Catering Contract Administrator

University of Kent; Canterbury; Hybrid; GBP 25,000 - 35,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Hybrid working

43 days leave per year

Generous pension

Healthcare plan

Job summary

The University of Kent is seeking a proactive Catering Contract Administrator to support the outsourced catering contract that serves thousands of students, staff and visitors. You will work with the Contract Manager and Chartwells to coordinate governance, performance reporting and service improvements.

Hybrid working is available, and the role offers a friendly environment with opportunities to develop within the university and its catering partnership.

Qualifications

• Experience in an administrative or clerical role.
• Excellent organisational and time management skills.
• Experience organising meetings, maintaining records and documentation.
• Experience taking minutes and maintaining action trackers.
• Ability to communicate effectively with a wide range of stakeholders.

Responsibilities

• Provide administrative support to the Contract Manager in day-to-day management of the outsourced catering contract.
• Organise meetings, prepare agendas, coordinate attendance, take minutes and maintain action logs.
• Collate KPI, SLA and operational information from Chartwells and stakeholders.
• Support documentation for audits, inspections and contract reviews.
• Assist with sustainability initiatives and community engagement activities related to the contract.

Skills

Admin experience

Organisational skills

Minutes taking

Stakeholder communication

Time management

Job description

On the 1 August 2026, The University of Greenwich and the University of Kent formed a pioneering new multi-university group called London and South- East (LASE) University Group.

Should you join us, you will be employed by LASE but will work as part of the University of Kent academic division, contributing to its distinct strengths, community and identity while also being part of a wider group that brings together the scale, resilience and shared ambition of both universities. Through LASE we aim to deliver outstanding education, impactful research, and meaningful regional and global impact.

Are you an organised administrator with excellent attention to detail and a passion for delivering high-quality support in a fast-paced environment?

As Catering Contract Administrator, you will play a key role in supporting the successful delivery of the University's outsourced catering contract. Working closely with the Contract Manager, you will provide comprehensive administrative support across contract governance, stakeholder engagement, operational activities, performance reporting and service improvement. This is an exciting opportunity to work with colleagues across the University and Chartwells, helping to ensure the smooth operation of a strategic partnership that delivers catering and hospitality services to thousands of students, staff and visitors.

As Catering Contract Administrator you can expect to be involved in:

• Providing administrative support to the Contract Manager in the day-to-day administration of the outsourced catering contract
• Organising meetings, preparing agendas, coordinating attendance, taking minutes and maintaining action logs
• Collating key performance indicator (KPI), service level agreements (SLA) and operational information provided by Chartwells and University stakeholders
• Supporting the preparation and organisation of documentation required for audits, inspections and contract reviews
• Providing administrative support for sustainability initiatives, social value commitments and community engagement activities associated with the catering contract

What will you bring to the role?

• Previous experience in an administrative or clerical role
• Excellent organisational and time management skills
• Experience of organising meetings, maintaining records and managing documentation
• Experience of taking minutes and maintaining action trackers
• Ability to communicate effectively with a wide range of stakeholders

What we can offer in return:

As a member of our team, you can expect a friendly, open and collaborative working environment and support in your development and wellbeing. You'll enjoy a range of great staff benefits including:

• Hybrid working options allowing a flexible blend of office and home working
• 43 days' leave per year (personal leave, bank holidays and additional days allocated for the Christmas period, pro rata for part-time staff)
• Excellent pension scheme with generous employer contributions
• Corporate employee-funded healthcare plan, in partnership with Benenden Health

For more information about what you can look forward to if you join us, visit our dedicated webpage: Working at Kent

We are ambitious for our people, our communities and the region we serve – join us in making the world a better place. Visit our website for more on who we are: http://www.kent.ac.uk/about/

We particularly welcome applications from black, Asian and minority ethnic candidates as they are under-represented at this level in this area

Occasionally we may need to close a vacancy before the published deadline due to a high number of applications being received, therefore we strongly advise you to submit your application as soon as possible. (All vacancies will be open for at least one week.)

PLEASE NOTE: We prioritise applications from current University of Kent redeployees. We will let you know if this post is to be filled by a redeployee as, in this instance, your application will unfortunately not be taken forward.

We know applicants may use AI tools to help prepare job applications. For guidance on how to use AI responsibly and effectively, see: Using AI in your job application

The University of Kent values diversity and equality at all levels.