Group Manager

Manchester Arndale; Aberdeen City; Hybrid; GBP 42,000 - 54,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Award-winning employer

Digital learning

Wagestream access

Flexible pay

Discounts via Hapi app

Professional growth opportunities

Job summary

OCS UK & Ireland is seeking a capable catering operations leader to oversee multi-site catering activities within a contract catering environment. You will work with site managers to design menus, supervise senior staff, and ensure brand and safety standards are met.

The role involves recruiting support staff and maintaining strong client relationships. The ideal candidate brings experience in contract catering, hands-on leadership, and ability to travel between sites while ensuring quality

Qualifications

• Experience managing catering operations and teams.
• Ability to lead and mentor catering managers.
• Right to Work in the UK.

Responsibilities

• Work with site managers to create food and drink menus for the site and events.
• Manage and train senior catering staff and ensure training is cascaded to teams.
• Ensure Brand standards, safety, etiquette and regulations on menus and serving.
• Assist with recruiting new staff to meet workload demands.
• Build relationships with stakeholders across the contract and demonstrate value.

Skills

Multi-site experience

Hands-on leadership

Stakeholder management

Staff training

Problem solving

Education

Bachelor’s degree in business / operations management or related catering

HNC/HND in Hospitality Management beneficial

NVQ Level 3 equivalent

Job description

About The Role:

Working Pattern

8.00am - 4. 30pm Monday to Friday

As part of your role, your key responsibilities will include, but are not limited to:

• Work with your site managers to create food and drink menus for the site and one-off events, considering factors such as the local demographic and clients’ needs. You will also need to consider, menu size, dietary needs, and available cooking equipment and budgets
• Manage and train the senior catering staff and ensuring that the Site Managers have also carried out subsequent training with their staff
• Ensure Brand standards are met on menus, serving procedures, company etiquette, safety standards, and regulations.
• Assist with the recruiting of new staff to meet workload demands
• Be able to manage relationships with stakeholders across the contract, providing first-line confidence in all discussions, demonstrating value, and exceeding expectations

What are we looking for?

• Have experience at a multi-site level within contract catering
• Have the ability and interest in being hands-on and visible in their sites when visiting
• Have a bachelor’s degree in business, operations management, or a related catering at NVQ Level 3 or equivalent
• Be a natural leader who gains follow-ship
• Be a logical problem solver, able to think on their feet

The ideal candidate should meet the following criteria:

• Must have the Right to Work in the UK
• A Higher National Certificate (HNC) or Higher National Diploma (HND) in Hospitality Management is beneficial
• Experience in the management of catering operations and teams is essential
• Should have a solid background in the contract catering sector
• Demonstrate the ability to lead, mentor, and motivate a team of catering managers
• Be able to develop strong relationships with clients and catering managers to ensure that expectations are met
• Be effective in planning and coordination of catering services within the designated area
• While not always mandatory, having a food hygiene certificate (Level 3) is advantageous

About The Company:

OCS UK & Ireland is a leading facilities management company with 50,000+ colleagues and a turnover in excess of £2bn. We deliver innovative, award-winning services within facilities management, hard services, cleaning, security and catering.

Our mission is to make people and places the best they can be for our colleagues, customers and the communities we serve. Our commitment to doing business the right way is rooted in our TRUE values -Trust, Respect, Unity, and Empowerment.

Why Work for OCS?

Award-Winning Employer: Ranked 36th on Glassdoor’s Best Companies to Work For 2025 — we value and motivate our people.

Digital Learning: The OCS Academy offers digital courses and resources to help you build skills and grow your career.

Retail Perks With our Hapi app, you can gain access to exclusive discounts, rewards and wellbeing resources.

Professional Growth: 600+ live learners across UK&I — Empowering colleagues with further development and qualifications!

Flexible Pay: Access a portion of earned wages before payday with our Wagestream App! (Contract Specific)

We are an equal opportunities employer and rely on a diverse workforce with a broad range of knowledge, skills, and backgrounds to deliver our goals. We offer an inclusive and welcoming environment and actively encourage applications from all individuals regardless of race, gender, nationality, religion, sexual orientation, disability, or age.