Catering Operations Supervisor in Southampton

Catering Operations Supervisor (Multi-Site Retail)

An exciting opportunity has arisen to join The Campus Kitchen at the University of Southampton in a broad operational leadership role with multi-site responsibility within our retail catering team.

We have an established retail and hospitality offer across our campuses and are focused on growing services and enhancing the customer experience. This role plays a critical part in delivering that growth on the ground – leading teams, driving standards and ensuring consistently excellent service across multiple outlets.

Find out more about the services we offer here.

About The Role

The Campus Kitchen is the University of Southampton’s in‑house catering service, delivering food across retail outlets, cafés and grab‑and‑go locations.

In this role, you will take responsibility for the day-to‑day running of retail catering operations, leading teams to deliver a high‑quality, efficient and customer‑focused service. This is a hands‑on leadership role with real ownership, where you will be accountable for service delivery, team performance, operational standards and the overall customer experience.

You will lead busy service periods, coordinate staffing and rotas, oversee stock control and ordering, and ensure all food safety and health & safety standards are consistently met. You will also play a key role in maintaining consistency, supporting your team and driving performance across a fast‑paced retail environment.

About You

We are looking for an experienced retail or hospitality leader who thrives in a busy environment and leads from the front. You will bring experience from a high‑volume retail, catering or hospitality setting, with a strong track record of leading teams, driving standards and delivering consistently high levels of customer service. You will be hands‑on in your approach, comfortable taking ownership during busy service periods, and experienced in stock control, ordering and working within financial procedures. A strong customer focus is essential, with the ability to handle queries and resolve issues professionally. You will also have a solid understanding of food safety, health & safety and compliance requirements, alongside the ability to plan ahead, prioritise workload and coordinate staffing effectively.

Why Join Us?

This is an opportunity for an experienced hospitality or retail leader looking to bring their skills into a broad, multi‑site role with a high level of operational responsibility.

You will play a key role in leading teams, overseeing operations, maintaining standards and delivering a high‑quality customer experience.

Working at the University of Southampton gives you access to a wide range of benefits alongside a competitive salary, including:

• A generous annual leave allowance, plus bank holidays and University closure days, including time off over the Easter and Christmas periods
• A 36-hour working week
• Membership of a pension scheme

Check out the staff benefits page.

Our Commitment to Inclusion

We are committed to creating an inclusive workplace where everyone can thrive and be themselves. We welcome applications from all candidates and are dedicated to equality of opportunity and respect for all.

Join Us

If you're an experienced retail or hospitality professional looking for a role with responsibility across multiple sites, we'd love to hear from you.

Predominantly Monday to Friday, with occasional evening and weekend working, this role offers a more balanced and sustainable working pattern than is typically found in the sector. We welcome applications from candidates seeking greater flexibility around personal commitments or school holidays, including term‑time working arrangements.

Further Details

• Job Description and Person Specification

As a university we aim to create an environment where everyone can thrive and are proactive in fostering a culture of inclusion, respect and equality of opportunity. We believe that we can only truly meet our objectives if we are reflective of society, so we are passionate about creating a working environment in which you are free to bring your whole self to work. With a generous holiday allowance as well as additional university closure days we are committed to supporting our staff and students and open to a flexible working approach.

This role does not qualify for Skilled Worker Visa sponsorship. To explore alternative UK visa options, see gov.uk.

Apply by 11.59 pm UK time on the closing date. For assistance contact Recruitment on +44(0)2380 592750 or recruitment@soton.ac.uk quoting the job number.