Principal Catering Manager
24 days ago
Rotherham
Principal Catering Manager \n\n • Rate: £31.98 per hour via Umbrella\n, • Location: Rotherham (Borough-wide, multi-site role)\n, • Contract: Temporary / Interim Assignment\n, • Hours: 37 hours per week\n\n We are seeking an experienced and dynamic Principal Catering Manager to provide strategic and operational leadership for a large and diverse School Meals Service across Rotherham. This senior management role is pivotal in ensuring the delivery of high-quality, compliant, and financially sustainable catering services across a substantial portfolio of schools. \n Day-to-day of the role: \n\n • Lead and manage multi-site catering operations across the borough.\n, • Provide direct line management and leadership to Catering Managers.\n, • Ensure compliance with food safety legislation, allergen management procedures, health and safety requirements, and safeguarding responsibilities.\n, • Manage budgets, financial forecasting, income generation opportunities, and cost controls.\n, • Monitor performance against service standards, KPIs, and contractual requirements.\n, • Support workforce planning, recruitment, employee development, and succession planning.\n, • Lead on service improvement initiatives and operational change programmes.\n, • Manage complex operational issues, customer concerns, and service complaints.\n, • Build and maintain effective working relationships with headteachers, academy trusts, partners, and other stakeholders.\n, • Support business growth, service modernisation, and future service development.\n\n Required Skills & Qualifications: \n\n • Substantial experience in school catering services, local authority catering operations, contract catering, large-scale food service operations, and multi-site operational management.\n, • Leadership of large and geographically dispersed teams.\n, • Significant operational management experience.\n, • Strong financial and budget management skills.\n, • Experience of managing service performance and compliance.\n, • Excellent communication and stakeholder management abilities.\n, • Experience of leading change and continuous improvement programmes.\n, • Strong problem-solving and decision-making skills.\n, • Essential Qualifications: \n \n • Level 3 Food Safety / Food Hygiene qualification.\n, • Health and Safety qualification (e.g., IOSH Managing Safely or equivalent).\n, • Management or Leadership qualification (or equivalent experience).\n, • Allergen Awareness training.\n \n\n Benefits: \n\n • Opportunity to lead a high-profile school catering service.\n, • Significant stakeholder engagement and responsibility for service performance.\n, • Influence on future service delivery and improvement programmes.\n, • Mileage reimbursement at 55 pence per mile for approved business travel.\n\n To apply for this Principal Catering Manager position, please submit your CV by clicking Apply Now. \n