General Manager

Aramark; Manchester; On-site; GBP 70,000 - 90,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Discounts platform

Life assurance

Pension contributions

Generous holiday

Apprenticeship schemes

Career progression

Job summary

Aramark UK is seeking an experienced General Manager to lead catering operations at Withington Girls' School. You will drive service excellence and overall performance, ensuring compliance and strong client relationships.

The role emphasizes leadership, financial discipline, staff development, and safeguarding, with opportunities for career progression and ongoing training within a supportive team.

Qualifications

• Proven leadership experience in catering, hospitality or contract catering.
• Strong commercial and financial acumen with P&L responsibility.
• Ability to lead, motivate and retain high-performing teams.
• Excellent stakeholder management and customer service focus.

Responsibilities

• Lead and manage catering operations across all locations, ensuring excellence in food and service.
• Drive financial performance through budgeting, cost control and revenue targets.
• Build and maintain strong client relationships and service delivery.
• Provide leadership, coaching and support to management teams.
• Develop, engage and retain talent through performance and development activities.
• Ensure compliance with food safety, HACCP and health and safety standards.
• Identify growth opportunities and drive innovation and participation.
• Monitor and improve operations using data-driven decision making.

Skills

Leadership

Commercial acumen

Stakeholder mgmt

People development

Food safety (HACCP)

Operational excellence

Problem-solving

Communication

Job description

Aramark UK are looking for an experienced and inspirational General Manager to lead our catering operations, delivering exceptional food, service and customer experiences at Withington Girls' School. This is a high-profile leadership role responsible for driving operational excellence, maintaining strong client relationships, and ensuring commercial success through effective financial and people management.

The successful candidate will be a commercially minded leader with a passion for innovation, team development and service excellence. Working closely with senior stakeholders, you will oversee multiple operations, inspire high-performing teams, identify growth opportunities and ensure the highest standards of quality, compliance and customer satisfaction are consistently achieved.

We are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people, and we expect all employees and workers to share this commitment. All roles are subject to safer recruitment checks, including references and an enhanced DBS check, in line with Keeping Children Safe in Education (KCSIE).

What's in it for you:

• You will have access toour online benefits platform which includes 100's ofdiscounts, including savings on your weekly supermarket shopand weekend treats!
• We also offer a company package including life assurance, pension contributions, generous holiday entitlement with the option to buy more, and many moreperks.
• You will also be joininga great team, with fabulous careerprospectsand could lead to all sorts of opportunities – we LOVE to promote from within!
• As we are passionate about developing our people from within, great training is provided.We also offer apprenticeship schemes, soyourlearning journey can continue!

Job Responsibilities

• Lead and manage catering operations across all locations, ensuring exceptional food quality, service standards, and operational excellence.
• Drive financial performance through effective budget management, cost control, P&L accountability, and achievement of revenue and profit targets.
• Build and maintain strong client and customer relationships, ensuring high levels of satisfaction and service delivery.
• Provide effective leadership, coaching, and support to management and operational teams, fostering a high-performance culture.
• Develop, engage, and retain talent through performance management, succession planning, training, and career development initiatives.
• Ensure full compliance with company policies, food safety regulations, HACCP standards, health and safety requirements, and contractual obligations.
• Identify and implement opportunities for business growth, innovation, increased participation, and revenue generation.
• Monitor, analyse, and improve operational and financial performance through data-driven decision-making and continuous improvement initiatives.

Key Requirements

• Proven leadership experience within catering, hospitality, retail, or contract catering operations.
• Strong commercial and financial acumen, including budget management and P&L responsibility.
• Demonstrated ability to lead, motivate, develop, and retain high-performing teams.
• Excellent stakeholder management skills with a strong focus on client and customer satisfaction.
• Thorough knowledge of food safety, HACCP, health and safety, and compliance requirements.
• Strong organisational, communication, and problem-solving skills, with the ability to drive operational excellence and business growth.

About Aramark

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

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.