Catering Manager

Aramark; United Kingdom; Remote; GBP 42,000 - 62,000; Full time

Job summary

Aramark is seeking a seasoned Multi-unit Catering Manager to lead Hartpury University and College’s diverse catering portfolio, including main dining, outlets, events and residential dining. You will drive service excellence, team performance and audit outcomes across multiple sites on campus.

You will manage a large front-of-house team, engage with clients and senior stakeholders, and deliver operational excellence while supporting new concepts and weekend initiatives launching in Sep 2026.

Qualifications

• Experience leading catering/hospitality or retail operations.
• Strong leadership for large teams and service excellence.
• Excellent communication with clients and senior stakeholders.
• Excellent organisational and planning skills across seven days.

Responsibilities

• Lead and manage front of house catering operations across multiple outlets to ensure consistent service and guest satisfaction.
• Inspire, develop and support a large and diverse team, promoting engagement and continuous improvement.
• Oversee staffing and resource planning to cover all trading periods, including weekends, events and residential dining.
• Collaborate with the Account Director and client stakeholders to align services with business needs and expectations.
• Maintain compliance with company policies, health and safety, and audit requirements.
• Manage stock control and ordering to ensure product availability while controlling waste and costs.
• Support events and hospitality services, ensuring high standards for all functions and experiences.
• Monitor performance and identify opportunities to enhance services and launch new concepts.

Skills

Leadership

Stakeholder management

Communication

Planning

Customer focus

Job description

We're looking for an experienced and passionate Multi-unit Catering Manager to lead our vibrant catering operation at Hartpury University and College. With two exciting new openings launching in September 2026, including a weekend dining experience and a Juice & Smoothie Bar, this is a fantastic opportunity to take ownership of a diverse and growing hospitality portfolio. From our busy main restaurant and Costa Coffee outlets to events, hospitality, retail and residential dining services, you'll play a key role in delivering exceptional food and customer experiences across campus.

Reporting to the Account Director, you will lead and inspire a large front of house team, ensuring outstanding service standards, operational excellence and strong audit performance. We're looking for a motivated people leader who thrives in a fast-paced environment, enjoys building and developing high-performing teams, and is confident engaging with clients and senior stakeholders. If you're passionate about creating positive experiences for students, staff and colleagues while driving success across multiple outlets, we'd love to hear from you.

Job Responsibilities

• Lead and manage all front of house catering operations across multiple outlets, ensuring consistent delivery of excellent customer service, operational standards and guest satisfaction.
• Inspire, develop and support a large and diverse team, creating a positive culture focused on engagement, performance, training and continuous improvement.
• Oversee staffing and resource planning to ensure appropriate team coverage across all trading periods, including residential dining services, weekends and special events.
• Work collaboratively with the Account Director and key client stakeholders, building strong relationships and ensuring catering services meet business and customer expectations.
• Drive operational excellence by maintaining compliance with company policies, food safety standards, health and safety requirements and audit expectations.
• Manage stock control and ordering processes, ensuring product availability is maintained while controlling waste and supporting financial performance objectives.
• Support the delivery of events and hospitality services, ensuring all functions are executed to a high standard and contribute positively to the customer experience.
• Monitor performance and identify opportunities for growth, helping to enhance existing services and support the successful launch and operation of new catering concepts and initiatives.

Key Requirements;

• Proven experience in a catering, hospitality or retail management role, ideally within a multi-site or high-volume operation.
• Strong leadership skills with experience managing, motivating and developing large teams to achieve operational and service excellence.
• Excellent communication and stakeholder management abilities, with confidence building relationships with clients, senior leaders and colleagues at all levels.
• Strong organisational and planning skills, with the ability to manage multiple priorities, staffing requirements and operational demands across a seven-day business.
• A customer-focused approach, demonstrating a passion for delivering exceptional service and creating positive experiences for students, staff, visitors and team members.
• Good understanding of compliance, health and safety and food service standards, with experience maintaining high audit and operational performance.

About Aramark

If you are applying for this role and you already work for Aramark, you must notify your line manager beforesubmittingyour application.

About Aramark UK

At Aramark UK, we are committed to creating a diverse and inclusive workplace where everyone is valued and empowered to thrive. As a proud Disability Confident employer, we actively encourage applications from individuals of all abilities and are dedicated to supporting employees with disabilities throughout their career journey.
We ensure our recruitment process is accessible, and reasonable adjustments are available at every stage, from application to interview and employment. If yourequireany accommodations or have any questions, please reach out to our recruitment team - [e-mail]
Join us in fostering a workplace where everyone can achieve their full potential.