Food to Go Development Manager

At Henderson Group, we are proud to be Northern Ireland's leading foodservice provider. Our group encompasses Henderson Wholesale, Henderson Retail, Henderson Foodservice and Henderson Group Property. We employ over 5,500 staff and have been placed 5th in Ulster Business Top 100 Companies 2024. We're a family-owned team that cares about our people and the community in which we live.

A look into the role: Committed to driving innovation and exceeding our customers' expectations, we are looking for a Food To Go Development Manager to support our highly successful and rapidly growing food-to-go/quick-service retail market. Our food-to-go offering includes hot food, deli, in-store produced sandwiches, coffee and in-store bakeries under internal/external brands such as Barista Bar, Delish Deli and Subway.

Reporting to the FTG Operations Manager in Henderson Retail, you will be part of an Area Team dedicated to support our food-to-go/deli unit managers and store managers within our company-owned store estate on the following:

• Operational support
• Achievement of GP targets
• Cost control
• Food safety standards
• Driving sales in line with company targets
• Effective resource allocation
• Continuous improvement of the customer experience through our brands/product offerings and quality

You will also work closely with our Compliance/Quality teams on areas such as training and food safety/health & safety/quality requirements. We place our communities at the heart of everything we do, therefore you'll also develop strong links with the environments in which our stores operate on the continued development and support of the local supply offering.

Working as a Food to Go Development Manager you will:

• Support and give guidance to HRL FTG Managers/Supervisors maintaining a high-quality service at all times.
• Focus on the management of waste whilst at the same time driving sales to ensure an appropriate level of profitability is achieved.
• Support in the induction, training and supervision of employees within the FTG Departments in line with the working week framework.
• Be commercially aware of the Fresh Food marketplace, and use that knowledge to grow FTG participation in line with the HRL strategic target.
• Work alongside the Food to Go Operations Manager to ensure that the FTG Proposition is innovative, ahead of the competition and appropriate.
• Develop your people to enhance business acumen and knowledge of profit, loss and margins.
• Play a role in Conferences, Focus Events and Area meetings to encourage the sharing of Best Practice across the HRL Stores to help improve performance.
• Recognise the best achievers and utilise their skills to support those that are underperforming.

Skills for Success: Joining us as Food To Go Development Manager the minimum criteria you'll need is:

• Previous people/team leading and management experience in a FTG, Quick Service or Food production outlet.
• Demonstrable experience of effectively managing targets and controlling costs.
• Involvement in the development of new managers in a Food environment.
• Understanding of a profit and loss account, and gross profit.
• Commercial awareness of the fresh-food marketplace and ability to utilise that knowledge to drive sales performance.
• Understanding of Food Safety and HACCP, and how this can be implemented to reflect best practice.
• Excellent IT skills, including Microsoft Office 365 and BI tools.
• GCSE Maths and English Grade A-C or equivalent.
• Must have a clean/valid UK/EU driving licence and be prepared to travel daily between stores throughout the province.

The Attributes you'll need include:

• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Strong leadership capabilities, able to influence others, encouraging development and continuous improvement.
• Analytically minded, able to interpret and use data to drive business performance and inform decisions.
• Creative, comfortable with designing interesting and engaging content to deliver business updates to various stakeholders.
• Strong customer focus and ability to motivate and inspire others to deliver the best possible service.
• Passionate about providing high levels of customer service in line with Company sparkling service standards.

It is not essential, but would be advantageous if you:

• Are passionate about food with previous experience in a similar role within the food & beverage/hospitality/retail industry.
• Have a proven track record leading and managing teams within an area or cluster of stores.
• Previous experience in a production kitchen environment cooking meals, breads, bakery, cakes and desserts from scratch.

As part of this role, it will be important that you feel aligned with the values that we live and work by:

• Ambition: We always strive to be better. We seek new challenges and look for ways to do things better.
• Customer First: We provide exceptional service. We put customers at the heart of everything and support our communities.
• Teamwork: We succeed together. We help colleagues to succeed, and we share our knowledge and skills.
• Integrity: We are fair, honest and ethical. We treat everyone with dignity and respect. We are inclusive and champion diversity.

The Reward: The impact you can make with Henderson Group goes far beyond your day to day. You will be part of a business supporting defibrillator installations and school sports days. In the last year, Henderson group staff and retail stores raised over £1 million for charity partners. You will have the balance necessary to enjoy your job and your life. We will help you to feel proud of what you do and achieve. And we will be here to celebrate your success.

Our business has been recognised externally for delivering excellence in employment. We value employee development and heavily invest in our people. Benefits include market competitive salary, company car, bonus, contributory pension scheme, healthcare, life assurance, employee assistance programme, social club, The STORE Discount scheme throughout UK/Ireland, staff discount (grocery/fuel) at SPAR/EUROSPAR Henderson Group company-owned stores and many more.

This is a full-time, permanent position working 36.5 hours per week, working 5 days over 7 with the requirement of 6 weekend days per quarter. Availability between the hours of 6am-6pm is necessary, however, flexibility is required with regards to hours of work.

Completed applications must be submitted online by midnight on Monday 7th July 2025. We are an equal opportunities employer.

Skills: Commercial awareness, data analytics, FMCG, Food Production, Business Acumen, Sales Growth.

Benefits: Staff Discounts, Pension Fund, Healthcare Scheme, Parking, Subsidised Canteen, Performance Bonus, Company Vehicle.