Area Manager- Education Catering
| Company: | Coppersmith Recruitment and Services |
|---|---|
| Salary: | from £16 an hour |
| Hours: | Full-time |
| Location: | West Sussex |
| Working pattern: | Field-based |
| Job type: | Permanent |
| Posting date: | 18 Sept 2026 |
| Closing date: | 17 Oct 2026 |
Summary
Date posted: 16 September 2026
Pay: £16.00 per hour
Job Description:
Area Manager – Education Catering
Coppersmith Recruitment and Services Ltd is recruiting on behalf of our client for an experienced Area Manager – Education Catering to oversee a portfolio of catering operations across multiple education sites.
This is an excellent opportunity for an experienced Catering Area Manager, Operations Manager or Multi-Site Catering Manager with a strong background in school, education or contract catering.
You will take responsibility for the day-to-day performance of multiple sites, leading Catering Managers and operational teams to deliver excellent food, customer service, compliance and commercial performance.
The Role
As Area Manager, you will be responsible for ensuring consistently high standards across your portfolio while developing strong relationships with clients, site teams and other stakeholders.
Your responsibilities will include:
Managing catering operations across multiple education sites
Leading, supporting and developing Catering Managers and operational teams
Ensuring excellent standards of food quality, presentation and customer service
Maintaining high standards of food safety, hygiene, Health & Safety and compliance
Conducting regular site visits, checks and audits
Ensuring risk assessments and statutory records are maintained correctly
Managing staffing levels, absence cover, vacancies and training requirements
Monitoring performance and implementing improvement plans where required
Building strong relationships with clients and key stakeholders
Responding effectively to customer feedback and operational issues
Managing budgets and monitoring sales, costs and profitability
Supporting the delivery of financial and operational targets
Identifying opportunities to improve service delivery and customer satisfaction
Leading teams positively through operational and organisational change
The position has significant responsibility for financial control, including sales, costs, profit targets and financial reporting.
What We're Looking For
We would particularly like to hear from candidates with experience in education catering, school catering, contract catering or multi-site food service management.
The successful candidate will ideally have:
Previous experience as an Area Manager or similar multi-site management position
Experience within school catering, education catering or a comparable environment
Strong people-management and leadership skills
Experience managing budgets and P&L performance
Excellent client and stakeholder management skills
Strong organisational and communication skills
The ability to manage multiple locations and competing priorities
A proactive, hands-on approach to problem solving
Excellent attention to detail and a strong understanding of operational compliance
The client's original specification asks for at least one year's Area Manager experience in school catering or equivalent, while also allowing for candidates with the potential to develop with additional training.
Essential Qualifications
Level 3 Food Safety Certificate or equivalent
Health & Safety Certificate or equivalent
Full clean UK driving licence
Good working knowledge of Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Outlook
A Train the Trainer qualification would be advantageous but is not essential.
INDWC
Experience:
managing catering operations: 1 year (preferred)
Licence/Certification:
Driving Licence (required)
Level Three Food Safety Certificate (required)
Work Location: On the road
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