Business Catering Manager

Sodexo; Limerick; Hybrid; EUR 45,000 - 55,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Wellbeing platform

Employee Assistance Programme

24h virtual GP

Discounts scheme

Pension plan

Learning and development

Bike to Work

Enhanced benefits

Job summary

Sodexo in Limerick, Ireland is seeking a Catering Business Manager to lead a busy catering operation, including kitchen, onsite restaurants, hospitality events and vending services. You will drive exceptional customer experiences while managing commercial performance and growth.

This hands-on leadership role requires strong business management, budgeting, and people leadership experience, with a focus on delivering high-quality services and exceeding targets.

Qualifications

• Experience in business management or a related role.
• Strong commercial awareness and experience managing budgets and costs.
• Excellent customer service and stakeholder management skills.
• Experience leading, motivating and developing teams.
• Strong communication and organisational skills with attention to detail.
• Good IT skills with data-driven performance monitoring.
• Experience in health and safety and compliance culture.
• Proactive, hands-on, solutions-focused approach.
• Ability to identify opportunities and drive improvements.

Responsibilities

• Lead and manage the day-to-day delivery of kitchen, restaurant, hospitality and vending services.
• Drive sales growth, customer loyalty and opportunities to improve the customer experience.
• Manage staffing levels and rotas in line with trading patterns, business needs and budget requirements.
• Monitor financial performance, produce trading returns and support monthly P&L reporting and forecasting.
• Manage client billing and prepare for monthly financial reviews.
• Control stock, cash, costs and wastage to protect profitability.
• Work closely with the onsite client and key stakeholders to deliver an excellent service.
• Lead, support and develop your team through training, communication and performance reviews.
• Ensure high standards of food safety, hygiene, health & safety and regulatory compliance.
• Maintain accurate records and use systems and data to monitor performance and identify opportunities for improvement.
• Support a strong sales culture and put plans in place to address any gaps in performance.
• Work closely with wider business teams to align strategy and continuously improve the food offer and customer journey.

Skills

Business management

Commercial awareness

People leadership

Budget management

Customer service

Team leadership

Communication

IT systems

Health & safety compliance

Job description

Catering Business Manager

Location: Limerick, Ireland
Salary: €50,000 plus Sodexo benefits
Contract: Full-time, Permanent

About the Role

We’re looking for an experienced and commercially focused Catering Business Manager to lead a busy and varied catering operation.

This is a hands‑on leadership role with responsibility for kitchen operations, onsite restaurants, hospitality events and vending services. You’ll drive exceptional customer experiences while managing commercial performance, financial reporting and business growth.

Working closely with the client and wider Sodexo teams, you’ll lead your team to deliver high‑quality services, maximise sales opportunities and ensure the operation performs against budget and agreed targets.

What You’ll Be Doing

• Lead and manage the day‑to‑day delivery of kitchen, restaurant, hospitality and vending services.
• Drive sales growth, customer loyalty and opportunities to improve the customer experience.
• Manage staffing levels and rotas in line with trading patterns, business needs and budget requirements.
• Monitor financial performance, produce trading returns and support monthly P&L reporting and forecasting.
• Manage client billing and prepare for monthly financial reviews.
• Control stock, cash, costs and wastage to protect profitability.
• Work closely with the onsite client and key stakeholders to deliver an excellent service.
• Lead, support and develop your team through training, communication and performance reviews.
• Ensure high standards of food safety, hygiene, health & safety and regulatory compliance.
• Maintain accurate records and use systems and data to monitor performance and identify opportunities for improvement.
• Support a strong sales culture and put plans in place to address any gaps in performance.
• Work closely with wider business teams to align strategy and continuously improve the food offer and customer journey.

What We’re Looking For

We’re looking for someone with strong business management, commercial and people leadership experience, ideally gained within catering, hospitality, food service or a similar customer‑focused environment.

You’ll have:

• Previous experience in business management or a related role.
• Strong commercial awareness and experience managing budgets, costs and financial performance.
• Excellent customer service and stakeholder management skills.
• Experience leading, motivating and developing teams.
• Strong communication and organisational skills with a keen eye for detail.
• Good IT skills and confidence using systems and data to monitor performance.
• Experience working within a strong health & safety and compliance culture.
• A proactive, hands‑on and solutions‑focused approach.
• The ability to identify opportunities, drive improvements and deliver results.

Why Sodexo?

Working with Sodexo is more than a job; it’s a chance to be part of something greater.

Belong in a company and team that values you for you.

Act with purpose and have an impact through your everyday actions.

Thrive in your own way.

We also offer a range of perks, rewards and benefits for our colleagues and their families:

• Unlimited access to an online platform offering wellbeing support
• An extensive Employee Assistance Programme to help with everyday issues or life's larger problems, including legal and financial advice, support with work or personal issues impacting your wellbeing
• Access to a 24hr virtual GP Service
• Sodexo Discounts Scheme, offering great deals 24/7 across popular high street retailers (also open to friends and family)
• Save for your future by becoming a member of the Pension Plan
• Opportunities to enable colleagues to grow and succeed throughout their career at Sodexo, including a variety of learning and development tools
• Bike to Work Scheme to help colleagues to do their bit for the environment whilst keeping fit
• Sodexo UK and Irelands enhanced benefits and leave policies

A little more about Sodexo:

At Sodexo, our purpose is to create a better every day for everyone to build a better life for all. As the global leader in services that improve the Quality of Life, we operate in 55 countries, serving over 100million consumers each day through our unique combination of On‑Site Food and FM Services, Benefits & Rewards Services and Personal & Home Services.

We are committed tobeingan inclusive employer. We are a forces friendly employer. We welcome and encourage applications from people with a diverse variety of experiences, backgrounds and identities. We encourage our employees to get involved with our Employee Networks such as Pride, Sodexo Parents & Carers, Sodexo Disability, Ability network, SoTogether, Generations and Origins.

We’re a Disability Confident Leader employer. We’re committed to changing attitudes towards disability, and making sure disabled people have the chance to fulfil their aspirations. We run a Disability Confident interview scheme for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria for the job.

Sodexo reserves the right to close this advert early if we are in receipt of a high number of applications