School Catering Manager - Leicester

Chartwells Schools; Leicester; On-site; GBP 26,000 - 36,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Pension scheme

Career development

Digital health access

Travel discounts

Grocery discounts

Cinema discounts

Cash rewards

Wellness classes

Job summary

Chartwells in the education sector is seeking a Catering Manager to lead kitchens and service counters, delivering high-quality food experiences. You will manage inventories, costs and staff, while upholding standards and customer service excellence.

Based in the UK, the role emphasizes health & safety, staff development, and ongoing career progression through our pathways and learning programmes.

Qualifications

• Minimum of two years of catering experience.
• Experience managing teams in a catering environment.
• Hold NVQ Level 1 & 2 or City & Guilds 706/1 and 2.
• Hold a Basic Food Hygiene certificate.
• Strong financial acumen and cost control skills.
• Excellent communication and organisational abilities.
• Ambitious and motivated to upskill and develop.

Responsibilities

• Prepare delicious food to the highest standards.
• Supervise culinary and catering teams to deliver impeccable service.
• Oversee unit operations, inventories and budgets with action plans.
• Communicate with your line manager to monitor KPIs and targets.
• Represent Chartwells UK&I and maintain a positive brand image.
• Identify opportunities for new food concepts to drive sales.
• Liaise between customers and teams to exceed expectations.
• Support and train teams; lead from the front to enable excellence.
• Implement and review Health & Safety standards across catering.

Skills

Catering experience

Team management

Financial acumen

Communication skills

Organisational skills

Education

NVQ Level 1 & 2 or City & Guilds 706/1 and 2

Basic Food Hygiene certificate

Job description

Benefits

We ensure you're rewarded for all your hard work, which is why we offer a comprehensive benefits package which includes but is not limited to:

• Monday to Friday
• Contributory pension scheme
• Grow your career with our Career Pathways and MyLearning programmes
• Quick access for you and your immediate family to a Digital GP, and wider healthcare benefits
• Exclusive travel discounts with TUI, Expedia, Booking.com and many more
• Save money on your food shop with discounts on Tesco, Sainsbury's, Morrisons and many more
• Up to 44% off cinema tickets to enjoy your favourite blockbuster
• Receive cash rewards every time you spend and use them on a wide range of brands
• Un-wind with us with free wellness, mindfulness and exercise classes
• You can share all discounts and offers with your friends and families

Benefits

We ensure you're rewarded for all your hard work, which is why we offer a comprehensive benefits package which includes but is not limited to:

• Monday to Friday
• Contributory pension scheme
• Grow your career with our Career Pathways and MyLearning programmes
• Quick access for you and your immediate family to a Digital GP, and wider healthcare benefits
• Exclusive travel discounts with TUI, Expedia, Booking.com and many more
• Save money on your food shop with discounts on Tesco, Sainsbury's, Morrisons and many more
• Up to 44% off cinema tickets to enjoy your favourite blockbuster
• Receive cash rewards every time you spend and use them on a wide range of brands
• Un-wind with us with free wellness, mindfulness and exercise classes
• You can share all discounts and offers with your friends and families

What You'll Be Doing

As a Catering Manager, you will be responsible for ensuring our kitchens and service counters run smoothly and helping to deliver truly incredible food experiences. In return, you'll have the opportunity to progress your catering career with a company that invests in its people, celebrates individuality, and rewards and recognises employees who go beyond the plate.

More About The Role

Your key responsibilities will include:

• Preparing delicious food to the highest standards
• Supervising our culinary and catering teams to ensure we continue to deliver impeccable food and customer service
• Overseeing the efficiency of all in-unit catering operations, including managing inventories, monitoring budgets, and implementing action plans
• Communicating regularly with your line manager to monitor KPIs and targets
• Representing Compass Group UK&I and maintaining a positive brand image
• Identifying opportunities for new food or service concepts to drive sales
• Liaising between customers and our culinary and service teams to ensure we continue to exceed expectations
• Supporting and training our teams, leading from the front to make sure everyone can excel in their role
• Implementing and reviewing Health & Safety standards to ensure compliance across all catering and service

Who You Are

Our ideal Catering Manager will:

• Be passionate about great-tasting food and exceptional customer service
• Have a minimum of two years of catering experience
• Have experience managing teams in a similar role
• Hold an NVQ Level 1 & 2 or City & Guilds 706/1 and 2
• Hold a Basic Food Hygiene certificate
• Demonstrate brilliant financial acumen
• Have excellent communication and organisational skills
• Be an ambitious and motivated individual who is always looking to upskill

About Us

Part of Compass Group UK&I, Chartwells is the leading provider of catering and support services to the education sector. For over a quarter of a century, Chartwells has been focusing on helping those in education to build strong bodies, sharp minds and lead long healthy lives. Every week, Chartwells serves millions of nutritious and delicious meals to pupils and students in primary and secondary schools, academies, independent schools, colleges, and universities across the UK. Chartwells is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and expect all employees to share this commitment. Any offer of employment will be subject to successfully completing pre-employment checks, including an enhanced DBS disclosure and a Children's Barred List check. This post is exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 and we ask applicants to declare all previous convictions and cautions in order to assess their suitability to work with children.

Job Reference: com/1509/40536001/52818456/SU #State Schools

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!