Deputy Catering Manager

University of Southampton Students' Union; Woodley; On-site; GBP 27,000 - 30,000; Full time

Job summary

A student union is seeking a passionate Deputy Venues Manager (Food) to oversee food outlets and ensure high-quality services for a diverse student body. You will lead a team, manage operations, and adhere to food safety standards. This role offers a salary of £27,012 to £29,049, generous holiday, and various employee perks.

Benefits

Generous paid holiday

Great pension contribution

Travel discounts

Qualifications

• Experience at a supervisory or managerial level in catering or hospitality.
• Confident in leading a diverse team.
• Knowledgeable about food safety and hygiene legislation.

Responsibilities

• Oversee the day-to-day running of food outlets.
• Ensure high-quality food service and customer satisfaction.
• Lead and motivate a dedicated team.

Skills

Catering experience

Team leadership

Food safety knowledge

Communication skills

Stock management

Job description

This role is internally known as Deputy Venues Manager (Food). If you are passionate about food and keen to deliver high-quality and cost-effective options to attract customers from a 25,000-student base on campus, we’d love to hear from you!

We’re looking for an experienced and motivated Deputy Venues Manager (Food) to oversee the day-to-day running and termly planning for our food outlets. You’ll play a key role in ensuring that our catering services deliver consistently high-quality food, excellent customer service, and a welcoming experience for our diverse student community.

Reporting to the Venues Manager, you will lead a dedicated team including the Catering Supervisor, Catering Assistants, and student staff. You will be responsible for operational management, food safety, and financial oversight, while helping to shape the catering offer in line with students’ needs and trends.

This is a hands-on role, where you’ll balance managing people and processes working with the management team and working closely alongside the team on the ground.

About You

We’re looking for someone who is:

• Able to demonstrate catering, hospitality or food & beverage experience at a supervisory or managerial level (outlet-level profit and loss monitoring experience would be a plus).
• Confident in leading and motivating a team.
• Knowledgeable about food safety, hygiene, and relevant legislation, ensuring cleanliness of all catering areas are maintained and Food Safety adhered to at all times.
• Strong at communication and collaboration, with good IT skills and experience using online ordering systems.
• Knowledgeable in stock management.
• Organised, adaptable, and able to work well in a fast-paced, student-focused environment.

About Us

We are the University of Southampton Students' Union (SUSU) – independent from the University and run by students, for students. Our vision is simple: SUSU is here to enrich the life of every student. We are a workplace that’s buzzing with life, ideas, and opportunities – where your work directly shapes the student experience.

As part of our team, you'll enjoy:

• Salary of £27,012 to £29,049 per annum (£14.80 to £15.92 per hour).
• Generous paid holiday - 24 days per year, plus eight closure days (around Easter, August and Christmas) on top of eight bank holidays (and an opportunity to purchase up to an additional week of holiday).
• Great pension – we contribute 10% into your defined contributions pension scheme.
• Travel perks – discounted UniLink and Blue Star bus passes, a Cycle-to-Work scheme.

SUSU is an equal opportunities employer that values a diverse workforce and we want to reflect the student body that we represent. We value diversity, promote equality and challenge discrimination and will ensure that our recruitment activities are mindful of equality and diversity matters.