Catering Manager

About The Role

We are seeking an experienced and passionate Senior Catering Manager to lead our catering operation within a diverse and complex educational environment. This role supports a varied client portfolio across nurseries, schools, colleges and specialist provisions for students with Special Educational Needs (SEN), delivering high-quality food and service that meets the needs of students, staff and visitors. Days of Working: Monday to Friday.

Key Responsibilities

• Work with the Chef Manager to create seasonal food and drink menus for the site and any events for clients, students and visitors.
• Lead, inspire and develop your team to deliver consistently high-quality, craft-driven food and service.
• Oversee all catering staff, including chefs, kitchen assistants and front‑of‑house teams, ensuring service standards are consistently achieved.
• Ensure compliance with all company policies, food safety regulations, health and safety requirements and safeguarding procedures.
• Manage catering budgets, including food costs, labour costs and operational expenditure.
• Monitor financial performance, identify opportunities for efficiencies and deliver commercial targets.
• Build strong relationships with clients, education leaders, staff, suppliers and other stakeholders.
• Ensure all dietary, allergen and nutritional requirements are met across the service.
• Ensuring products and services are sourced competitively while maintaining quality standards.
• Support and develop team members through coaching, training and performance management.
• Drive continuous improvement initiatives to enhance service quality, customer satisfaction and operational efficiency.
• Ensure staff catering services meet the varying needs of nursery children, school pupils, college students and students requiring additional support.

What We Are Looking For

Essential

• Significant experience managing catering operations and teams.
• Experience within contract catering, education catering or a similarly complex catering environment.
• Strong leadership skills with the ability to motivate, mentor and develop teams.
• Excellent organisational and planning skills.
• Strong financial and commercial awareness, including budgeting and cost control.
• Ability to build positive relationships with clients and stakeholders.
• Effective problem‑solving skills and the ability to think on your feet.
• Right to Work in the UK.
• Willingness to undergo a DBS or Enhanced Security Check.

Desirable

• Experience working within educational settings.
• Experience supporting catering services for Special Educational Needs (SEN) environments.
• NVQ Level 3 in Catering, Hospitality or a related discipline.
• HNC or HND in Hospitality Management.
• Food Hygiene Certificate Level 3.
• Craft‑based catering expertise with a passion for quality food and service.
• Experience catering for children and young people with Special Educational Needs (SEN), including the management of specialist dietary requirements, food allergies, intolerances and texture‑modified diets.

Things You Should Consider Before Applying

• You have experience managing catering services within education, healthcare or another highly regulated environment.
• You are comfortable working across a varied contract that includes nurseries, schools, colleges and specialist SEN provisions.
• You can adapt catering services to meet the differing needs of young children, students and those with additional support requirements.
• You enjoy building effective relationships with multiple stakeholders, including clients, headteachers, senior leaders, parents and suppliers.
• You can balance operational responsibilities with financial accountability and commercial performance.
• You are confident managing dietary requirements, allergen controls and compliance standards.
• You are a hands‑on leader who enjoys supporting teams and maintaining a visible presence within the operation.
• You can remain calm and effective when managing competing priorities and changing operational demands.
• You are passionate about delivering nutritious, high‑quality food that positively contributes to the wellbeing and experience of children and young people.

About The Company

OCS UK & Ireland is a leading facilities management company with 50,000+ colleagues and a turnover in excess of £2bn. We deliver innovative, award‑winning services within facilities management, hard services, cleaning, security and catering.
Our mission is to make people and places the best they can be for our colleagues, customers and the communities we serve. Our commitment to doing business the right way is rooted in our TRUE values - Trust, Respect, Unity, and Empowerment.

Why Work for OCS?

Award‑Winning Employer: Ranked 36th on Glassdoor’s Best Companies to Work For 2025 — we value and motivate our people.

Digital Learning: The OCS Academy offers digital courses and resources to help you build skills and grow your career.

Retail Perks: With our Hapi app, you can gain access to exclusive discounts, rewards and wellbeing resources.

Professional Growth: 600+ live learners across UK&I — Empowering colleagues with further development and qualifications!

Flexible Pay: Access a portion of earned wages before payday with our Wagestream App! (Contract Specific)

We are an equal opportunities employer and rely on a diverse workforce with a broad range of knowledge, skills, and backgrounds to deliver our goals. We offer an inclusive and welcoming environment and actively encourage applications from all individuals regardless of race, gender, nationality, religion, sexual orientation, disability, or age.

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