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- Tasks: Lead and manage multiple food service units, ensuring exceptional customer experiences.
- Company: Global food travel experts with a passion for delicious food and drink.
- Benefits: Competitive salary, flexible working, discounts, wellbeing support, and development opportunities.
- Other info: Inclusive culture with networks supporting diversity and career growth.
- Why this job: Join a dynamic team and make a real impact in the food travel industry.
- Qualifications: Experience in multi-unit operations and strong leadership skills required.
The predicted salary is between 45000 - 45000 £ per year.
If you're passionate about food and travel, you've come to the right place. We are the Global food travel experts, and we have something delicious for everyone. Whether you're flying, taking a train, or just passing by, we have the best food and drink options for you.
We work with more than 500 brands, from our own creations like Upper Crust, Millie’s Cookies, Café Local and Beer House, to well-known franchises like M&S, Starbucks, Burger King, The Breakfast Club & BrewDog.
As Lead General Manager, you'll be rewarded with a competitive salary of £45,000 p.a. and enjoy:
- Discounted meal on shift
- Colleague discount - up to 50%
- Friends & Family discount up to 20% (T&C apply)
- Flexible working
- Management bonus scheme
- Access to digital GPs, 24/7 helpline for you & family
- Wellbeing support through Retail Trust and family friendly leave
- Variety of networks to support you, Neurodiversity, LGBTQ+ and many more
- Life assurance
- Apprenticeships and ongoing development opportunities
- Share incentive plan (SIP)
Role Summary
It takes a lot of great people to run one of our units, and it takes an Inspirational Leader to ensure our units deliver exceptional customer service and operational excellence. You’ll face lots of interesting challenges as you lead your team and business to be the "best part of our customers journey" every day.
Your Key Accountabilities
The Lead General Manager is accountable for leading and managing the full site operation, overseeing multiple units within a location. They are responsible for driving commercial performance, operational excellence and compliance standards across the site. This role ensures a seamless and efficient operation while fostering a high-performing, people-focused culture that delivers results in line with business goals.
Main Responsibilities
People Management & Talent Development
- Lead, coach, and develop Managers and their teams to build capability and engagement across the site.
- Oversee scheduling and workforce planning to meet operational demands and optimise labour spend.
- Support recruitment, onboarding and retention efforts across all site units.
Financial Accountability
- Take full ownership of the site’s P&L, identifying opportunities to improve revenue, reduce costs and maximise profitability.
- Monitor and manage labour, waste, and stock control in line with targets.
- Analyse performance data to inform decisions and take corrective action where needed.
Standards, Compliance & Audits
- Ensure full compliance with all Food Safety, Health & Safety, and operational policies and procedures.
- Lead internal and external audits across the site, driving continuous improvement and embedding best practices.
- Ensure all units maintain required documentation and are always audit-ready.
Business Performance & Strategic Input
- Work closely with Operations managers and support functions to contribute to the wider regional strategy.
- Identify and implement local initiatives to improve customer satisfaction, team engagement and commercial performance.
- Act as the key point of contact for site-wide communications and operational updates.
- Sustainability awareness to include environmental and social responsibility.
Key Skills and Experience
- Proven experience managing multi-unit operations, ideally within a high-volume retail, hospitality or food service environment.
- Strong leadership and people development skills, with a track record of building high-performing teams.
- Solid understanding of P&L management, labour control and commercial decision-making.
- Experience in Food Safety and Health & Safety compliance, including managing audits.
- Excellent organisational, communication and problem-solving skills.
- Adaptability, resilience and a hands-on approach to managing through others.
- Experience using operational systems like WFM, Lynx.
- Ability to respond to unexpected challenges such as staff shortages, customer complaints, supply chain issues.
- Experience of communicating with external and internal stakeholders.
SSP are proud to be an equal-opportunity employer that seek to recruit and retain the most talented individuals from a variety of backgrounds, skills and perspectives.
Lead General Manager - East Midlands in England employer: SSP Food Travel Experts
Contact Detail:
SSP Food Travel Experts Recruiting Team
StudySmarter Expert Advice 🤫
We think this is how you could land Lead General Manager - East Midlands in England
✨Tip Number 1
Network like a pro! Reach out to people in the industry, attend events, and connect with potential colleagues on LinkedIn. You never know who might have the inside scoop on job openings or can put in a good word for you.
✨Tip Number 2
Prepare for interviews by researching the company and its culture. Understand their values and how they align with your own. This will help you stand out as someone who genuinely cares about being part of their team.
✨Tip Number 3
Practice your interview skills with a friend or mentor. Get comfortable talking about your experience and how it relates to the Lead General Manager role. The more you practice, the more confident you'll feel when it’s time to shine!
✨Tip Number 4
Don’t forget to apply through our website! It’s the best way to ensure your application gets noticed. Plus, we love seeing candidates who are proactive and take the initiative to connect with us directly.
We think you need these skills to ace Lead General Manager - East Midlands in England
Some tips for your application 🫡
Show Your Passion: Let your love for food and travel shine through in your application. We want to see how your enthusiasm aligns with our mission of providing the best food options for every journey.
Tailor Your CV: Make sure your CV highlights your experience in managing multi-unit operations, especially in high-volume environments. We’re looking for leaders who can drive performance and engage their teams, so showcase those skills!
Be Specific in Your Cover Letter: Use your cover letter to detail your leadership style and how you've developed high-performing teams in the past. We want to know how you can inspire others and create a positive culture in our units.
Apply Through Our Website: Don’t forget to submit your application through our website! It’s the best way for us to receive your details and ensure you’re considered for this exciting opportunity.
How to prepare for a job interview at SSP Food Travel Experts
✨Know Your Stuff
Before the interview, dive deep into the company’s values and mission. Understand their food and travel offerings, especially the brands they work with. This will help you connect your experience in multi-unit operations to their specific needs.
✨Showcase Your Leadership Skills
Prepare examples that highlight your leadership and people development skills. Think of times when you've successfully built high-performing teams or improved operational performance. Be ready to discuss how you can inspire and engage your team.
✨Be Financially Savvy
Brush up on your P&L management knowledge. Be prepared to discuss how you've identified opportunities to improve revenue and reduce costs in previous roles. They’ll want to see that you can take ownership of financial accountability.
✨Prepare for Compliance Questions
Since compliance is key in this role, be ready to talk about your experience with Food Safety and Health & Safety standards. Have examples of how you've led audits or ensured compliance in past positions to demonstrate your commitment to operational excellence.