School Chef jobs in Southampton

Lead Our #FoodForGood Team!

Do you have a passion for food, leadership, and making a real difference to children every day?

At City Catering Southampton, we are passionate about providing high-quality, nutritious meals to children across Southampton and beyond. As a charity, we believe every child deserves the very best lunchtime experience — and we’re looking for experienced, enthusiastic and organised Head of Kitchen's to lead several of our school catering teams.

This is a rewarding term-time role that combines hands-on cooking, team leadership, and the opportunity to make a positive impact within local schools and communities.

We currently have three Head of Kitchen vacancies -

Location: St Marys School
Hours: 30 hours per week, Monday to Friday
Working Weeks: 39 weeks per year (term-time only)
Pay: £13.61 per hour

Location: Polygon School
Hours: 27.5 hours per week, Monday to Friday
Working Weeks: 39 weeks per year (term-time only)
Pay: £13.61 per hour

Location: Our Lady St Joseph, Lymington
Hours: 25 hours per week, Monday to Friday. Fixed term contract for 6 months.
Working Weeks: 39 weeks per year (term-time only)
Pay: £14.14 per hour

What You’ll Be Doing

No two days are the same! You’ll be responsible for:

· Planning, preparing, cooking, and serving nutritious meals to a consistently high standard

· Leading, motivating, and developing your kitchen team to deliver an excellent service

· Overseeing the day-to-day operation of the kitchen

· Ensuring compliance with food safety, allergens, special diets, and health & safety procedures

· Managing stock control, ordering, and minimising food waste

· Building positive relationships with school staff, pupils, and parents

· Supporting special events, theme days, and promotional activities

· Training, supporting, and developing Assistant Cooks and Catering Assistants

· Maintaining accurate kitchen records and completing required administration

· Creating a welcoming and positive dining experience for children

What We’re Looking For

We’d love to hear from you if you are:

· Experienced in managing or leading a kitchen, ideally within a school or catering environment

· Passionate about food quality and customer service

· A confident leader who can motivate and support a team

· Organised and able to work well under pressure

· Knowledgeable about food safety, allergens, and kitchen hygiene procedures

· Friendly, approachable, and professional

· Reliable, proactive, and solution-focused

· Flexible and willing to support other locations when required

Previous supervisory or leadership experience is essential, and a Level 3 Food Hygiene Certificate would be an advantage.

At City Catering Southampton, we are proud of our positive culture, high standards, and commitment to equality, safeguarding, and employee wellbeing.

Important Information

This role is subject to eligibility to work in the UK and an Enhanced DBS check due to working within school environments. The cost of the DBS check will be covered by the Charity.

We are actively seeking to increase diversity within our organisation and warmly welcome applications from people of all genders, sexual orientations, people from Black and minority ethnic backgrounds, disabled people, and those with lived experience of food poverty.

If you’re passionate about making a difference and want to lead a team that delivers great food with care, we’d love to hear from you — apply today!

Pay: £13.61 per hour

Benefits:

• On-site parking

Application question(s):

• Do you have an enhanced DBS certificate?
• How many years experience do you have of managing a kitchen?

Work Location: In person