Operations Director

Role required – Operations Director Contract Catering Education Sector

The Brief

To recruit an experienced Operations Director to take overall accountability for the provision of a professional catering service for around 12-14 Independent school locations under their control, ensuring that catering and hospitality services are managed to company and client standards within financial restraints. To provide leadership and direction to the operational management and chef teams.

The Company

The client is a well-established contract catering company who specialise in the provision of high-quality catering and hospitality services to the Independent School sector. They are part of a large national food service company who also manage catering across other sectors including business and industry, leisure, heritage and other sectors of education.

They are renowned for quality and proudly have a large culinary development team through which they ensure food innovation and nutrition remains at the forefront of what they do.

The Role Requirements 

The Operations Director role required us to source and recruit an ideal candidate:

General Requirements

• To provide strategic leadership to the business overall as well as their area of direct responsibility; supporting the Managing Director and other senior colleagues to set and achieve stretching growth targets
• To deputise for the Managing Director as appropriate
• To develop long term trusting relationships with clients and potential future clients
• To bring a sense of urgency to situations and demonstrate an active approach
• To ensure that all locations achieve as a minimum, the financial targets agreed with the client in line with budget
• To ensure that client expectations of services are consistently met and developed
• To ensure that services maintain the highest standards displaying innovation and flair and reflect the best and most appropriate style
• To keep abreast of market trends in food and beverage
• To assess managers performance and recognise training needs
• To conduct team meetings on a regular basis to communicate targets, standards required, company and client information
• To ensure restaurant development and marketing plans are actively used in each location and review on each location visit
• To produce a development and marketing plan on an annual basis
• To ensure compliance with the company’s policy on safer recruitment and safeguarding children and young adults at all times

People Management

• To set stretching objectives and monitor progress for Operations Managers
• To develop managers by empowering and actively coaching so that there is a pipeline of talent for future roles
• To inspire and motivate so that all the teams are engaged, have fun at work and are proud of their achievements
• To encourage everyone to be creative and innovative

Financial Management

• To produce annual budgets and performance reviews in line with the client financial year and company procedures and to ensure budgets achieved or exceeded
• To ensure that managers have an accurate and efficient financial control system in place and that all managers adhere to company accounting procedures
• To ensure that Head Office and managers receive all the appropriate financial information promptly and accurately
• To present to the client accurate financial information
• To consistently look at ways of maximising income through efficient purchasing, creative marketing and merchandising
• To ensure that all audits and administrations procedures are followed in line with the company policy
• To ensure the achievement of company budgets

Leadership attributes 

• The ability to demonstrate company values at all times
• Flexible in leadership style depending on situations and personalities
• Engenders trust throughout the business by being open and transparent
• Takes responsibility for own personal development with the guidance of the Managing Director
• Is committed to sharing ideas, knowledge and expertise at company meetings and events
• Acts as a positive ambassador for the business

This was a significant hire for this contract catering company and in order to attract the right Operations Director candidate, a competitive salary of £80-90k plus company car and a generous benefits package were on offer.

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