Area Support Manager

Impact Food Group; Reading; On-site; GBP 37,000 - 45,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Car allowance

Bonus up to 10% discretionary

Free meals on shift

Uniform

Pension and benefits

Qualifications and development

Staff discount across retailers

Monthly incentives

Job summary

Impact Food Group in Reading, England, seeks an experienced Operations Support Manager to oversee a portfolio of sites regionally, reporting to the Operations Manager. You will lead multi-site teams, balance quality and service while driving profit, and support in kitchens when needed.

The role requires hands-on leadership, strong communication from kitchen to boardroom, and exceptional organisation. A fast-growing school catering provider offering development opportunities.

Qualifications

• Experience managing at least four sites and supervising Chef Managers.
• Hands-on chef by trade with willingness to work in the kitchen.
• Confident in communicating with clients, stakeholders and senior leaders.
• Strong organisational and prioritisation abilities.
• Proficient in creating clear spreadsheets and presentations to show results.

Responsibilities

• Manage, inspire, and engage teams across sites.
• Understand, track, and drive schools' restaurant profit contribution.
• Build trusted relationships with clients and stakeholders.
• Step into the kitchen when needed to support service.
• Communicate effectively from kitchen to boardroom.
• Be self-motivated, resilient, and highly organised.
• Utilise MS Office to present performance data clearly.

Skills

Multi-site management

Team leadership

Stakeholder communication

Spreadsheet & presentation skills

Prioritisation & organisation

Tools

Excel

PowerPoint

Word

Microsoft Office

Job description

Due to continued business growth, an exciting opportunity has arisen for experienced Operations Support Managers to join our team. In this role, you will work closely with the Operations Manager, supporting a portfolio of sites within your region. You'll bring multi-site management experience, a genuine passion for food and service, and strong craft skills, with the confidence to step into the kitchen and support when needed. You will…

• Manage, inspire, and engage teams
• Understand, track, and drive the schools' restaurant profit contribution, balancing commercial performance with quality and service
• Build trusted relationships with clients and stakeholders to help deliver our shared goal of feeding more students, better food. Experience managing at least four sites, supporting and guiding Chef Managers in the smooth day-to-day running of each location, while also building and maintaining strong client relationships.
• A chef by trade, with a hands-on approach and a willingness to step into the kitchen whenever needed.
• Confident communicating at all levels, from the kitchen through to the boardroom.
• Self-motivated, resilient, and highly organised, with a strong ability to prioritise effectively.
• You'll be confident using the Microsoft Office suite, with strong skills in creating clear, professional spreadsheets and presentations that effectively showcase performance and results. Welcome to Impact Food Group (IFG). We one of England's fastest-growing school food providers, serving around one million students every day across more than 1,500 schools. We are dedicated to delivering high-quality, nutritious meals that support student wellbeing and enjoyment.

Our brands include Innovate, Cucina, Chapter One (Independent Schools), Hutchison, and Dolce, reflecting our breadth of experience and reach across the school catering sector. Are you an experienced Contract Catering Operations Support Manager who still likes to be involved with Food? Looking to make a real difference? Be part of a growing business with a powerful social impact mission. We're not going to bore you with a long list of empty adjectives, we want one simple thing: awesome people to help us feed more children better food.

• Working Weeks: 52 weeks per year (25 days paid annual leave plus bank holidays)
• Pay Details: £38,000 per year plus car allowance of £3,840 per year (paid monthly)
• Bonus potential of up to 10% ( Discretionary ) of salary based on performance
• Free meals on shift
• Uniform
• Pension and other great company benefits
• You'll have access to a wide range of free qualifications and ongoing development opportunities
• As well as a staff discount scheme across over 850 retailers
• We also run monthly incentives, giving our top-performing teams the chance to win shopping vouchers and other rewards.