Cook Manager

Job Description

Chef Manager / Catering Manager / Cook Manager – Monday to Friday | Term Time Only

Location: The Earls High School, Furnace Lane, Halesowen, B63 3SL
Hours: 37.5 hours per week
Working Pattern: Monday to Friday, 7:00am – 3:00pm
Contract: Term Time Only – 39 weeks, paid over 52 weeks
Salary: £15.00 per hour + Sodexo Benefits

Are you an experienced Chef Manager, Catering Manager or Cook Manager who enjoys leading a team and delivering great food and service?

We’re looking for a confident and passionate catering professional to take ownership of the catering operation at The Earls High School in Halesowen, serving a busy school community.

This is a fantastic opportunity for someone who wants a great work-life balance, with a Monday-to-Friday working pattern, no weekend working, no evening shifts and public holidays off, including Christmas.

What you'll be doing

As Chef Manager / Catering Manager / Cook Manager, you’ll take responsibility for the day-to-day running of the school catering operation, leading your team and ensuring students and staff receive a high-quality food service every day.

You'll be responsible for:

• Leading, motivating and developing the catering team.
• Being hands-on with food preparation and cooking.
• Overseeing food service and ensuring consistently high standards.
• Managing food ordering, stock, replenishment and waste.
• Managing food, labour and other catering costs.
• Developing and creating menus that are appealing to students and staff.
• Maintaining excellent food safety, hygiene and allergen standards.
• Carrying out regular audits and checks to ensure standards are maintained.
• Working closely with the school to deliver an outstanding catering service.
• Creating a positive and professional kitchen environment where your team can thrive.
• Leading by example and ensuring the kitchen operates efficiently during busy service periods.

What we're looking for

We're looking for someone who:

• Has previous experience as a Chef Manager, Catering Manager, Cook Manager, Head Chef, Sous Chef or similar.
• Has experience cooking on a large scale, ideally for 100–1,300 customers or more.
• Is confident leading, motivating and developing a kitchen team.
• Has experience working with fresh produce and ingredients.
• Has a passion for food and delivering excellent customer service.
• Has good knowledge of food safety, hygiene and allergen management.
• Is organised, proactive and confident managing a busy catering operation.
• Can work calmly under pressure and to tight deadlines.
• Has a positive attitude and leads by example.
• Holds NVQ Level 2 or equivalent.
• Holds a Level 2 Food Safety Certificate.
• Has at least 1 year of hands-on cooking experience.
• Experience within education catering would be desirable but isn't essential.

Why join us?

This role offers more than just a job. You'll have the opportunity to lead a team, develop your career and make a positive difference to students every day, while enjoying a fantastic work-life balance.

You'll also receive a range of Sodexo benefits, including:

• Monday to Friday working
• No evening or weekend shifts
• Public holidays off, including Christmas
• Term-time working with pay spread over 52 weeks
• Employee Assistance Programme.
• 24/7 virtual GP service.
• Mental health and wellbeing support.
• Employee discounts for you, your friends and family.
• Salary Finance financial wellbeing support.
• Sodexo Retirement Plan.
• Learning and development opportunities.
• Career progression opportunities within Sodexo.
• Bike to Work Scheme.
• Full training and protective uniform provided.

Ready for your next step?

If you're an experienced Chef Manager, Catering Manager, Cook Manager, Head Chef or Sous Chef looking for a Monday-to-Friday, term-time-only management role in Halesowen, we'd love to hear from you.

Whether you're looking to move away from evenings and weekends or simply want a role where you can have a better work-life balance while continuing to lead a kitchen, this could be the opportunity for you.

Apply today and join the Sodexo team at The Earls High School

Please note: Sodexo reserves the right to close this advert early if we receive a high number of applications.

This role is subject to appropriate safeguarding and safer recruitment checks, including references and a Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check.

Why Sodexo?

Love hospitality, but ready for a better work-life balance? Come and make a difference at The Earls High School, where you’ll lead a kitchen team, serve great food to around 1,300 students and have the freedom to bring your own ideas and personality to the role. With Monday–Friday hours, no evenings or weekends, and school holidays off, this is a chance to enjoy a rewarding catering career without missing out on the important things outside of work. If you’re a hands-on leader who takes pride in their food and their team, we’d love to meet you.

File Downloads

• HR-5933_Benefits UK Brochure V9.pdf