The posting
Job Title: Chef
Actual Annual Salary: £22,947 - £25,010 Based on hours and weeks worked
Full Time Equivalent Salary: £26,798 - £29,208 (Grade B) Based on full time hours, all year-round contract
Contract Type: Permanent , Term Time Only plus Inset days
Hours: Full Time, 37 hours per week (Monday - Friday)
Start: November/December 2026 – pending completion of pre-employment checks
Love working as a chef but ready to leave behind late nights, split shifts and weekend working?
At City Academy Bristol, we're looking for a talented and motivated Chef to join our catering team and help deliver fresh, nutritious and high-quality meals for our students, staff and visitors.
This is an excellent opportunity for an experienced chef who is looking for a role that offers a better work-life balance while still providing variety, creativity and the chance to make a real difference every day.
Working closely with the wider catering team, you'll play a key role in preparing and serving high-quality meals, supporting menu development, managing stock, maintaining exceptional food hygiene standards and helping to grow the academy's catering offer through new ideas and initiatives.
Whether you're currently working in a restaurant, hotel, contract catering, events, hospitality, healthcare, corporate catering or education, we'd love to hear from you!
What makes this role different?
- Predominantly daytime working hours.
- The opportunity to use your culinary skills in a rewarding educational setting.
- A supportive and collaborative team environment.
- The chance to contribute ideas, develop menus and help shape the future of the catering service.
- The opportunity to positively impact the daily experience of hundreds of young people.
We are looking for someone who:
- Has experience working within a busy professional kitchen.
- Can confidently prepare and cook high-quality meals to a consistently high standard.
- Has experience of menu planning, stock ordering and stock management.
- Understands food hygiene, allergen legislation and safe working practices, including COSHH requirements.
- Takes pride in maintaining high standards of cleanliness and food presentation.
- Has excellent communication and customer service skills.
- Can work effectively both independently and as part of a team.
- Is proactive, reliable, adaptable and able to remain calm in a busy environment.
- Is passionate about delivering a positive dining experience for students, staff and visitors.
Essential Qualifications
- City & Guilds 706/1 or equivalent qualification, or working towards.
- NVQ Level 1 and Level 2 in Hospitality and Catering (or equivalent), or working towards.
About the Role
In this role, you'll support the preparation and service of breakfast, lunch and special events, contribute to menu planning and costing, undertake stock control and stocktaking, and help maintain a safe, compliant and welcoming catering environment. You'll also play an important role in ensuring dietary requirements and food allergen regulations are met while providing excellent customer service across the academy.
Applicants are advised to refer to the full requirements of the role in the attached job description and person specification, prior to submitting an application.
Why Join City Academy Bristol?
At City Academy Bristol, you'll join a team that is committed to providing an outstanding experience for every student. We are looking for someone who shares our values, takes pride in their work and wants to contribute to a thriving school community. If you're an enthusiastic chef ready for a fresh challenge with greater work-life balance, we'd love to hear from you.
Cabot Learning Federation Benefits:
- Access to our pension scheme - Local Government Pension Scheme (if eligible)
- Dedicated Training and Development programmes
- Health and wellness sessions and discounts.
- Secured discounts for staff at a number of gyms in the local area.
- Flu Jabs
- Annual CLF conferences which provides CPD opportunity
- Comprehensive Induction process
- Competitive salaries which are reviewed annually
- Cycle to Work Scheme
- Employee Assistance Programme
About City Academy Bristol:
City Academy Bristol is a vibrant, diverse and dynamic academy in the centre of Bristol. We provide an inclusive and accessible education, which transforms future opportunities for young people, their families and the community.
We are a well-positioned and well-connected academy with direct connection to the developments in Temple Quarter and key economic areas of east and central Bristol.
Why work at CLF?
We are a diverse and inclusive community of 37 academies across five cluster regions in the South West that is committed to excellence and making a positive impact. Our people bring unique perspectives, but we’re all driven by a shared moral purpose and a passion for making a positive impact, whether in a teaching, leadership or support role. We’re proud to foster a culture where everyone can thrive, feel valued, and make a meaningful difference to the lives of others.
We are an equal opportunity employer and proud to serve a diverse student population and our communities. We strongly believe that representation matters. Over 73% of the students who attend City Academy Bristol are from global majority groups, so we particularly encourage applicants from those groups in order to represent the students we serve, as well as wider underrepresented groups including gender, transgender, age disability, sexual orientation or religion.
We aim to remove any barriers to employment, ensuring everyone can compete on equal terms. Job share, part-time and flexible working opportunities will be considered.
Recruitment timeline:
- Closing Date: 25 October 2026
- Shortlisting: 26 October 2026
- Interviews: 05 November 2026
We welcome visits from potential candidates. If you would like to arrange a school visit prior to the closing date, please contact the academy/site directly to arrange a suitable appointment.
As part of our commitment to Keeping Children Safe in Education (KCSIE), we do not accept CVs – a full education and employment history must be provided through our application form.
We are unable to offer sponsorship with this role.
We reserve the right to close this vacancy early, should we receive a high level of interest in the role. Therefore, candidates are advised to apply at their earliest convenience to avoid missing out.
As a Disability Confident Committed Employer, we are dedicated to equity and inclusion and commit to interviewing applicants with a disability who meet the essential criteria. We aim to provide an inclusive and accessible recruitment process, and support employees throughout their employment. If you have a disability, are neurodivergent, or require any adjustments to support you through the application or interview process please let us know how we can assist.
