Craft Chef - South & South West

Working pattern: Monday to Friday | Term time only

Salary: £37,500

Job ID: 8156

What you'll be serving up...

This is a practical, field-based role where you will be out in schools coaching teams, improving kitchen standards and showing colleagues "what good looks like" in food preparation, presentation, service and organisation.

Coach and support new and existing cooks and catering managers through hands-on training and guidance.

Help teams deliver menus, recipes, production sheets and portion control consistently and confidently.

Support sites with ordering, stock control, waste reduction and kitchen processes to improve operational and financial performance.

Deliver practical craft training in knife skills, preparation, cooking techniques, flavour, presentation and kitchen organisation.

Work with Area Managers to identify schools that need targeted support and put practical improvement plans in place.

Support mobilisations, new business openings and newly onboarded sites.

Help teams deliver added value activity such as theme days, pop-up counters, pupil engagement sessions and school events.

Use your craft expertise to support retention by improving food quality, consistency, confidence and customer care.

The ingredients you'll bring...

You will be a strong chef with great people skills, bags of energy and a genuine passion for helping others succeed. You will know how to build confidence in kitchen teams, spot where support is needed and make improvements in a positive, practical and encouraging way.

A confident chef who can inspire, coach and develop others.

Practical, organised and comfortable working across multiple sites.

Commercially aware, with an understanding of stock control, waste, ordering and gross profit.

Passionate about food quality, presentation, compliance and great service.

A natural communicator who can build positive relationships with teams, schools, pupils and stakeholders.

Comfortable using menu management and financial systems.

Why this role?

This is a brilliant opportunity for a chef who is ready for a new challenge away from a single kitchen, but still wants to stay close to food, teams and service delivery. You will have the chance to make a real difference across the region by raising standards, developing people and helping schools deliver food experiences pupils enjoy.

If you are ready to use your chef skills to inspire others, improve standards and bring great food to schools across the Midlands, we would love to hear from you.