Catering Lead – Essex Outdoors Danbury

Essex County Counci; Danbury; On-site; GBP 26,000 - 29,000; Full time

Job summary

Essex Outdoors Danbury is seeking a Catering Lead to oversee a professional catering service, lead the catering team, and ensure high standards of food safety and customer experience at one or more Essex Outdoors centres.

The role requires Basic Food Hygiene and First Aid at Work certificates, experience supervising a catering team, and strong organisational and stock-management skills. Annualised hours model may apply.

Qualifications

• Possesses a Basic Food Hygiene and First Aid at work Certificate.
• Experience supervising a catering team within a catering environment.
• Strong organisational skills and stock control experience.
• Good communications skills and customer service focus.

Responsibilities

• Oversee delivery of a professional catering service across one or more centres.
• Lead and support catering teams to ensure high standards of food safety and service.
• Plan menus, manage stock levels and engage with suppliers to achieve value for money.
• Ensure health and safety compliance and effective communication with head office.

Skills

Basic Food Hygiene

First Aid at Work

Team supervision

Stock handling

Organisational skills

Customer service

Job description

Catering Lead – Essex Outdoors Danbury

Permanent,Full Time

£25,959 to £28,621 per annum

Location:Danbury

Working Style:Fixed-base worker

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

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.

The Opportunity

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: Place and Customer

Accountabilities

• Responsible for creatingmenu plans for the centre,makingappropriate provisionfor special dietary requirements and budget limitations. Engage with suppliers and stakeholders to achieve quality,timelyand value for money services.
• Organise the planning of work schedulestoensure staff areallocatedaccording to business need. Supervise and manage the catering staff team at the centre.
• Responsibleformaintainingeffective communication withthemain office,customersand support team todeliverhigh levelsofcustomer care.
• Responsibleforensuringservice areas, counters,hotcupboardsand other equipment is prepared for the efficient and effective service of meals.
• Prepare,cookand servecustomers with foodand cold/hot drinks,in accordance withfood safety regulations, to meet customer orders.
• Contribute toachieving the businessobjectives,particularly in terms of incomegeneration to ensure a sustainable service using ‘selling up’ at every opportunity.
• Responsible for stocktakingand stock movementto ensure stock and consumables are used andmaintainedcorrectly.

• Responsible forcomplying withall health and safety rulesensuringthe proper use and care of protective clothing and equipment.
• Specific individual and shared targets andobjectivesare defined annually within the performance management framework.

The Experience You Will Bring

• 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 communicationskills, both verbal and written with experience of delivering excellent customer service.
• Ability toprioritiseownworkload and work within a team.

Please note that visa sponsorship is not available for this role. Applicants must have a current, unrestricted right to work in the UK.

Why Essex?

As one of the largest and most dynamic UK local authorities, Essex offers a stimulating public service environment. Covering over 1,420 square miles and serving 1.8 million residents, we’re committed to transformational change and delivering better quality at lower cost. Recognised in the top three of the latest IMPOWER index for productivity, we are dedicated to making a positive difference for residents, communities and businesses across the county. With flexible working options and a focus on innovation, whether you are looking to develop your career or contribute to the local community, Essex is the ideal place for you.

In March 2026, Greater Essex was accepted on to the devolution priority programme, where we will work towards establishing a Mayoral Combined County Authority. You can read more about these changes, and what this may mean for this role, on our careers site.

Essex County Council is proud to be a Disability Confident Leader. We’re committed to interview all disabled applicants who choose to apply under our Job Interview Scheme if they meet the minimum requirements of the job. Please speak to our Recruiters if you require any reasonable adjustments during the process. We’re also committed to interview allveteransandcare leavers, who meet the minimum requirements of the role for which they are applying.

Once you’ve secured your role within Essex County Council you will receive many great employee benefits, including support for unpaid carers and flexible working arrangements to accommodate their needs.

At Essex County Council, we value integrity and ethical behaviour. We kindly ask that you embrace our code of conduct and the Nolan principles, including throughout the recruitment process. Your commitment to these standards helps us maintain a positive and respectful workplace for everyone.

As part of employment with Essex County Council (ECC) should your role require a DBS check you will be required to register with the DBS update service. The DBS update service ensures all registered DBS certificates are kept up to date and allows authorised parties to view the status of your certificate. This is an annual subscription, and you will be responsible for ensuring this is maintained. For further information on the DBS update service please go to https://www.gov.uk/dbs-update-service

Essex County Council is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and vulnerable adults, and expects all employees and volunteers to share this commitment.

If you have queries on this role or require anything further, please email [e-mail]