Lead General Manager - East Midlands

SSP Group; Leicester; On-site; GBP 45,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading food service company seeks a Lead General Manager for the East Midlands area. This role involves overseeing multiple units while ensuring operational excellence and driving commercial performance. The ideal candidate will have a strong background in managing high-volume retail or hospitality operations and possess exceptional leadership skills. Competitive salary of £45,000 per annum plus a variety of employee perks including discounted meals, flexible working, and development opportunities.

Benefits

Discounted meal on shift

Colleague discount - up to 50%

Flexible working

Management bonus scheme

Access to digital GPs

Wellbeing support

Life assurance

Apprenticeships and development opportunities

Share incentive plan (SIP)

Qualifications

• Proven experience managing multi-unit operations in high volume retail or hospitality.
• Strong leadership skills with experience in developing teams.
• Solid understanding of P&L management and commercial decision-making.

Responsibilities

• Oversee the full operation of multiple units within the site.
• Lead talent development, scheduling, and workforce planning.
• Ensure compliance with food safety and operational policies.

Skills

Multi-unit operations management

Leadership and people development

P&L management

Food Safety compliance

Organisational skills

Communication skills

Problem-solving skills

Experience with operational systems

Tools

WFM

Lynx

Job description

Lead General Manager - East Midlands (Nottingham, Derby, Leicester, Grantham & Kettering)

If you're passionate about food and travel, you've come to the right place. We are the Global food travel experts, and we have something delicious for everyone. Whether you're flying, taking a train, or just passing by, we have the best food and drink options for you.

We work with more than 500 brands, from our own creations like Upper Crust, Millie’s Cookies, Café Local and Beer House, to well-known franchises like M&S, Starbucks, Burger King, The Breakfast Club & BrewDog.

As Lead General Manager, you'll be rewarded with a competitive salary of £45,000 p.a. and enjoy:

• Discounted meal on shift
• Colleague discount - up to 50%
• Friends & Family discount up to 20% (T&C apply)
• Flexible working
• Management bonus scheme
• Access to digital GPs, 24/7 helpline for you & family
• Wellbeing support through Retail Trust and family friendly leave
• Variety of networks to support you, Neurodiversity, LGBTQ+ and many more
• Life assurance
• Apprenticeships and ongoing development opportunities
• Share incentive plan (SIP)

Role Summary

It takes a lot of great people to run one of our units, and it takes an Inspirational Leader to ensure our units deliver exceptional customer service and operational excellence. You’ll face lots of interesting challenges as you lead your team and business to be the “best part of our customers journey” every day.

Your Key Accountabilities

The Lead General Manager is accountable for leading and managing the full site operation, overseeing multiple units within a location (locations). They are responsible for driving commercial performance, operational excellence and compliance standards across the site. This role ensures a seamless and efficient operation while fostering a high-performing, people-focused culture that delivers results in line with business goals.

Main Responsibilities

People Management & Talent Development

Lead, coach, and develop Managers and their teams to build capability and engagement across the site.

Oversee scheduling and workforce planning to meet operational demands and optimise labour spend.

Support recruitment, onboarding and retention efforts across all site units.

Financial Accountability

Take full ownership of the site’s P&L, identifying opportunities to improve revenue, reduce costs and maximise profitability.

Monitor and manage labour, waste, and stock control in line with targets.

Analyse performance data to inform decisions and take corrective action where needed.

Standards, Compliance & Audits

Ensure full compliance with all Food Safety, Health & Safety, and operational policies and procedures.

Lead internal and external audits across the site, driving continuous improvement and embedding best practices.

Ensure all units maintain required documentation and are always audit-ready.

Business Performance & Strategic Input

Work closely with Operations managers and support functions to contribute to the wider regional strategy.

Identify and implement local initiatives to improve customer satisfaction, team engagement and commercial performance.

Act as the key point of contact for site-wide communications and operational updates.

Sustainability awareness to include environmental and social responsibility

Key Skills and Experience

• Proven experience managing multi-unit operations, ideally within a high-volume retail, hospitality or food service environment.
• Strong leadership and people development skills, with a track record of building high-performing teams.
• Solid understanding of P&L management, labour control and commercial decision-making.
• Experience in Food Safety and Health & Safety compliance, including managing audits.
• Excellent organisational, communication and problem‑solving skills.
• Adaptability, resilience and a hands‑on approach to managing through others.
• Experience using operational systems like WFM, Lynx.
• Ability to respond to unexpected challenges such as staff shortages, customer complaints, supply chain issues.
• Experience of communicating with external and internal stakeholders.

SSP are proud to be an equal‑opportunity employer that seeks to recruit and retain the most talented individuals from a variety of backgrounds, skills and perspectives.