Catering Manager

An excellent opportunity has arisen for an experienced and motivated Catering Manager to lead the in-house catering operation at St Hugh’s. This is a permanent role working full time during term time, plus some work in the school holidays as required.

St Hugh's is a highly regarded coeducational day and boarding school situated on a beautiful green campus of 40 acres in the South Oxfordshire countryside, only 25 minutes from Central Oxford. In June 2025, the Headmaster and Governors announced that St Hugh’s would be opening a Senior School in September 2026. This opportunity is representative of the forecasted growth of the school in the years ahead. It is a very exciting time to be joining St Hugh’s.

Catering plays a central role in daily school life at St Hugh’s, and this is a senior, hands-on management role with overall responsibility for the catering service, team leadership and food quality. The successful candidate will combine strong organisational and people-management skills with a genuine passion for fresh, well-prepared food.

The Catering Manager will have responsibility for the day-to-day management and development of the School’s catering provision, serving approximately 400 pupils and staff, alongside a varied programme of hospitality and school events. You will lead and develop a team of around 10 staff and play a key role in maintaining high standards of food quality, service and compliance.

• Full operational management of the catering service
• Leadership and development of the catering team
• Menu planning with a focus on fresh, seasonal food
• Oversight of hospitality and events catering (occasional evenings/weekends)
• Food cost control, waste management and budget awareness
• Ensuring compliance with food hygiene, health & safety and safeguarding standards
• Supporting the School’s sustainability and fresh food ethos

We are seeking an organised, approachable and confident catering professional. You will ideally have:

• Proven experience managing a catering operation, ideally within education of a comparable setting
• Strong people management and organisational skills
• Solid understanding of fresh food production; chef background desirable
• Flexible, hands-on and solutions-focused approach

We offer excellent benefits, including a competitive salary, dependent on experience, an outstanding working environment in our beautiful estate with easy access to transport links and being part of our vibrant and supportive community. We offer free car parking, free meals during term time, a discount on School fees and the use of our sporting and gym facilities.

To apply, please complete and return the application form which can be found on our website to recruitment@st-hughs.co.uk. This should include a supporting statement outlining the extent to which you meet our requirements as set out in the job description and person specification, and details of two referees, one of which should be a current or most recent employer. References may be taken up before interview. Online social media checks will be completed on shortlisted candidates prior to interview as part of KCSIE guidance.

Applications will be considered on receipt and should arrive no later than 10.00am on Wednesday 18th February 2026. We reserve the right to interview at any point during the recruitment process so early applications are encouraged.

The School is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and all appointments are subject to a satisfactory enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check (including a check against the Children’s Barred List), and other pre-employment screening including a check on the Secretary of State list of prohibited staff.