Operations Manager

Houston & Hawkes; Greater London; On-site; GBP 65,000 - 90,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Birthday off

Enhanced parental leave

Life assurance

Employee Assistance Programme

Private healthcare

Career progression

Job summary

Houston & Hawkes is seeking an experienced Operations Manager to lead a prestigious London portfolio of catering and hospitality operations.

You will report to the Commercial Director and oversee Location Managers, ensuring top client and customer experiences, strong commercial performance and high operational standards across multiple sites.

Qualifications

• Proven experience leading multi-site hospitality operations.
• Strong ability to manage client relationships and stakeholders.
• Solid budgeting, forecasting and financial oversight skills.

Responsibilities

• Lead the financial, operational and service performance of London locations.
• Drive improvements across food, hospitality and service within contractual frameworks.
• Manage budgets, forecasting, labour controls and financial reporting.

Skills

Multi-site leadership

Hospitality operations

Client relationships

Budgeting

People development

Job description

Operations Manager | London | Monday to
Friday

Houston & Hawkes is looking for an
experienced and commercially driven Operations Manager to lead a portfolio of
prestigious catering and hospitality operations across London.

This is a high-profile leadership
opportunity for an accomplished multi-site operator who combines commercial
strength with exceptional people leadership, outstanding client relationships
and a genuine passion for food and hospitality.

Reporting to our Commercial Director, you
will take overall responsibility for the performance and continued development
of your locations, leading and developing our Location Managers while
delivering exceptional client and customer experiences, strong commercial
performance and consistently high operational standards.

THE ROLE

• Lead the overall
  financial, operational and service performance of your London locations.
• Drive continuous
  improvement across food, hospitality and service, bringing innovation and flair
  to each location within agreed commercial and contractual frameworks.
• Manage budgets,
  forecasting, labour controls, cost efficiencies and financial reporting,
  ensuring agreed targets are achieved.
• Build and
  maintain trusted client relationships, ensuring expectations are consistently
  met and developed throughout the life of each contract.
• Lead regular
  client meetings and strategic reviews, covering financial performance, customer
  feedback, innovation, marketing and future development.
• Inspire, lead
  and develop Location Managers, providing strong leadership, coaching and
  support to create engaged and high-performing teams.
• Champion
  employee engagement, training, development and succession planning, creating a
  culture of accountability, collaboration and high performance.
• Act as a senior
  ambassador for Houston & Hawkes, building strong partnerships with clients
  and ensuring Location Managers and their teams remain client and customer
  focused.
• Continuously
  identify opportunities to enhance customer experience, increase sales and
  improve operational performance.
• Ensure the
  highest standards of quality, presentation, customer service, food safety,
  health & safety and environmental compliance across all locations.

ABOUT YOU

• A confident and
  commercially astute hospitality leader with proven multi-site experience within
  contract catering, workplace dining, premium corporate hospitality or a related
  sector.
• Proven
  experience leading and developing Location Managers and high-performing teams
  across multiple locations.
• Strong
  commercial and financial management capability, with confidence managing
  budgets, forecasting and operational performance.
• Exceptional
  client relationship and stakeholder management skills, alongside a strong
  background in people development, engagement and performance management.
• An
  inspirational, visible and approachable leader who is highly organised,
  resilient and passionate about exceptional food, hospitality and customer
  experience.

WHY JOIN HOUSTON & HAWKES?

Alongside the opportunity to lead a
prestigious London portfolio, you'll be joining a business that genuinely
invests in its people, celebrates success and creates opportunities to develop.

• Your birthday
  off every year
• Enhanced
  maternity, paternity and adoption leave
• Life assurance
• Employee
  Assistance Programme
• CODE Hospitality
  membership, giving you access to one of the UK's leading hospitality
  communities
• Foodie Socials -
  bringing our teams together to share new concepts, seasonal food and drink
  ideas and the creativity happening across Houston & Hawkes
• Private
  healthcare
• Ongoing
  learning, leadership development and genuine opportunities for career
  progression
• Our Summer
  Awards Party - celebrating the people, achievements and successes across
  Houston & Hawkes
• An unforgettable
  Christmas Party at one of London's outstanding venues - bringing the whole
  business together to celebrate the year in true Houston & Hawkes style

ABOUT HOUSTON & HAWKES

Houston & Hawkes is an award-winning
independent caterer creating vibrant, creative and exceptional food and
hospitality experiences across some of the UK's most prestigious client sites.

We're a Certified B Corp, recipient of the
King's Award for Enterprise in Sustainable Development 2026 and proud to be
ranked No. 14 in The Caterer's Best Places to Work in Hospitality.

If you are an experienced multi-site
hospitality leader ready to take ownership of a high-profile London portfolio,
develop exceptional people and build outstanding client partnerships, we would
love to hear from you.