PRODUCTION KITCHEN MANAGER (CPU Manager)
Location: Uxbridge HQ
Reports To: Head of Food
Model: Full-time, hands-on, production-led role
Salary: £45,000 + bonus
ABOUT THE ROLE
The Production Kitchen Manager ensures Dish’d’s manufacturing kitchen executes
every product consistently, safely and to spec.
This role sits directly under the Head of Food and turns development outputs into
production reality - recipe cards, batch sheets, videos, pilot runs and full-scale
launches.
This is a hands on role, 80:20, hands on: management
You will manage the day-to-day running of our central production unit (CPU),
oversee kitchen staff, implement new products, and maintain rigorous standards
across quality, food safety, cost control, and operational efficiency. This is a practical,
structured role designed for someone who thrives on organisation, process and
consistency.
KEY RESPONSIBILITIES
1. CPU Operations Management
Lead day-to-day operations of the production kitchen, ensuring safe, efficient
and consistent output.
Manage production schedules, staffing, batching, yields and throughput.
Ensure adherence to recipes, SOPs, allergens, HACCP and compliance
standards.
Implement and maintain inventory controls, stock rotation and raw material
checks.
Troubleshoot operational issues and escalate risks early.
2. Turning Development Into Production
Convert new product development outputs into full production documentation:
Recipe cards
Batch sheets
Costed ingredient lists
How-to videos
Step-by-step process guides
Run pilot batches for all new items and provide structured feedback to the
Head of Food.
Flag scaling issues early and recommend adjustments for efficiency and
consistency.
3. Recipe Accuracy, Documentation & Training
Maintain a master database of all CPU recipes, specs, allergens and yields.
Ensure all documentation is exact, version-controlled and communicated to
Operations, Onboarding and partner sites.
Train CPU team members on new products, changes to processes and quality
expectations.
Record training videos and visual SOPs for rollout.
4. Quality, Standards & Compliance
Conduct daily quality checks and enforce strict compliance with CCPs, food
safety and hygiene.
Monitor yields, waste, and batch consistency — escalating variances.
Work with the Head of Food to introduce structure, repeatability and
improvements.
Maintain kitchen audits, cleaning rotas, equipment logs and compliance
paperwork.
5. Cross-Functional Collaboration
Work closely with:
Head of Food – to ensure products are commercially viable and
scalable.
Procurement – for ingredient quality, ordering accuracy and supplier
issues.
Data Team – to provide production insights (waste, yields, batch
errors).
Support with product launches through production readiness, pilots and
operator documentation.
6. Continuous Improvement & Cost Efficiency
Identify opportunities to centralise more components to improve consistency
and reduce operator effort.
Recommend equipment, process flow or layout improvements.
Drive cost reduction through standardisation, portioning accuracy and waste
reduction.
Support implementation of new systems to streamline production planning
and reporting.
WHAT YOU NEED TO BRING
2–4 years’ experience in a production kitchen, CPU, food manufacturing or
batch-cooking environment.
Strong understanding of food safety, HACCP, allergens and compliance.
SALSA certification a bonus.
Ability to translate recipes into production-ready formats at scale.
Highly organised and methodical with exceptional attention to detail.
Comfortable creating visual training materials and recipe/process videos.
Experience training kitchen teams and enforcing standards.
Good communication skills across cross-functional teams.
Problem-solver with a continuous improvement mindset.
Ability to work at pace and manage multiple concurrent products.
WHAT SUCCESS LOOKS LIKE (6–12 MONTHS)
First 90 Days
Full audit of current CPU processes, recipes, stock, equipment and
documentation.
All recipes brought up to a consistent standard and logged properly.
First round of recipe cards and training videos completed.
Strong working rhythm established with Head of Food, Operations and
Procurement.
Six Months
All new products launched smoothly with accurate documentation and clear
training.
CPU producing higher consistency with improved yields and reduced waste.
Production kitchen operating predictably with strong compliance, quality and
efficiency.
Improved batching efficiency, reduced labour friction and better cost control.
Pay: £45,000.00 per year
Benefits:
Work Location: In person
