Job Introduction
Culinary Training Manager - Bury St Edmunds
Location: Regional travel required (with base location of RAF Honington)
Salary: £41,444 + Travel Allowance + Benefits
Contract Type: Full-Time, Permanent
Are you a passionate culinary professional with a talent for training and developing others? Do you thrive on the road and enjoy making a difference across multiple locations?
We’re seeking a dynamic and experienced Culinary Training Manager to join our team and take ownership of delivering high-impact culinary and operational training across a defined region. In this roaming role, you will be instrumental in supporting site teams, implementing food safety and operational processes, and driving the adoption of Foodbuy systems to ensure consistency, quality, and compliance.
Key Responsibilities:
Deliver hands-on culinary training and support to site teams across the region.
Implement and reinforce kitchen best practices, food safety standards, and operational processes.
Drive effective adoption and use of Foodbuy systems, ensuring teams are fully trained and confident.
Partner with General Managers, Chefs, and Operational Leads to identify training needs and develop tailored training plans.
Monitor training effectiveness, provide feedback, and support continuous improvement across sites.
Be a visible presence across sites, offering coaching and development that empowers culinary teams to deliver excellence.
Support new openings, system rollouts, and change initiatives as needed.
What We’re Looking For:
A strong background in professional cooking and kitchen operations
Proven experience in delivering training and coaching within a hospitality or contract catering environment.
Excellent knowledge of food safety, allergen compliance, and kitchen process management.
Confident with digital systems, ideally with previous exposure to Foodbuy platforms or similar procurement/operational tools.
A self-starter with excellent interpersonal and communication skills.
Flexibility and willingness to travel frequently within the region (full UK driving licence required)
We ensure you're rewarded for all your hard work, which is why we offer a comprehensive benefits package which includes but is not limited to:
- Contributory pension scheme
- Grow your career with our Career Pathways and MyLearning programmes
- Quick access for you and your immediate family to a Digital GP, and wider healthcare benefits
- Exclusive travel discounts with TUI, Expedia, Booking.com and many more
- Save money on your food shop with discounts on Tesco, Sainsbury's, Morrisons and many more
- Up to 44% off cinema tickets to enjoy your favourite blockbuster
- Receive cash rewards every time you spend and use them on a wide range of brands
- Un-wind with us with free wellness, mindfulness and exercise classes
- You can share all discounts and offers with your friends and families
About Us
Part of Compass Group UK&I, ESS is the Defence, Government, and Energy services sector of Compass Group UK & Ireland. We support 250+ UK military establishments, high profile police, secure environments and government sites, along with a range of onshore and offshore facilities including platforms, drilling rigs, floatels and offices for the energy sector. We know that a friendly face makes all the difference, so we look for people who are passionate about delivering excellent customer service, at all levels, to join our teams.
Job Reference: com/3004/95253001/52736143/SU #Defence
Compass Group UK&I is committed to fostering an environment where every individual can truly be themselves at work and has equal opportunities to advance in their careers. We strive to build a culture that respects and celebrates the unique talents, beliefs, backgrounds, and abilities of all our team members. We want our colleagues to feel valued, empowered to reach their full potential, and to thrive - because diversity is our strength!