Operations Manager

Compass Group UK; Chertsey; On-site; GBP 70,000 - 90,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Electric vehicle charging points

Contributory pension scheme

Career development programmes

Digital GP access for you and family

Travel discounts with leading brands

Cinema discounts up to 44%

Retail cashback rewards

Wellbeing, mindfulness & exercise"

Job summary

Pabulum, part of Compass Group UK&I, invites an experienced Operations Manager to lead a portfolio of school catering contracts. You will guide a team of Group and Regional Managers to ensure exceptional service, high-quality food, and strong financial performance across multiple sites.

Join a role that combines commercial acumen, people leadership, and a passion for excellent customer experiences in an education catering environment. Travel across sites will be required.

Qualifications

• Proven experience managing multi-site operations within contract catering, hospitality, retail catering, education catering, or a similar service environment.
• Experience leading, coaching, and developing high-performing teams.
• Strong commercial and financial management skills, including budget and profit responsibility.
• Excellent relationship-building and stakeholder management skills.
• Ability to influence, motivate, and engage teams at all levels.
• Proactive, organised, and solution-focused approach.
• Flexibility to travel regularly across your portfolio of sites.

Responsibilities

• Lead and support a team of managers across a portfolio of school contracts.
• Ensure schools receive outstanding service, high-quality food, and an exceptional customer experience.
• Deliver strong financial performance, maximise retention, and identify growth opportunities.
• Establish and maintain relationships with clients, schools, and key stakeholders.
• Drive operational performance across sites with focus on quality and service.

Skills

Multi-site operations

Team leadership

Budget management

Stakeholder management

People motivation

Problem solving

Travel flexibility

Job description

Operations Manager

Competitive Salary + Excellent Benefits

At Pabulum, we're passionate about providing fresh, nutritious, and delicious food that helps children and young people thrive. As one of the UK's leading education catering providers, we pride ourselves on delivering exceptional food and service while creating positive dining experiences that support learning and wellbeing.

We're now looking for an experienced and commercially minded Operations Manager to join our team and lead a portfolio of school catering contracts. This is a fantastic opportunity for a motivated leader who enjoys building strong relationships, developing people, and driving operational excellence across multiple sites.

The Role

As Operations Manager, you will be responsible for leading and supporting a team of Group and Regional Managers, ensuring our schools receive outstanding service, high-quality food, and an exceptional customer experience every day.

You will work closely with clients, school leaders, support functions, and operational teams to deliver strong financial performance, maximise retention, and identify opportunities for growth, while ensuring our values remain at the heart of everything we do.

Key Responsibilities

• Champion a positive safety culture and ensure full compliance with Health & Safety, food safety, and company policies.
• Lead, inspire, and develop a team of managers across a portfolio of school contracts.
• Build strong and lasting relationships with clients, schools, and key stakeholders.
• Drive operational performance, ensuring sites consistently deliver excellent food quality and customer service.
• Deliver agreed financial targets through effective budget management, cost control, and commercial decision-making.
• Support business retention and growth strategies, working alongside sales and retention teams.
• Review contract performance and identify opportunities for continuous improvement.
• Ensure menus, food offers, and promotions remain relevant, innovative, and aligned with customer needs.
• Encourage and utilise customer feedback to enhance the dining experience and increase participation.
• Support the implementation of company initiatives and best practice across all sites.
• Develop succession plans and create opportunities for career progression within your team.
• Review labour structures and operational efficiencies to ensure sustainable business performance.
• Manage employee relations matters fairly and consistently in line with company procedures.

About You

We're looking for someone who combines strong commercial awareness with a genuine passion for people and service.

You'll have:

• Proven experience managing multi-site operations within contract catering, hospitality, retail catering, education catering, or a similar service environment.
• Experience leading, coaching, and developing high-performing teams.
• Strong commercial and financial management skills, including budget and profit responsibility.
• Excellent relationship-building and stakeholder management skills.
• The ability to influence, motivate, and engage teams at all levels.
• A proactive, organised, and solution-focused approach.
• A passion for delivering outstanding customer experiences.
• Flexibility to travel regularly across your portfolio of sites.

Why Join Pabulum?

At Pabulum, our people are at the heart of our success. We are committed to creating an environment where colleagues feel supported, valued, and empowered to grow their careers.

Our benefits include:

• Electric vehicle charging points
• Contributory pension scheme
• Career development opportunities through structured learning and development programmes
• Digital GP access for you and your immediate family, plus wider healthcare benefits
• Exclusive travel discounts with leading providers including TUI, Expedia and Booking.com
• Discounts at major supermarkets including Tesco, Sainsbury's and Morrisons
• Up to 44% off cinema tickets
• Cashback rewards across a wide range of retailers and brands
• Free wellbeing, mindfulness and exercise classes
• Access to discounts and offers that can be shared with friends and family

Join Our Team

If you're an experienced Operations Manager looking for a role where you can make a real difference, develop talented teams, and help shape the future of school food, we'd love to hear from you.

About Us

As part of Compass you'll help to feed people, fuel progress and forge connections in around 6,000 venues. Join us to grow your career with the industry leader, and get competitive pay, great perks and unrivalled opportunities for learning and development, at one of the UK's biggest businesses.

Job Reference: com/0110/552300/52837303/SU #Pabulum

Compass Group UK&I is committed to fostering an environment where every individual can truly be themselves at work and has equal opportunities to advance in their careers. We strive to build a culture that respects and celebrates the unique talents, beliefs, backgrounds, and abilities of all our team members. We want our colleagues to feel valued, empowered to reach their full potential, and to thrive - because diversity is our strength!