Deputy Account Director - Northampton

At Chartwells Education, we're passionate about serving nutritious, sustainable food that helps children and young people thrive. As part of Compass Group UK & I, we partner with schools, colleges and universities across the UK to deliver outstanding catering and support services that make a real difference every day.

We're looking for an experienced and ambitious Deputy Account Director to support the leadership of a significant education catering portfolio. This is a fantastic opportunity for a commercially minded, people-focused leader who thrives in a fast-paced environment and is passionate about delivering exceptional food and hospitality experiences.

The Role

Reporting to the Account Director, you will play a key role in supporting the operational and commercial performance of a diverse portfolio of education sites. You will work closely with General Managers and operational teams to ensure outstanding service delivery, strong client relationships, and sustainable business growth. The successful candidate will have a keen eye for detail, a passion for operational excellence, and the ability to drive continuous improvement across multiple locations. Experience in project management and leading change initiatives would be highly advantageous, as you will support future investment plans and operational development projects.

Key Responsibilities

• Support the management and performance of a national portfolio of education catering contracts.
• Build and maintain strong client relationships, acting as a key point of contact across the business.
• Drive operational excellence, ensuring quality, service, compliance, and contractual standards are consistently achieved.
• Coach, develop and inspire General Managers and site leadership teams to deliver exceptional customer experiences.
• Support the delivery of commercial objectives, including revenue growth, profitability, retention and client satisfaction.
• Lead and support projects, mobilisation activities and future investment plans across the portfolio.
• Analyse business performance data and implement improvement plans where required.
• Champion a culture of innovation, engagement, safety, and continuous improvement.
• Ensure all sites operate in line with company policies, legislative requirements, and safeguarding standards.

About You

We're looking for a dynamic leader who combines strong commercial acumen with a genuine passion for food, people, and service excellence. You will ideally have:

• Significant experience within multi-site contract catering, hospitality, or food service operations.
• Experience leading and developing high-performing teams across multiple locations.
• Strong financial and commercial management skills.
• Excellent stakeholder management and client relationship-building abilities.
• The ability to identify complex business challenges and implement effective solutions.
• Strong communication and influencing skills at all levels.
• Experience managing projects, change initiatives, or investment programmes.
• A passion for delivering exceptional food and hospitality experiences.
• A proven track record of driving operational performance and continuous improvement.

What We Can Offer

• Contributory pension scheme
• Career development through our Career Pathways and MyLearning programmes
• Digital GP access and comprehensive healthcare benefits for you and your immediate family
• Exclusive travel discounts with TUI, Expedia, Booking.com and many more
• Savings on supermarket shopping with Tesco, Sainsbury's, Morrisons and others
• Up to 44% off cinema tickets
• Cashback rewards and discounts across hundreds of leading brands
• Free wellbeing, mindfulness and exercise classes
• Access to a wide range of employee discounts that can be shared with friends and family

About Chartwells Education

Part of Compass Group UK & I, Chartwells is the leading provider of catering and support services to the education sector. For over 25 years, we've been helping children and young people build strong bodies, sharp minds, and healthy futures through nutritious food and outstanding service. Every week, we serve millions of meals across primary schools, secondary schools, academies, independent schools, colleges, and universities throughout the UK.

Safeguarding

Chartwells is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people and expects all employees to share this commitment. Employment is subject to satisfactory pre-employment checks, including an enhanced DBS disclosure and Children's Barred List check. This role is exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974, and applicants will be required to declare all convictions and cautions for assessment purposes.

Apply Today

If you're an experienced multi-site leader looking for your next challenge within a market‑leading organisation, we'd love to hear from you.

Equal Opportunities

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.