General Manager

gategroup; Newark (NJ); On-site; USD 215,000 - 220,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Paid time off

401k with company match

Life insurance

Medical, dental, vision plans

Disability insurance

Commuter benefits

Employee Discounts

Job summary

gategroup, a global airline catering leader, seeks a General Manager to direct airline catering units with $60+ million revenue and 700+ employees. You will own P&L, drive budgets, and lead the team through Lean principles and continuous improvement in a highly regulated food environment.

You will report to the Managing Director, oversee health & safety, security, and customs compliance, and collaborate with HR, Learning & Development to develop a high-performing organization.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in business administration or related field required.
• Minimum 15 years of management experience in airline catering or food manufacturing environment.
• Proven experience with managing financials and budget responsibility for a single operating unit.
• Lean manufacturing and/or six sigma or continuous improvement experience preferred.
• Experience managing a team of supervisors and managers for a single operating unit.
• Customer service or account management experience required.
• Strong track record of innovation and improving unit performance.
• Labor relations experience required.

Responsibilities

• Accountable for all aspects of the business of the units.
• Drive positive relationships with customers of the business units.
• Demonstrate financial acumen by ensuring budgets are created, communicated, and delivered.
• Lead and adapt to local business contexts and culture.
• Mentor and coach the management team to develop skills.
• Ensure compliance with regulatory, customer and internal policies.
• Identify root causes and develop robust action plans and solutions.
• Justify proposals and business cases for expenditure to improve the unit.
• Lead continuous improvement initiatives to drive the unit forward.
• Coordinate salary reviews with HR ensuring engagement, reward, and cost efficiency.

Skills

Leadership

P&L management

Budgeting

Labor relations

Customer relations

Strategic thinking

Education

Bachelor's degree in business administration

Tools

Microsoft Office

Job description

We’re looking for motivated, engaged people to help make everyone’s journeys better. Reporting to the Managing Director, this position manages and directs the operation of the airline catering units or “flight kitchens” with gross revenues of $60+ million and direct and indirect headcount of 700+ employees. This position is responsible for providing full leadership and operational accountability for the units performance and P&L achievement. Further accountability would consist of all unit compliance requirements surrounding Health & Safety, Security and Customs responsibilities as well as people development.

Annual Hiring Range: $215,000- $220,000 /Per Yea

This position is eligible for incentive pay of 20% of the annual base salary, dependent upon successful attainment of company, team, and individual goals

Benefits

• Paid time off
• 401k, with company match
• Company sponsored life insurance
• Medical, dental, vision plans
• Voluntary short-term/long-term disability insurance
• Voluntary life, accident, and hospital plans
• Employee Assistance Program
• Commuter benefits
• Employee Discounts

Main Duties and Responsibilities

• Accountable for all aspects of the business of the units.
• Drives positive relationships with all customers of the business units.
• Demonstrates financial acumen by ensuring budgets are created accurately, communicated out, responsibility aligned and budget delivered.
• Actively researches and understands the local business arena, local culture and understands where the unit sits within the local framework, adapting where necessary.
• Monitors, reviews, guides direct reports to work together as a high performing team.
• Continually develops and improves the skills of the employees by working with HR, Learning & Development and by mentoring and coaching the management team.
• Takes full ownership to lead compliance adherence of the units to all regulatory, customer and internal policies and procedures.
• Identifies root causes of any situation which occurs and creates a robust action plan to work through to a robust solution.
• Justifies proposals/business cases for expenditure to improve the overall business unit.
• Identifies, and leads where appropriate, continuous and process improvement initiatives that drive the units forward.
• Works with the HR Business Partner for salary review processes, ensuring to balance engagement, reward and cost effectiveness and keep competitive advantage.
• Constantly monitors recruitment to ensure that the units have the right people in the right place at the right time.
• Puts into practice operational policies and decisions that come from the Executive Management Team, maintaining alignment with company and divisional policy and procedures.
• Completes Hazard Analysis and Risk Based Preventative Controls (HARPC).
• Completes Prevention Controls for Human Food training and certification course to be a PCQI (Preventive Controls Qualified Individual) according to company policy.
• Completes all company required training including but not limited to ServSafe Sanitation Manager Certification.

