Thurrock Catering Services

We are seeking an experienced and enthusiastic Chef as Head of Kitchen/Catering Manager with a positive ‘can-do’ attitude!

This role is a unique and exciting opportunity to work within the School Meal Service. 

Thurrock Catering Services provides Bronze Food for Life, award winning lunchtime meals at 30 Primary Schools, 3 Secondary Schools within the Borough, serving more than one million meals each year to children and school staff.  Due to the Universal Free School Meal’s for KS1 pupils and continued expansion and growth of our service which now includes catering for Grangewaters Residential Groups and Holiday Activity Feeding Events, an opportunity now exists to work in a friendly and flexible environment within school kitchens in Thurrock.

Head of Kitchen – Thurrock 

Salary: £28,344 to £31,719 per annum pro rata

Grade C

Permanent Contract

25 to 35 Hours per week Service Dependent (Term-Time Contract)

You will be required to prepare, produce, and deliver an excellent standard food service to the staff and pupils at schools in the Grays area of Thurrock, you must be able to organise, arrange and supervise all activities in the school kitchen, counter display and dining room area and must be prepared to cover where-ever required across Thurrock in other schools if needed. You will need to promote the service and keep abreast of new products, promotions, and any changes in legislation.

Your main responsibilities will include:

Deliver a high standard catering service  Cover and support the Catering Service wherever required across Thurrock  Promotion of the Catering Service keeping abreast of new products & legislation,  Organise and manage the catering provision to ensure an efficient and cost effective service to meet set targets on food and labour costs Ordering provisions, food preparation and cooking in accordance to the recipe file and menu. All paperwork & reporting required to ensure stock take and payroll deadlines are met The management of staff to include attendance and annual appraisals.  Increase uptake and business growth

Full workplace training will be given, which includes food hygiene and safety training.  A flexible approach with a ‘can-do’ attitude is required together with a pleasant personality and excellent customer care ethics. 

A Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) Check at Enhanced Level with Children's Barred List is required for this post. 

For an informal discussion about the post please contact Jayne Darlow on JDarlow@thurrock.gov.uk 

Advert Closing Date:

Redeployment Only: 30th December 2024 Internal & External: 5th January 2025

Interview Date: To be confirmed

To view the Job Profile and Person Specification please follow the link below:

Download Job Profile (PDF Document)

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