Catering Manager

Catering Manager

Location: King Edward VI Handsworth Wood Girls' Academy, Church Ln, Handsworth, Birmingham B20 2HL

As Catering Manager for Sodexo at King Edward VI Handsworth Wood Girls' Academy, you will take ownership of the catering operation across two busy school kitchen units, overseeing food quality, service delivery, team performance, customer satisfaction, and financial performance.

You will lead and inspire your catering team, working closely with your Assistant Cook to deliver nutritious, high-quality meals and an exceptional dining experience for students, staff, and visitors.

Your leadership, organisation, and passion for great food will help create a positive food culture within the school while ensuring both kitchens operate smoothly and efficiently.

What you do

Lead and manage the day to day catering operation across two kitchen units on site, ensuring both deliver exceptional food quality, service standards, and customer satisfaction.

Work alongside and support the Assistant Cook, providing guidance, coaching, and hands on support to ensure smooth kitchen operations.

Prepare and cook high quality meals from fresh ingredients, ensuring menus are delivered to the highest standards and meet the needs of students, staff, and visitors.

Develop, mentor, train, and inspire the kitchen team, creating a positive and engaging working environment.

Provide training and support to team members, ensuring colleagues understand their roles, responsibilities, and Sodexo standards.

Build and maintain strong relationships with the school, students, staff, and key client contacts, ensuring excellent communication and customer satisfaction.

Manage the complete catering operation, including labour, food costs, stock control, ordering, waste management, and budget performance.

Manage and optimise all costs under your control while maintaining excellent food and service standards.

Ensure consistency in food quality, presentation, and service standards across both units.

Manage the replenishment of food and the organisation of work areas throughout service, ensuring an efficient and welcoming dining experience.

Support menu planning, development, and implementation in line with Sodexo standards, nutritional requirements, and customer expectations.

Conduct regular audits and compliance checks to maintain excellent standards in food safety, hygiene, health and safety, and service delivery.

Identify opportunities to improve customer experience, increase engagement, and create a positive dining environment.

Ensure all statutory and company policies are followed, including food safety, allergen management, COSHH, health and safety, and safeguarding requirements.

What you bring

Previous experience managing a catering operation, ideally within a school, education, or contract catering environment.

Experience cooking on a large scale, ideally catering for high volumes of students.

Experience managing multiple catering areas or kitchen units is desirable.

Experience working alongside and supporting kitchen team members, including Assistant Cooks and Catering Assistants.

Strong leadership skills with experience developing, coaching, and motivating a team.

Excellent communication skills with the ability to build strong relationships with clients, customers, and colleagues at all levels.

Experience managing budgets, food costs, stock control, ordering, and financial targets.

Experience working with fresh produce and ingredients.

Ability to follow recipes and deliver consistent food quality.

Strong understanding of food hygiene, health and safety, and allergen management requirements.

Ability to work under pressure and manage priorities in a busy kitchen environment.

Professional approach with a positive attitude and the ability to lead by example.

Hold basic food handling skills certification: NVQ Level 2 or equivalent Level 2 Food Safety Certificate; a minimum of 1 year's hands on cooking experience.

Full training and development will be provided.

What we offer

Competitive compensation and flexible, dynamic working environment. Full training and full protective uniform supplied.

Employee benefits include mental health and wellbeing support, Employee Assistance Programme, a free health and wellbeing app, the Sodexo Discounts Scheme, Money Insights and financial benefits via the Salary Finance Platform, Sodexo Retirement Plan, Cycle to Work Scheme, and volunteering opportunities.

We are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children. Certain roles will require applicants to undergo screening appropriate to the post, including checks with past employers and the Disclosure and Barring Service (UK) and/or Disclosure Scotland (Scotland).

Employment details

• Sodexo reserves the right to close this advert early if we are in receipt of a high number of applications.
• Package Description: "For a job that's a perfect mix of passion, perks and potential". £16.50 per hour.
• 37.5 hours per week. Working pattern: Monday to Friday, 7:30am to 3:00pm (with a 30-minute unpaid break, extending finish time to 3:30pm if taken).
• Term Time only (39 weeks). Working Contract paid over 52 weeks.
• Equated pay (also known as spread over pay) means you are paid equal amounts every month.

Further information will be supplied at interview stage.

Jobs are provided by the Find a Job Service from the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP).