Cook Manager

Cook Manager – Lead the Kitchen, Inspire the Team!

Location: Ebbsfleet Green Primary School, Ackers Drive, Weldon Road, Ebbsfleet Valley, Swanscombe, DA10 1AL

Love great food? Enjoy leading a team? Ready for a role that fits around your life?

Join Sodexo as a Cook Manager at Ebbsfleet Green Primary School, where you’ll take the lead in delivering delicious, nutritious meals that help pupils learn, grow and thrive. You’ll bring your passion for food to the heart of the school community, creating a welcoming dining experience while supporting and inspiring your kitchen team.

This is a fantastic opportunity for an experienced cook who’s ready to take the next step into kitchen management, or an established Cook Manager looking for a rewarding role with a better work-life balance.

Enjoy a Monday-to-Friday school-based environment, with public holidays off, including Christmas!

Join Sodexo and be part of something greater. You’ll belong to a team where you can act with purpose, make a difference every day and thrive in your own way.

What you do:

• Lead from the front: Oversee the daily running of the school kitchen, ensuring meals are prepared, presented and served to a consistently high standard.

• Create food pupils love: Help develop appealing menus that provide tasty, nutritious meals for the school community.

• Inspire your team: Support, train and motivate kitchen colleagues, creating a positive environment where everyone can do their best.

• Keep everything running smoothly: Manage food replenishment, stock control and the preparation and cleaning of work areas before, during and after service.

• Take ownership of costs: Monitor and manage food, labour and stock expenses, helping deliver an efficient and cost-effective catering service.

• Champion food safety: Carry out routine checks and audits, maintaining high standards of hygiene, cleanliness and safe working practices.

• Make every service count: Ensure pupils, staff and visitors receive a friendly, reliable service and an excellent dining experience.

What you bring:

We’re looking for someone who loves cooking, takes pride in their work and enjoys bringing out the best in others.

Ideally, you’ll have:

• Experience preparing and cooking food on a large scale, ideally catering for around 100–1,300 pupils.

• Experience following recipes and maintaining consistent food quality in a professional kitchen.

• Previous experience supervising colleagues or supporting a kitchen team.

• Good knowledge of fresh ingredients, food preparation and stock management.

• An understanding of food hygiene, health and safety procedures and safe working practices.

• The ability to stay organised and work calmly in a busy kitchen.

• A positive attitude, a hands-on approach and the confidence to lead by example.

• An NVQ Level 2 qualification and a Level 2 Food Safety Certificate.

• At least one year of hands-on cooking experience.

What we offer:

Working with Sodexo is more than a job; it’s a chance to be part of something greater. You’ll belong in a company and team that values you for you; you’ll act with purpose and have an impact through your everyday actions; and you’ll be able to thrive in your own way. In addition, we also offer a range of resources, rewards and benefits for our colleagues and their families:

• Unlimited access to an online platform offering mental health and wellbeing support.
• Employee Assistance Programme to help with everyday issues or larger problems where you may need additional support, including legal and financial advice, support with work related issues or personal issues such as bereavement.
• Access to a free health and wellbeing app that provides rewards for maintaining a healthy lifestyle and includes access to a 24hr virtual GP and various other services.
• The Sodexo Discounts Scheme, offering great deals 24/7 (also open to friends and family) and/or the prepayment cashback card.
• Money Insights and financial benefits via the Salary Finance Platform.
• Save for your future by becoming a member of the Sodexo Retirement Plan
• A death in Service benefit for colleagues who pass away whilst employed by Sodexo
• Opportunities to enable colleagues to grow and succeed throughout their career at Sodexo, including a variety of learning and development tools.
• Cycle to Work Scheme to help colleagues to do their bit for the environment whilst keeping fit.
• Volunteering Opportunities to enable all colleagues to help support worthwhile causes in our communities.
• Flexible and dynamic work environment
• Competitive compensation
• Full training and full protective uniform supplied.

Ready to be part of something greater? Apply today!

**Sodexo and our Clients are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children. Certain roles will require applicants to undergo screening appropriate to the post, including checks with past employers and the Disclosure and Barring Service (UK) and / or Disclosure Scotland (Scotland)**

*Sodexo reserves the right to close this advert early if we are in receipt of a high number of application

Why Sodexo?

“For a job that’s a perfect mix of passion, perks and potential”

• £14.83 per hour
• 35 hours per week
• Working pattern: Monday - Friday, 7am - 2pm
• Term Time only (39 week Working Contract paid over 52 weeks)**

**Equated pay (sometimes known as spread-over pay) is a method of paying you for your contracted hours, working weeks and holiday pay spread over 12 months instead of just receiving pay during the months that you work and none during the school closures/non-working weeks. This means that you get paid equal amounts of pay every month. Further information will be supplied at interview stage.**

File Downloads

• HR-5933_Benefits UK Brochure V9.pdf