Junior Sous Chef
Who are we?
We are Manchester Students’ Union, the biggest SU in the country, supporting over 40,000 students throughout their time at university. We help to make student life the best it can be by supporting students to campaign for change, creating opportunities to meet new people, providing employment opportunities, providing advice and support and being a safe place on campus.
We are a values-centred organisation that employs around 90 permanent, full-time members of staff. We recruit a wide range of roles throughout the year within all our departments from our Commercial team operating Manchester Academy Venues, 13 Media, Bar 532 & Kitchen and Corridor Coffee to our Student Activities, Student Engagement, Marketing and Communications, Finance, HR and Facilities teams. Our team of around 400 part-time, studying staff are instrumental in providing to support to all departments as well as leading major projects like Student Angels. When you join UMSU, you’ll be immersed in an environment that empowers staff to make great things happen and we're always on the lookout for innovative, passionate, and proactive people to join us.
Our values are really important to us and shape the work that we do every day. As part of our recruitment process, we want you to demonstrate how your experiences, behaviours and skills align with our values. You can find more detailed explanations of our values on our website.
About the role
Tired of working long, unpredictable hours in high-pressure kitchens? At Manchester Students’ Union, we offer a work-life balance that’s rare in the hospitality industry!
As a Junior Sous Chef, you’ll enjoy a 35-hour working week—significantly lower than the industry norm, where many chefs work 50+ hours. Even better, you’ll have Sundays off and most of your shifts will be Monday to Friday, allowing you to reclaim your weekends.
We also value your time and wellbeing. You’ll get at least 40 days of paid leave, including 30 days of annual leave, bank holidays, and additional Christmas closure days—perfect for recharging and spending time with family and friends.
We invest in your future, matching pension contributions up to 8%, offering career development through training, and providing a supportive, inclusive team environment where you can grow your skills without burnout. Plus, enjoy free meals on shift, discounts at our campus cafés and bars, and even free gig tickets to Manchester Academy!
If you’re looking for stability, career growth, and an employer who truly values you, apply today
Please read the full role profile before applying, as well as our guide to recruitment.
Details
Salary: £26,640
Contract: Permanent / Full Time
Hours: 35 hours per week
Eligibility: Open to applicants with relevant skills and experience who are eligible to work in the UK at the start of employment
Our Reward Package
You'll get access to our reward package which you can see here.
Recruitment Guide
We have a guide that explains our full recruitment process. We recommend reading through this before beginning an application.
If you are invited to interview with us, we will share our interview questions in advance so you can prepare your responses. We’re more interested in hearing about your experiences and ideas than in testing your memory, and so we want you to feel as prepared as possible.
Inclusivity and Accessibility
We are committed to equality of opportunity, and we work hard to ensure we appoint based on skill and values.
We particularly encourage applications from Disabled or Black, Black British, Black Welsh, Caribbean or African candidates as these groups are currently underrepresented in our staff team.
If you have any accessibility requirements or require adjustments to support you to apply to work with us, please get in touch. We can offer reasonable adjustments at all stages of our recruitment process.
Recruitment Timeline
Applications opened: 24/7/2025
Applications close: 4/8/2025
Interviews: 11/8/2025
Role Commencing: ASAP
We may close applications early if we receive a high volume of applications. We recommend that you apply as soon as possible to avoid disappointment. In this case, all applicants who have started an application will be contacted 2 hours before we close the role.
Contact
People Team:
You can contact the People Team with any questions regarding this vacancy or our recruitment process.
Email: jobs.su@manchester.ac.uk
Phone: 0161 306 3279
Hiring Manager: Jonny Allen
You can contact the hiring manager with any questions regarding this vacancy or our recruitment process.
Email: Jonny.allen@manchester.ac.uk