Role: Chef Manager
Location: Shuttleworth College
Salary/Benefits: Salary is between £34,420 and £37,900 per annum (Pro-Rata) DOE and Qualifications, People’s pension, Retail and Leisure Discounts, excellent professional and personal development opportunities, accessing college courses.
Hours/Weeks: 35 hours per week – 40 weeks per year
Contract Type: Permanent – Term Time / Part Time
This is a UK based contract, and you are required to have the Right to Work in the UK. Unfortunately, we’re unable to offer sponsorship and any offer of employment will be subject to evidence of your Right to Work in the UK.
About the role:
We are currently seeking a Chef Manager to join our Catering and Hospitality department at The Bedford College Group.
As a Chef Manager, you play an important role in the success of our students through:
1. Kitchen Operations & Food Production – Support the day‑to‑day running of the kitchen, preparing and delivering high‑quality food while meeting college standards and customer expectations.
2. Menu Planning, Cost Control & Stock Management – Assist in planning menus, managing food cost targets, ordering supplies and maintaining stock levels to ensure efficient and cost‑effective operations.
3. Team Leadership & Staff Development – Supervise and support the kitchen team, acting as a role model, providing training and ensuring high standards of performance and teamwork.
4. Health & Safety, Hygiene & Compliance – Ensure full compliance with HACCP, food hygiene, health & safety and fire regulations, maintaining accurate records and high cleanliness standards.
5. Customer Experience & Service Excellence – Deliver exceptional service by supporting front‑of‑house operations, managing complaints effectively and contributing to events, promotions and continuous business improvement.
About you:
6. Qualifications & Culinary Expertise – Level 2 kitchen qualification (or equivalent experience) with strong culinary skills, food presentation expertise and knowledge of menu development in high‑volume catering environments.
7. Kitchen Operations, Cost Control & Planning – Proven experience managing food production, stock, budgets and cost control, with the ability to plan and deliver operations efficiently within time and financial constraints.
8. Team Leadership, Training & Performance – Experienced in supervising and developing teams, providing training, leading by example and driving high standards of performance and customer service.
9. Food Safety, Compliance & Attention to Detail – Strong knowledge of food hygiene, HACCP and health & safety requirements, ensuring compliance, high standards of cleanliness and meticulous attention to detail.
10. Customer Focus, Professionalism & Flexibility – Customer‑focused, proactive and commercially aware, with excellent communication skills, adaptability to changing demands and commitment to safeguarding, CPD and professional standards.
For a more detailed breakdown of the job role and the requirements, please see the Job Description attached to this vacancy.
If you do not hold a recognised, qualified teaching qualification, please see attached PGCE CertEd information.
Interviews to be held: TBC
Successful candidates must also be able to demonstrate alignment to our organisational VISION values:
11. Valuing Teamwork - We are one team who by working together can achieve great things, respecting the opinion and valuing the contribution each of us makes.
12. Improving Continuously - We challenge ourselves to always do better by trying new things, sharing knowledge, reflecting on practice and learning from others.
13. Student Centred - At our heart is always doing what is best for our students. We consider students in all of our decision making to create positive outcomes and memorable experiences for every student.
14. Inclusive - We celebrate differences and diversity, recognising that we can learn from each other.
15. Open and Caring - We care about the wellbeing of our staff, our students, our community and wider society, creating an environment built on trust where we listen, engage with and support each other.
16. Nurturing Education Excellence - We promote educational excellence by delivering programmes that challenge our students to achieve their ambitions.
About The Bedford College Group
The Bedford College Group was formed in 2017 following the merger of Bedford College and Tresham College and is now the largest provider of education in the South East Midlands, with over 15,000 students passing through our doors each year.
Today, the Group is made up of a family of colleges across Bedfordshire and Northamptonshire: Bedford College, Central Bedfordshire College and Tresham College in the towns of Bedford, Dunstable, Leighton Buzzard, Corby, Kettering and Wellingborough; Shuttleworth College, a specialist land-based college; The Bedford Sixth Form, (the only dedicated sixth form in Bedford); The Corby Sixth Form, (opened in September 2023); and the National College for Motorsport alongside Silverstone race circuit. To widen accessibility to education and training, the Group also has community-based Learning Centres in Bedford, Corby and Kettering which offer IT training.
Safeguarding our Students
The Bedford College Group is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. The successful candidate will be subject to thorough vetting process which includes, an enhanced DBS check and satisfactory references.
This post is exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974. The Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 and the Exceptions Order 1975, provides information about which convictions must be declared during job applications and related exceptions and further information about filtering offences can be found in the DBS filtering guide. The Bedford College Group's policy on Employment of Ex-Offenders is attached to this vacancy.
Candidates who are barred from working with children are reminded it is a criminal offence to apply for this post.