Catering Lead

Essex County Council; Danbury; On-site; GBP 25,000 - 32,000; Full time

Job summary

Essex Outdoors is seeking a Catering Lead to oversee catering across one or more centres, ensuring high‑quality food service and strict compliance with food safety standards. You will lead catering teams, manage stock, and optimise menus within budget while delivering excellent customer experiences.

The role is based at our Danbury centre in Essex, with annualised hours and potential longer summer hours. A Basic Food Hygiene and First Aid at Work certificates are required, plus proven

Qualifications

• Experience supervising catering teams.
• Strong organisational skills.
• Basic Food Hygiene and First Aid at Work certificates required.

Responsibilities

• Create menu plans considering dietary requirements and budget.
• Plan staff schedules and supervise catering staff at the centre.
• Maintain communication with main office, customers and support team to ensure high levels of customer care.
• Prepare and serve meals in accordance with food safety regulations.

Skills

Team leadership

Food safety

Stock management

Communication

Job description

As a Catering Lead, you will oversee the delivery of a professional catering service, ensuring high-quality food and beverage provision that meets the needs of our customers across one or more Essex Outdoors centres. You will lead and support catering teams to provide an excellent customer experience, maintaining the highest standards of food safety, hygiene and health and safety compliance. You will have experience supervising a team within a catering environment, alongside strong organisational skills and the ability to effectively manage stock levels. A Basic Food Hygiene Certificate and First Aid at Work Certificate are required for this role. This is an exciting opportunity to play a key role in creating positive experiences for visitors, ensuring every guest receives a high standard of service throughout their stay. Please note that this position is offered on an annualised hours basis and may require the post-holder to work longer hours in the summer (peak) period and fewer hours in the winter (off peak) period; exact arrangements can be discussed at interview. To read more about our business area, please visit: Accountabilities

• Responsible for creating menu plans for the centre, making appropriate provision for special dietary requirements and budget limitations. Engage with suppliers and stakeholders to achieve quality, timely and value for money services.
• Organise the planning of work schedules to ensure staff are allocated according to business need. Supervise and manage the catering staff team at the centre.
• Responsible for maintaining effective communication with the main office, customers and support team to deliver high levels of customer care.
• Responsible for ensuring service areas, counters, hot cupboards and other equipment is prepared for the efficient and effective service of meals.
• Prepare, cook and serve customers with food and cold/hot drinks, in accordance with food safety regulations, to meet customer orders.
• Contribute to achieving the business objectives, particularly in terms of income generation to ensure a sustainable service using 'selling up' at every opportunity.
• Responsible for stocktaking and stock movement to ensure stock and consumables are used and maintained correctly.
• Responsible for complying with all health and safety rules ensuring the proper use and care of protective clothing and equipment.
• Specific individual and shared targets and objectives are defined annually within the performance management framework.
  Possesses a Basic Food Hygiene and First Aid at work Certificate.
• Ability to develop skills and knowledge within role.
• Experience of working within a similar catering environment.
• Experience of supervising a catering team.
• Good numeracy skills with experience of stock handling.
• Good communication skills, both verbal and written with experience of delivering excellent customer service.
• Ability to prioritise own workload and work within a team.
  Essex Outdoors is a leading provider of outdoor education and adventure experiences for schools and groups across the East of England. With ambitious plans for growth, we are committed to expanding our reach and establishing the Essex Outdoors brand as the UK's leading provider of residential outdoor learning experiences through innovation, exceptional customer service, and high-quality programmes. Operating in a commercially competitive environment, we pride ourselves on delivering memorable experiences that inspire learning, development and adventure.

Our Centre

Our Centre Set within 70 acres of beautiful woodland in the heart of Essex, Danbury Outdoors is our flagship centre and one of the largest outdoor education facilities in the region. The centre welcomes thousands of visitors each year, offering a wide range of adventurous activities and residential experiences for schools, youth groups and community organisations.