University of Manchester Students' Union
Head Chef
How your CV stacks up
Upload your CV to see how well it fits this job role
?%
This new venture is our most significant commercial launch in a decade, and the Head Chef will play a key role in shaping what it becomes.
You will lead the kitchen for a new all-day Oxford Road bar and social venue, developing a food offer that supports the rhythm of the site from morning coffee and lunch through to early evening, events, group bookings and pre-gig trade. This is not a fine-dining kitchen, but it is a serious commercial food operation with the chance to create something distinctive: food that is fast, consistent, high-quality, margin-aware and genuinely relevant to students, staff, gig-goers and the wider Oxford Road community.
Working closely with the General Manager, you will help open the kitchen, set its standards, build its routines and develop its newly recruited team. You will take ownership of food quality, kitchen organisation, food safety, allergens, stock control, waste management, gross profit and the day-to-day leadership of the kitchen team. Just as importantly, you will help create the dishes, standards and service style that give the venue its food identity and give customers a reason to come back.
Reasons to use Rodeo
Start with a chat, not a search bar
Grad scheme, placement, apprenticeship? Not sure what you want yet — that's fine. Your agent talks it through with you and turns "I have no idea" into a shortlist.
It searches the market for you
Every day your agent scans the market matching roles against what actually matters to you, not just keywords on a CV.
Only hits
No noise. No "maybe this fits." Just roles with a clear explanation of why they're right — and where to focus when applying.
The food offer will be central to the success of the venue. It needs to work hard commercially, support the bar, deliver value for students and be strong enough to compete on Oxford Road. That means balancing creativity with consistency, speed with quality, and affordability with margin.
Get help with your application
Your very own career expert that helps elevate your application to the next level.
Every commercial pound generated by the venue goes back into supporting students at the University of Manchester. That makes this a Head Chef role where food quality, financial control, team development and student impact all matter.
You will work as part of the wider Commercial team, alongside colleagues in Manchester Academy Venues, Bar 532 & Kitchen and Corridor Coffee, contributing to a growing Union hospitality operation with ambition beyond a single site. This is a rare opportunity for a hands-on, commercially minded Head Chef to help launch a new venue, build a kitchen culture from day one and create a food offer with real purpose behind it.
“It took my CV and asked me questions relevant to understanding what kind of jobs to suggest for me. Suggestions were almost perfect. Jobs were exactly what I’ve been looking for.”
Jessica, London
Skills