Catering Manager

At Sodexo, we’re passionate about our people. We know that our teams are the key to delivering exceptional service and creating meaningful experiences for our clients, customers, and employees. We are currently seeking a dedicated and dynamic Catering Manager to join our team and play a key role in driving excellence and innovation in the Catering Department.

As a Catering Manager you will:

• Lead, motivate, and develop a high-performing team, ensuring strong communication, engagement, and effective performance management.
• Manage all financial aspects of catering and facilities operations, including budgets, payroll, and cost control, in line with agreed client guidelines.
• Ensure delivery of high-quality services and compliance with health, safety, and hygiene standards across all sites.
• Build and maintain strong client relationships, representing Sodexo at meetings and ensuring service excellence in line with SLAs and KPIs.
• Drive innovation and student engagement through creative food offers, themed events, and initiatives to enhance satisfaction and sales.
• Oversee staff recruitment, induction, training, and development, maintaining accurate records and promoting continuous improvement.

What we’re looking for:

• A strong people leader with proven experience in motivating, developing, and managing high-performing teams.
• A commercially minded professional with solid financial acumen, capable of achieving budgeted profit and turnover while maintaining strict financial control.
• Someone with a strategic mindset who can develop and deliver business plans and identify new opportunities for growth within the contract and wider market.
• An excellent communicator who can build and maintain positive client relationships, ensuring exceptional customer satisfaction and service delivery.
• A proactive manager who ensures compliance with company policies, purchasing standards, and health & safety requirements.
• Ideally, a candidate with 2–3 years of supervisory or leadership experience, strong interpersonal and front-of-house skills, and relevant qualifications (HND or equivalent).

Why Sodexo?

Working with Sodexo is more than a job; it’s a chance to be part of something greater. Belong in a company and team that values you for you. Act with purpose and have an impact through your everyday actions. Thrive in your own way.

We also offer a range of perks, rewards and benefits for our colleagues and their families:

• Unlimited access to an online platform offering wellbeing support
• An extensive Employee Assistance Programme to help with everyday issues or life’s larger problems, including legal and financial advice, support with work or personal issues impacting your wellbeing
• Access to a 24hr virtual GP Service
• Sodexo Discounts Scheme, offering great deals 24/7 across popular high street retailers (also open to friends and family)
• Save for your future by becoming a member of the Pension Plan
• Opportunities to enable colleagues to grow and succeed throughout their career at Sodexo, including a variety of learning and development tools
• Bike to Work Scheme to help colleagues to do their bit for the environment whilst keeping fit
• Sodexo UK and Ireland's enhanced benefits and leave policies

A little more about Sodexo:

At Sodexo, our purpose is to create a better every day for everyone to build a better life for all. As the global leader in services that improve the Quality of Life, we operate in 55 countries, serving over 100 million consumers each day through our unique combination of On-Site Food and FM Services, Benefits & Rewards Services and Personal & Home Services.

We are committed to being an inclusive employer. We are a forces friendly employer. We welcome and encourage applications from people with a diverse variety of experiences, backgrounds and identities. We encourage our employees to get involved with our Employee Networks such as Pride, Sodexo Parents & Carers, Sodexo Disability, Ability network, SoTogether, Generations and Origins. We’re a Disability Confident Leader employer. We’re committed to changing attitudes towards disability, and making sure disabled people have the chance to fulfil their aspirations. We run a Disability Confident interview scheme for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria for the job.

Ready to be part of something greater?