Operations Manager

Compass Group Ireland; Kildare; On-site; EUR 90,000 - 130,000; Full time

Job summary

Compass Group Ireland, the island’s leading foodservice and hospitality provider, is seeking an Operations Manager on a permanent, full‑time basis reporting to the CEO in Ireland. You will steer a fast‑paced operation, manage client relationships, and lead the Intel Contract team to deliver exceptional food service and customer experience.

The role demands 5+ years of senior management experience in multi‑site operations, strong financial acumen with budget and P&L responsibility, and

Qualifications

• Minimum 5 years senior management experience in foodservice/hospitality or multi-site operations.
• Proven track record of leading high‑performing teams.
• Strong commercial awareness with budget and P&L responsibility.
• Experience in managing high-volume catering across multiple outlets.
• Experience delivering change and continuous improvement programs.
• Strong stakeholder management and influencing skills.

Responsibilities

• Manage client and contractual relationships in a commercial manner.
• Drive innovation in food and hospitality service solutions.
• Lead the Culinary Director and team for culinary projects.
• Ensure high-quality food while monitoring budgets and waste.
• Review business performance and deliver financial targets.
• Develop and monitor recruitment strategy to build the right team.

Skills

Senior management

Budget & P&L management

Stakeholder management

Leadership

Analytical thinking

Excellent communication

Health & Safety

MS Office & reporting

Data analysis

Multi-site operations

Tools

Microsoft Office

Reporting systems

Job description

Want to develop your career with the world’s leading food service management company? Look no further, we, the leading foodservice and hospitality provider across the Island of Ireland, are looking for an Operations Manager to join our talented team on a permanent, full-time contract reporting to the Chief Executive Officer in Ireland.

As Operations Manager, you will operate in a fast‑paced environment, strategically manage complexities, and seize opportunities to constantly improve our processes and offers. You will also develop and lead the team within the Intel Contract to drive excellence in food service and experience for our customers and clients, in line with contractual obligations and company targets.

Could you bring your spark to Compass Group Ireland? Here's what you need to know before applying:

Your Key Responsibilities Will Include

• Manage client and contractual relationships in a commercial manner ensuring compliance and company policies are adhered to.
• Continually drive innovation in food and hospitality service solutions that exceed customer requirements.
• Work closely in conjunction with the Culinary Director and Culinary Team to provide high level culinary project support. Such as managing, implementing, and supporting all food related programs in a multi-unit operation.
• Ensure high-quality food is offered while monitoring budgets and waste control
• Review business performance and ensure delivery of key financial targets in line with management and performance reporting.
• Support the sales team to develop financially sound bids and proposals and sign off final agreements to ensure we deliver operationally sound contracts when new opportunities arise
• Plan and implement the strategy of growth and retention of new and existing business within Intel through leading the development of long‑term account plans, including a rolling lifecycle review process
• Analyse data & dashboards to improve labour management and efficiencies
• Lead your management and senior teams to deliver exceptional service, accomplish goals, complete projects, and achieve financial targets
• Develop and monitor a recruitment strategy to ensure the right people in the right place at the right time whilst training, maintaining, and motivating the current workforce.
• Develop and maintain relationships with internal and external stakeholders to promote our standards and expectations, and to enhance our guests’ experience in food and hospitality services.
• Lead by example upholding our company values and being an ambassador for Diversity & Inclusion, and Sustainability.
• Develop a strategic roadmap to deliver all the above, alongside Compass Group Ireland objectives.

Our Ideal Operations Manager Will

• Minimum 5 years senior management experience within foodservice, hospitality, catering, facilities management, retail or related multi‑site environments.
• Proven track record leading high‑performing teams.
• Strong commercial awareness with budget and P&L responsibility.
• Experience in managing high volume, fast paced catering & hospitality services [ideally across several outlets]
• Experience delivering change and continuous improvement programmes.
• Strong stakeholder management and influencing skills.
• Strong analytical capability.
• Excellent communication and leadership skills.
• Strong Health & Safety knowledge.
• Highly proficient in Microsoft Office and reporting systems.
• Calm and structured approach
  • Resilient and takes personal responsibility for overcoming obstacles.
  • Organised, able to prioritise and to be proactive
  • Focused on quality and standards
  • Able to achieve results
  • A great communicator with stakeholders at all levels with great presentation skills
  • Compliant with company processes and deadlines, and takes corrective action as required
  • Tenacious – never stop trying!
  • Has a positive attitude and a passionate focus on food and service
  • Exudes confidence, energy, and agility

At Compass Ireland, our people are our business. When you join the Compass Group you will be joining a supportive network of incredible individuals, each united by their passion for going the extra mile for the organisations we partner with. We are building a team who care about providing a great customer experience and want to grow and develop as we do. We are dedicated to investing in every colleague joining us and pride ourselves on being an equal opportunity employer; we celebrate diversity and are committed to building an inclusive environment for all our colleagues. We consider qualified applicants regardless of criminal histories, consistent with legal requirements.

Please review our Privacy Notice for details on how we maintain, protect and why your personal data is collected when you apply for a job with Compass Group. We will not retain any CV's or job applications for longer than necessary.

Job Reference: com/2409/94781001/52524299/R/ROIWJ #Republic of Ireland

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!