Director of Catering

Holroyd Howe; Borehamwood; On-site; GBP 65,000 - 70,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Holiday entitlement: 28 days

Volunteering days

Grandparent leave

Maternity leave (enhanced)

Pension & life insurance

Perkbox discounts

Wellbeing support

Free meals

Career development

Job summary

Holroyd Howe seeks a visionary Director of Catering to lead two leading independent schools’ catering services on a shared Hertfordshire campus. You will drive strategic leadership, financial stewardship, and continuous enhancement of exceptional food and hospitality offerings, with a focus on allergen controls and safeguarding policies.

The role requires strong commercial acumen and inspirational leadership to deliver outstanding culinary experiences for pupils and staff across sites, while

Qualifications

• Proven leadership experience in a senior catering or hospitality role.
• Strong financial management and budget control skills.
• Excellent communication, negotiation, and stakeholder management abilities.
• Ability to drive operational excellence and continuous improvement.
• Knowledge of current trends in food, nutrition, and sustainability.
• Passion for delivering exceptional customer experiences.

Responsibilities

• Develop and implement strategic plans for catering operations aligned with organisational goals.
• Lead and inspire multi-site teams, ensuring high standards of food quality, service, and hygiene.
• Oversee budgeting, forecasting, and financial performance across all catering operations.
• Drive innovation in menu planning, sourcing, and sustainability initiatives.
• Ensure compliance with all relevant food safety, health and safety, and safeguarding policies.
• Build and maintain strong relationships with clients, suppliers, and stakeholders.
• Champion staff development, training, and wellbeing
• Accountability for following and championing allergen controls

Skills

Leadership experience

Financial management

Stakeholder management

Food safety

Sustainability

Customer experience

Job description

Job Title: Director of Catering

Location: Habs Boys and Habs Girls - two leading independent schools on a fabulous co-educational campus in Hertfordshire, WD6 - UK

Contract Type: 52 working weeks

Salary: £65 - 70,000 per annum

Why Join us?

• 28 days holiday (including bank holidays)
• 3 volunteering days to give back to causes you care about
• 3 days grandparent leave for those special family moments
• 24 weeks enhanced maternity leave
• Bespoke training & development opportunities
• Pension & life insurance
• Discounts on high street brands, cinema & holidays via the Perkbox App
• Wellbeing hub & access to employee assistance programme
• Free meals while at work
• Career development through apprenticeships for all experience levels.

About the role

We are seeking an experienced and visionary Director of Catering to lead the catering services at Habs' Girls and Habs' Boys which are two leading independent day schools located on a shared 100-plus-acre campus in Elstree, Hertfordshire, just outside north London.

You will be responsible for strategic leadership, financial management, and the continuous development of exceptional food and hospitality offerings. This role requires strong commercial acumen, inspirational leadership, and a passion for delivering outstanding culinary experiences.

You will be joining Holroyd Howe, one of the UK’s leading contract caterers, providing fresh innovative food services solely to independent schools and colleges. We are a team of experienced professionals who tailor our catering service provision specifically to suit children of all ages in order to meet the bespoke requirements of each school.

The safety and wellbeing of the people we serve is at the heart of everything we do. A key element is effective allergen management; achieved through training, communication, and care, we create mealtimes where every pupil has a safe experience. Our mission is simple: to provide our teams with the right skills to succeed in their job and our exceptional teams of seasoned specialists customise our catering services to fit children of all ages and satisfy the unique needs of our clients.

Job Description

Key Responsibilities

• Develop and implement strategic plans for catering operations aligned with organisational goals.
• Lead and inspire multi-site teams, ensuring high standards of food quality, service, and hygiene.
• Oversee budgeting, forecasting, and financial performance across all catering operations.
• Drive innovation in menu planning, sourcing, and sustainability initiatives.
• Ensure compliance with all relevant food safety, health and safety, and safeguarding policies.
• Build and maintain strong relationships with clients, suppliers, and stakeholders.
• Champion staff development, training, and wellbeing
• Accountability for following and championing allergen controls

Qualifications

Candidate Profile

• Proven leadership experience in a senior catering or hospitality role, ideally in an independent or B&I environment.
• Strong financial management and budget control skills.
• Excellent communication, negotiation, and stakeholder management abilities.
• Ability to drive operational excellence and continuous improvement.
• Knowledge of current trends in food, nutrition, and sustainability.
• Passion for delivering exceptional customer experiences.

Additional Information

We pride ourselves on:

People first

We’re a company of individuals, united in doing our best for our clients.

Great food, always

Using only the best ingredients, our food is fresh, authentic and tailored to each school, age group, and specific needs and preferences.

Food education

We educate pupils through food, encouraging them to understand and develop their own personal tastes and make informed food choices.

Respect in everything we do

Our respectful codes of conduct inform how we behave towards our clients and customers, suppliers and business partners, and each other.

Fresh thinking

New ideas for food, service and ways of working help us maintain our position as creative leaders in school catering.

In order to be considered for this role you must be able to demonstrate that you have the Right to Work in the UK.

Holroyd Howe is an equal opportunities employer. We are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people and expect all employees to share this commitment. All roles within Holroyd Howe involve regulated activity. It is a criminal offence for individuals barred from working with children to apply for such roles. An Enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check, including a Barred List check will be required for all successful applicants. Shortlisted applicants will be asked to provide information about relevant criminal offences and will be subject to an online search of publicly available information. This search helps identify any issues that may affect suitability to work with children.

This appointment is offered on the return of satisfactory professional references