Job Description

Role Summary

The Central Kitchen Manager plays a mission-critical role in leading day-to-day operations within our central production unit (CPU). This is a hands-on leadership position combining culinary operations, supplier & purchasing control, staff management, and distribution logistics to support our wider network of sites.

The ideal candidate will possess a strong food production background, excellent commercial acumen, and an ability to drive quality, consistency, and cost-efficiency across high-volume output.

Key Responsibilities, Culinary & Production Oversight

Oversee and execute daily batch production across hot, cold, and pre-prep sections.

Ensure output meets brand specifications for consistency, safety, and quality.

Lead on daily mise en place, portioning, vacuum packing, chilling, labelling, and dispatch.

Maintain production planning sheets, prep logs, and traceability records.

Conduct QA checks and corrective action for taste, temperature, storage, and shelf life.

Procurement, Suppliers & Invoicing

Manage all supplier relationships across food, packaging, and consumables.

Negotiate pricing, agree contracts, and seek margin improvements without quality compromise.

Control purchasing based on par levels, demand forecasts, and shelf life tracking.

Check, reconcile, and approve all purchase invoices with finance.

Deliveries, Logistics & Distribution

Oversee all inbound deliveries: check quality, dates, weights, and storage allocation.

Schedule and prepare dispatches to multiple operational sites based on production plans.

Organise vehicle routes, liaise with drivers/transport providers, and monitor performance.

Maintain cold chain compliance and traceability through entire delivery process.

Staffing, Rotas & Leadership

Lead, coach, and develop BOH team including chefs, prep cooks, porters, and packers.

Maintain headcount within wage budget; manage holiday cover and rota creation.

Conduct onboarding, skills assessments, and regular 1:1s/performance reviews.

Create a clean, organised, and safety-first working culture.

P&L, Cost Control & KPIs

Own key elements of the CPU P&L: food cost, labour cost, wastage, utilities.

Work with Ops and Finance to build forecasts and monthly reporting packs.

Run weekly stocktakes; investigate variances and wastage trends.

Deliver targets through proactive controls and continuous improvement.

Candidate Profile, Essential:

3+ years in a kitchen manager or head chef role, ideally in a CPU, contract catering, or multi-site prep environment.

Proven experience managing purchasing and dealing directly with suppliers.

High level of organisation and familiarity with HACCP, SFBB, traceability systems.

Strong leadership and communication skills across production, finance, and logistics.

Desirable:

Experience using kitchen software (e.g. Apicbase).

Familiarity with chilled transport planning, shelf life testing, or vacuum sealing.

Food Hygiene Level 3 (or higher); IOSH / First Aid is a plus.

Reports To

Head of Culinary

Job Type: Full-time

Pay: 40,000.00 per year

Benefits:

Company pension
Application question(s):

Ability to travel to Uxbridge Ability to work paid additional hours dependent upon manufacturing volume
Experience:

CPU manager: 3 years (preferred)
Work Location: In person

Reference ID: CPUmanager