Kitchen Manager – Lead with Excellence at Q3 Academy Oldbury Location: Q3 Academy, Moat Road, Oldbury, B68 8ED Pay: £16.01 per hour Hours: 40 hours per week, Monday to Friday Contract Type: Full-Time, Permanent Do you thrive in a fast-paced kitchen environment and enjoy leading large teams? Sodexo is looking for a Kitchen Manager to oversee a high-volume catering operation, delivering over 1,500 meals each day at Q3 Academy Oldbury. Join a forward-thinking team where your skills will shape the daily experience of hundreds of pupils. Be part of something greater—where purpose meets opportunity. About the Role As Kitchen Manager, you’ll play a vital role in the smooth running of our kitchen operations, working in partnership with the on-site Unit Manager to ensure meals are delivered on time, on budget, and to the highest standards. This is a hands-on leadership role—you’ll inspire, coordinate, and drive a large team, while upholding the Sodexo values of safety, quality, and customer satisfaction. Key Responsibilities Oversee day-to-day kitchen operations, producing 1,500 meals daily Ensure food is prepared to high standards, with a strong focus on allergens and health & safety Manage kitchen staffing, rotas, labour budgets, and training Control stock, ordering, and cost of goods in line with menu specifications Monitor kitchen performance: labour, wastage, disposables, and food quality Maintain compliance with all statutory regulations and Sodexo policies Deliver client hospitality and special dietary requests with care and precision Work collaboratively with the site Unit Manager and other stakeholders to meet service level agreements What We're Looking For Essential: Chef background with NVQ Level 2 in Professional Cookery Proven experience in a similar kitchen leadership role Ability to manage a large team in a high-output catering environment Strong communication, leadership, and organisational skills Resilient, self-motivated, and calm under pressure High standards of hygiene, food safety, and compliance Computer literate and financially aware Desirable: Experience within education or large-scale catering environments A passion for delivering great food and service in a school setting A flexible, collaborative and people-first leadership style What You’ll Get in Return Competitive pay and full training provided Free access to wellbeing and mental health platforms, including 24/7 virtual GP Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) – legal, financial, and personal support Sodexo Discounts Scheme – savings on retail, travel, dining, and more (for you and your family) Cycle to Work Scheme Retirement Plan and Death in Service benefit Ongoing development through Sodexo’s learning and career progression tools Opportunities to volunteer and give back to your community A flexible and dynamic working environment where you're valued for who you are Ready to take the lead? Bring your passion, creativity, and leadership skills to one of the UK’s most respected service teams. Apply now and be part of a team where your actions make a difference every single day. Please Note: Due to the safeguarding responsibilities associated with this role, successful candidates will be subject to appropriate background checks including past employment references and enhanced DBS (Disclosure and Barring Service) or Disclosure Scotland screening. Sodexo reserves the right to close the advert early if a high volume of applications is received. Package Description “ You bring your passion for food. We’ll bring our passion for developing our people ” Kitchen Manager – Lead with Excellence at Q3 Academy Oldbury Location: Q3 Academy, Moat Road, Oldbury, B68 8ED Pay: £16.01 per hour Hours: 40 hours per week, Monday to Friday Contract Type: Full-Time, Permanent Check your local transport links here: Plan Your Journey | Traveline - Oldbury, B68 8ED 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. About The Company About Sodexo At Sodexo, our purpose is to create a better every day for everyone to build a better life for all. As the global leader in services that improve the Quality of Life, we operate in 55 countries, serving over 100 million consumers each day through our unique combination of On-Site Food and FM Services, Benefits & Rewards Services and Personal & Home Services. We are committed to being an inclusive employer. We are a forces friendly employer. We welcome and encourage applications from people with a diverse variety of experiences, backgrounds and identities. We encourage our employees to get involved with our Employee Networks such as Pride, Sodexo Parents & Carers, Sodexo Disability, Ability network, So Together, Generations and Origins. We’re a Disability Confident Leader employer. We’re committed to changing attitudes towards disability, and making sure disabled people have the chance to fulfil their aspirations. We run a Disability Confident interview scheme for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria for the job. Click here to read more about what we do to promote an inclusive culture.