Senior Catering Manager

Empact Group; Cape Town; On-site; ZAR 400,000 - 700,000; Full time

Job summary

Empact Group is seeking a highly experienced Senior Catering Manager to oversee a key unit in line with sector strategy and contractual specs. You will manage food production, ensure exceptional client relations, and lead creative function execution in a healthcare-focused catering environment.

Responsibilities include menu planning, cost control, staff management, and maintaining high standards of quality and service.

Qualifications

• Relevant tertiary qualification in food and beverage services or hospitality or culinary arts preferred.
• Experience in healthcare is compulsory.
• Senior Catering Management experience in hospitality/catering advantageous.
• Change programmes / unit mobilization experience advantageous.
• Experience working within brand guidelines to deliver results.
• Experience in costing, budgets, forecasts and invoicing advantageous.
• Proven experience managing departments/teams.
• Driver’s License required.

Responsibilities

• Manage daily operations of the assigned unit in accordance with sector strategy, contract specifications, and statutory regulations.
• Implement effective and efficient food production processes.
• Provide high quality service to clients.
• Oversee execution of creative functions.
• Execute menu planning, standardisation, costing.
• Monitor kitchen to ensure standardised recipes and high food quality.
• Oversee daily bookkeeping including issues, sales, stock, banking.
• Manage and monitor gross profit against budgeted targets.
• Maintain minimum & maximum stock levels.
• Ensure electronic meal ordering system is functional and used optimally.
• Manage HSE daily and ensure records are up to date.
• Manage people (staffing, payroll, leave, performance).
• Manage Customer Experience via surveys and data to improve service.
• Adhere to client service level agreements.

Skills

Catering environment knowledge

South Africa laws knowledge

Customer service

Operations management

People management

Communication skills

Problem solving

Event/function planning

Budgeting / cost control

Report drafting / analysis

Profit improvement

Creativity / innovation

Education

Tertiary qualification in F&B / Hospitality / Culinary Arts

Job description

The Main Purpose of the job

The successful applicant will be responsible for managing the assigned unit in accordance with sector strategy, contract specifications, and statutory regulations. The candidate will have oversight of the food production process, ensure exceptional client relations, the provision of a quality food service for clients and manage the execution of creative functions.

Education and Experience required:

• Relevant tertiary qualification in food and beverage services or hospitality or culinary arts is preferred
• Experience in healthcare is compulsory
• Senior Catering Management experience in a hospitality/catering industry would be an advantage
• Implementation of change programmes, unit mobilization experience is advantageous
• Experience of working within brand guidelines to deliver results
• Experience in costing, budgets, forecasts and invoicing is advantageous
• Proven experience in managing successful departments/teams
• Driver’s License is required

Knowledge, Skills and Competencies:

• In depth knowledge of the catering environment
• Knowledge of South African and industry-specific laws
• Exceptional customer service skills
• Excellent operations and people management skills
• Excellent communication skills
• Excellent problem-solving ability
• Ability to arrange exceptional functions
• Ability to balance the budget and save on soft costs
• Ability to draft and analyse reports
• Profit improvement skills an absolute must
• Ability to be innovative and creative

Key areas of responsibility:

• Manage daily operations of the assigned unit in accordance with sector strategy, contract specifications, and statutory regulations
• Implement an effective and efficient food production process
• Provide great quality service to clients
• Manage the execution of creative functions
• Execute menu planning, standardisation, adoption and costing
• Monitor the kitchen to ensure the cooks are using standardized recipes and quality of food is of the highest standard
• Oversee daily bookkeeping procedures including capturing of issues, sales, stock, banking, etc.
• Effectively manage and monitor gross profit as per the budgeted targets
• Ensure minimum & maximum stock levels are maintained
• Ensure the electronic meal ordering system is fully functional and utilised optimally
• Effectively manage HSE daily to ensure all records are up to date
• Effectively manage people (i.e. staffing – workforce planning, payroll administration, leave management, performance management)
• Effectively manage the Customer Experience (through surveys and using data to improve the service offering)
• Ensure strict adherence of service levels according to the client service level agreement

Empact Group is committed to Employment Equity in line with legislation and will give first preference to candidates as per Equity requirements.

By applying for a role within Empact Group (Proprietary) Limited, all Personal Information that you provide to the Company will be held and/ or stored securely for the purpose of recruitment. Your Personal Information will be stored electronically in a database. Where appropriate, some information may be retained in hard copy. In either event, storage will be secure and audited regularly regarding the safety and security of the information in accordance with the Protection of Personal Information.