Qualifications

• Education: Bachelor’s degree in business administration or related field required.
• Work Experience: Successful track record as a General Manager in airline catering required.
• Minimum 15 years of management experience in in-flight catering or food manufacturing environment required.
• Demonstrated experience with managing financials with budget responsibility for a single operating unit required, multiple operating units preferred.
• Demonstrated knowledge of Lean manufacturing principles and/or six sigma and continuous improvement methodologies preferred.
• Proven experience successfully managing a team of supervisors and managers for a single operating unit required, multiple operating units preferred.
• Previous customer service and/or account management experience required.
• Strong track record of innovation and making changes to the operation to further improve the work environment and unit performance.
• Labor relations experience is required.

Technical Skills

• Must have strong and effective leadership skills.
• Must be comfortable with all levels of employees and have the ability to drive positive program change.
• Must be a Team builder with the ability to lead and motivate a diverse management and hourly staff.
• Excellent problem-solving skills, planning and scheduling capabilities managing multiple account requirements.
• Ability to effectively manage multiple operations while maintaining compliance in a heavy regulated environment e.g. FDA, HACCP and security.
• Advanced Microsoft office tool skills (excel, word).
• Knowledge of quality auditing, inspection methods.
• Detail oriented and excellent project management skills.
• Strong organizational skills, able to prioritize responsibilities and multi-task.
• Change Agent.
• Able to obtain an AOA badge and customs seal.

Language / Communication Skills

• Strong interpersonal skills and the ability to interact effectively with multiple departments and customers.
• Excellent written and oral communication skills.

Job Dimensions

Geographic Responsibility: Hub BU Type of Employment: Full-time Travel %: Up to 25% as required to attend management or leadership team meetings Exemption Classification: Exempt Internal Relationships: all levels of employees External Relationships: customers, suppliers, government agencies Work Environment / Requirements of the Job: production kitchen facility (there may be physical discomfort due to temperature and noise) Budget / Revenue Responsibility: (Local Currency): $60+ million Organization Structure Direct Line Manager (Title): Managing Director Number of Direct Reports: minimum 6-8 Number of Dotted Line Reports: minimum 3 Estimated Total Size of Team: 700+ gategroup Competencies Required to be Successful in the Job: Thinking – Information Search and analysis & problem resolution skills Engaging – Understanding others, Team Leadership and Developing People Inspiring – Influencing and building relationships, Motivating and Inspiring, Communicating effectively Achieving – Delivering business results under pressure, Championing Performance Improvement and Customer Focus Demonstrated Values to be Successful in the Position Employees at gategroup are expected to live our Values of Excellence, Passion, Responsibility and Respect. To demonstrate these Values, we expect to observe the following from everyone: Excellence We put the customer at the forefront of everything we do, taking time to understand their needs, wishes and desires. We constantly learn by giving and receiving feedback, improving from our mistakes and bettering ourselves. Passion Hospitality, in its purest form, comes down to a single, core principle: care. We do everything with thoughtfulness, attention, and care. We have a growth mindset, a resilience that makes us determined to bounce back from failures and setbacks. Responsibility We care about what we do, and we understand the impact we have on others and the planet. We always look out for each other –creating a safe workplace environment is everyone’s responsibility. Respect Every job matters. We each do our part to ensure our colleagues and our customers succeed in their goals. We respect each other’s voices and foster a workplace that supports inclusion and belonging. We are all one gategroup. The above statements are intended to describe the general nature and level of work being performed by the individual(s) assigned to this position. They are not intended to be an exhaustive list of all duties, responsibilities, and skills required. Management reserves the right to modify, add, or remove duties and to assign other duties as necessary. In addition, reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions of this position. gategroup is an equal opportunity employer committed to workforce diversity. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment and will not be discriminated against on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, veteran status, disability status or other category under applicable law. For further information regarding Equal Employment Opportunity, copy and paste the following URL into your web browser: http://www.dol.gov/ofccp/regs/compliance/posters/pdf/eeopost.pdf We anticipate that this job will close on: 08/23/2026.

gategroup is the global leader in airline catering, retail-on-board and hospitality products and services. gategroup provides passengers with superior culinary and retail experiences, leveraging innovation and advanced technology solutions. Headquartered in Zurich, Switzerland, gategroup delivers operational excellence through the most extensive catering network in the aviation industry, serving passengers from over 200 operating units in over 60 countries/territories across all continents. We work in an exciting industry – fast-paced and ever-changing. Industry trends and customer expectations are constantly evolving and it is critical that we are agile, innovative and ready for change - and our people are our driving force. We offer attractive opportunities to be part of this fast-paced and truly international working environment.