Operations Manager

Impact Food Group; Greater London; Hybrid; GBP 46,000 - 55,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading catering service provider is seeking an Operations Manager to oversee multiple school sites across London. The role involves inspiring teams, building strong client relationships, and delivering exceptional operational management. Candidates should have experience in catering management and be comfortable engaging at all levels. Benefits include a competitive salary of up to £55k plus car allowance, healthcare, and professional development opportunities. This is a field-based position requiring travel.

Benefits

25 days paid annual leave

Life assurance

Company pension scheme

BUPA Healthcare

Online learning platform access

Employee wellbeing platform

Salary sacrifice electric car scheme

Highstreet discounts

Qualifications

• Experience as an Area Manager or Operations Manager in catering.
• Ability to manage multiple sites effectively.
• Comfortable with office software for presentations and reports.

Responsibilities

• Oversee a portfolio of schools across London.
• Inspire and engage the operations teams.
• Deliver exceptional management in a contract catering environment.

Skills

Team management

Client relationship building

Food service knowledge

Financial management

Organizational skills

Job description

Role: Operations Manager

Salary: Competitive Salary plus Car Allowance, Bonus & Great Benefits

Location: London Regions (New Client Wins)

At Impact Food Group, we’re more than a school caterer. The people are the heart of what we do. We’re driven by creating a positive food culture and helping more students eat better food. Making a positive social impact is at the centre of our identity. We tirelessly learn, develop and make improvements in every way, every day.

Delivered by our distinct and industry leading brands; Innovate, Cucina, Chapter One and Hutchison we cater for over 600,000 students across 900+ schools. To find out more visit our website.

Due to continued business growth and some exciting new wins for 2026 we are now looking to grow our Ops team across the London Region and looking for a number of experienced & talented Operations Managers to join the team – these roles will be overseeing a portfolio of schools and due to the new upcoming wins could be any region of London. This role is a field based role, so you will need to be prepared to travel to support your teams out in the business.

The essential ingredient at the heart of our business is our people so we are searching for an experienced multisite Operations Manager with a background in an excellent food catering services to join our business.

Can you …

• Manage, inspire, and engage our teams?
• Meet with clients to build strong, professional relationships with internal and external individuals, service providers, suppliers, and businesses
• Demonstrate passion and knowledge of great contemporary fresh food and service
• Deliver exceptional senior management operations in a contract catering environment for a range of senior clients with exceptional standards.
• Demonstrate strong motivation skills with a ‘lead by example’ approach
• Deliver financial management skills - commercial and fixed price

What can you bring?

The experience and knowledge we are looking for includes.

• A background as an Area Manager / Operation's Manager within an Independent Education contract catering would be desirable, we will also be interested in speaking with you if you are from State Education, Business & Industry or a retail catering environment – you will have managed at least 8 sites;
• Day‑to‑day management and guidance of the chef managers running the sites including in supporting with client relationships, Recruitment and HR matters.
• You will be comfortable conversing at all levels, from the kitchen to the board room.
• We are after a self‑motivated, resilient, and highly organised manager; with an understanding of how to prioritise effectively.
• You won’t be afraid of the Office suite and will be a dab hand at producing spreadsheets and presentations to show how well you’re doing.

What we’d love to give you …

• Competitive salary up to £55k+ plus a Car Allowance (£5760)
• 25 days paid annual leave plus bank holidays.
• Life assurance & company pension scheme.
• BUPA Healthcare
• Access to our extensive online Learning platform and development opportunities
• An employee wellbeing platform.
• Access to a salary sacrifice electric car scheme.
• IFG rewards for highstreets discounts.
• Annual Summer Party with company awards.

Additional Details

IFG are committed to the safeguarding of children and our employees share this commitment. Successful candidates are required to undergo an enhanced DBS check, which we supply the cost for.

We are a committed equal opportunities employer – if you require any assistance for the interview process, please detail within your application. All information is kept confidential and in compliance with GDPR requirements.

We look forward to receiving your application!