charity are looking to appoint a term-time, permanent, Kitchen Manager. The successful candidate will lead and manage the day to day operations of the school kitchen, ensuring high quality healthy meals for our pupils and staff.
The role requires hands on food preparation with effective kitchen team leadership and management. Maintain high standards of health and hygiene, food safety and food service. Implementing successful processes, procedures and checking systems to monitor and maintain high quality healthy food. Manage the ordering processes, ensuring orders are accurate.
Overall responsibility to ensure sufficient food is available for the number of covers required each day, and that every meal is served to meet the requirements of each individual. Take ownership of the kitchen, menu planning, ensuring meals meet dietary, allergen and nutritional requirements, while creating an engaging and positive experience for our pupils.
Be creative, work with the children to find out their views on menus options, think outside of the box, introduce theme days and be creative with food choices.
To apply, you must have at least 2 years’ previous experience of kitchen manager experience, ideally within a school kitchen, although this is not essential. You must also hold a Level 2 certificate in Food Preparation or equivalent plus a Level 3 Food Hygiene certificate.
Our school is a non-maintained specialist school with a roll of 70 pupils, all with Education Health Care Plans (EHCPs) and complex needs. We have approximately 8 acres of land, and we are excited to continue to offer the best environment for our pupils to be successful.
Starting date: September 2026, to be confirmed during interview. Hours of work are: Monday to Friday, 7:00am to 2.30pm, working 35 hours per week term-time, plus deep clean days. Salary: Competitive, pending experience.
Kitchen Manager employer: Talbot House Children's Charity
Contact Detail:
Talbot House Children's Charity Recruiting Team
StudySmarter Expert Advice 🤫
We think this is how you could land Kitchen Manager
✨Tip Number 1
Get to know the school and its values! Research Talbot House Children’s Charity and understand their mission. This will help you tailor your approach during interviews and show that you're genuinely interested in making a difference.
✨Tip Number 2
Network like a pro! Connect with current or former staff members on LinkedIn or through local community events. They can provide insider info about the kitchen culture and what it takes to succeed in this role.
✨Tip Number 3
Show off your creativity! Prepare some fun menu ideas or theme day concepts that align with the school's ethos. Presenting these during your interview can really set you apart from other candidates.
✨Tip Number 4
Don’t forget to apply through our website! It’s the best way to ensure your application gets noticed. Plus, we love seeing candidates who take the initiative to engage directly with us.
We think you need these skills to ace Kitchen Manager
Some tips for your application 🫡
Show Your Passion for Food: When writing your application, let us see your love for cooking and creating healthy meals. Share any experiences that highlight your creativity in the kitchen, especially if you've worked with children before!
Highlight Your Leadership Skills: We want to know how you lead a team! Talk about your previous experience managing kitchen staff and how you ensure everyone works together smoothly. A great Kitchen Manager knows how to motivate their team while keeping things fun.
Be Detail-Oriented: Since you'll be responsible for food safety and hygiene, make sure to mention your attention to detail. Discuss any systems or processes you've implemented in the past to maintain high standards in the kitchen.
Tailor Your Application: Make your application stand out by tailoring it to our specific needs. Mention your relevant qualifications, like your Level 2 Food Preparation and Level 3 Food Hygiene certificates, and how they relate to the role. Don't forget to apply through our website!
How to prepare for a job interview at Talbot House Children's Charity
✨Know Your Kitchen Inside Out
Before the interview, make sure you’re familiar with the kitchen operations and menu planning. Research Talbot House Children’s Charity and think about how your experience aligns with their mission. Be ready to discuss how you would manage daily operations and ensure high-quality meals.
✨Showcase Your Leadership Skills
As a Kitchen Manager, effective team leadership is key. Prepare examples of how you've successfully led a kitchen team in the past. Think about times when you’ve motivated staff, resolved conflicts, or implemented new processes that improved efficiency.
✨Highlight Your Creativity
This role requires creativity in menu planning and engaging with pupils. Come up with a few fun and healthy meal ideas or theme days you could introduce. Be prepared to discuss how you would gather feedback from the children to create menus that cater to their tastes and dietary needs.
✨Emphasise Health and Safety Knowledge
With a focus on health and hygiene, be ready to talk about your knowledge of food safety regulations and best practices. Discuss your Level 3 Food Hygiene certificate and any relevant experiences where you maintained high standards in a kitchen environment.