Head of Catering Strategy

Arriva TrainCare; Birmingham; Hybrid; GBP 90,000 - 130,000; Full time

Job summary

CrossCountry in Birmingham seeks a Head of Catering Strategy to lead the catering proposition across the network. You will balance an outstanding customer experience with commercial performance, operational excellence and food safety in a hybrid role.

You will own strategy, oversee budgets and margins, drive innovation, and develop supplier partnerships while guiding a high-performing team to deliver measurable improvements for passengers and operations.

Qualifications

• Proven strategic leadership with ability to translate priorities into delivery plans.
• Strong commercial acumen with budget ownership, forecasting and performance management.
• Excellent problem-solving, data interpretation and evidence-based decision making.
• Track record of leading change and improving customer experience and efficiency.
• Experience in a customer-focused environment with stakeholder management.

Responsibilities

• Set and own CrossCountry's catering strategy with clear annual plans.
• Drive revenue, costs, margins and waste targets through governance and forecasting.
• Champion food safety with audits, inspections and corrective action plans.
• Lead and inspire the catering team, building high-performance capability.
• Identify and implement innovative propositions and technology to improve service.
• Develop strategic supplier relationships and hold partners to account.
• Elevate service standards and training for on-board colleagues.
• Shape the customer proposition using insight and market trends.
• Provide operational support across Birmingham and regional service centres.
• Collaborate with leadership and unions to plan and implement changes.

Skills

Strategic leadership

Budget ownership

Forecasting

Problem-solving

Change management

Customer focus

People leadership

Food safety knowledge

Communication

Stakeholder management

Negotiation

Data interpretation

Education

Food safety qualification (basic/intermediate)

Professional qualification in food safety or related discipline

Job description

**Head of Catering Strategy**Location:**Birmingham / Hybrid** Closing date:**26 September 2026****Lead the future of catering at CrossCountry**This is an exciting opportunity to shape and lead the catering strategy for CrossCountry, one of the UK’s largest long-distance rail operators.As Head of Catering Strategy, you’ll have strategic ownership of our catering proposition, balancing an outstanding customer experience with commercial performance, operational excellence, food safety and continuous innovation.You’ll play a key role in shaping what our customers experience on board — from product and service standards through to technology, suppliers, logistics and the way our teams deliver catering every day.This is a high-profile leadership role for someone who combines strong commercial thinking with customer focus, operational expertise and a passion for innovation.**What you’ll be responsible for*** Set the strategy: Own and deliver CrossCountry’s catering strategy, translating customer, commercial and operational priorities into a clear annual plan with measurable objectives and outcomes.* Drive commercial performance: Take accountability for catering budgets, financial performance and margin control, delivering agreed revenue, cost, margin and waste targets through effective governance, forecasting and performance management.* Champion food safety: Act as CrossCountry’s Professional Head of Food Safety, ensuring our policies, controls and assurance processes meet all legal, Environmental Health Officer (EHO) and company requirements. You’ll oversee audits, inspections, incident reporting and action plans to maintain the highest standards.* Lead and inspire: Set clear expectations for the catering team, build capability and create a high-performance culture focused on customer service, safety, commercial results and colleague engagement.* Innovate and improve: Identify, test and implement new propositions, processes and technologies that enhance the customer experience, improve productivity, reduce costs or increase sales. You’ll ensure the benefits of innovation are clearly measured and delivered.* Build strong partnerships: Develop strategic supplier relationships that deliver quality, resilience, innovation and value, holding partners to account against agreed service levels, costs, availability, compliance and continuous improvement.* Elevate service standards: Develop and continually improve practical, customer-focused service standards and procedures for our on-board colleagues, supported by effective training, compliance monitoring and operational feedback.* Shape the customer proposition: Use customer insight, feedback, commercial data and market trends to continually evolve our product range, improving sales, revenue, margins, availability, waste and overall customer value.* Enable operational excellence: Provide effective logistical and operational support through the management of our Birmingham and Regional Service Centres, ensuring continuity of supply, strong stock availability and prompt resolution of operational issues.* Build positive employee relations: Work constructively with trade union representatives, including the RMT, ensuring proposed changes are appropriately planned, communicated and consulted on, with successful implementation and effective issue resolution.* Maximise technology and data: Oversee the development and continuous improvement of catering systems, including NOVO, ensuring technology delivers better data, stronger process compliance, improved reporting and greater efficiency.* Influence at senior level: Work closely with the Customer and Commercial Director and wider leadership team, taking on additional responsibilities appropriate to the seniority and strategic scope of the role.**What you’ll bring**We’re looking for an experienced strategic leader who can combine commercial performance, customer experience, operational delivery and safety to create a catering proposition that makes a real difference.**Essential experience and skills*** Proven strategic leadership capability, with the ability to set direction, prioritise effectively and turn business objectives into practical delivery plans.* Strong commercial acumen, including experience of budget ownership, financial control, forecasting and performance management.* Excellent problem-solving skills, with the ability to interpret complex data, identify root causes and develop creative, evidence-based solutions.* A track record of challenging established ways of working, leading change and delivering measurable improvements to customer experience, operational efficiency and business performance.* Experience within a customer-focused environment and a genuine commitment to understanding and responding to customer needs.* Strong people leadership skills, with the ability to engage colleagues, develop capability, set expectations and hold teams and partners to account.* Sound knowledge of relevant statutory legislation, particularly food safety and associated compliance requirements.* Excellent communication and influencing skills, with the confidence to present to senior audiences and build effective relationships across internal and external stakeholder groups.* Proven experience of working successfully with suppliers, trade union representatives and cross-functional teams.* Strong negotiation skills, with the ability to balance commercial, operational, safety and colleague considerations.* Basic and Intermediate Food Hygiene Certificate would be advantageous.**Desirable experience*** Experience managing a retail profit and loss account, including retail controls, margin management and commercial performance improvement.* Experience leading transformation, proposition development or technology-enabled improvement in a customer-facing environment.* A professional qualification in food safety, retail, procurement, commercial management or a related discipline.**Why join CrossCountry?**At CrossCountry, you’ll have the opportunity to make a real difference to the experience of our passengers and the communities we connect.This role gives you the opportunity to influence a high-profile customer proposition, lead meaningful change and bring new ideas to life across our network. Your expertise will help us deliver catering that is safe, commercially successful, operationally effective and genuinely valued by our customers.You’ll be joining a team that is passionate about delivering a better experience for passengers and creating a workplace where everyone can belong.We welcome applications from people of all backgrounds, identities and experiences, including women, people from ethnic minority / global majority backgrounds, people with disabilities, neurodivergent people, LGBTQ+ colleagues and those with caring responsibilities.We believe that inclusion drives innovation. We’re committed to building a culture where everyone can thrive, contribute their ideas and reach their full potential.***If you’re ready to shape the future of catering at CrossCountry, we’d love to hear from you.***