Area Support Manager – Midlands & NorthField-basedUp to £33,000 per annum car allowancePermanent | Full-Time | 5 days over 7 (including weekends) | Occasional overnight staysFor more information about careers at Dine Contract Catering and our benefits, please visit: Careers at Dine Contract CateringLead. Inspire. Elevate Food Excellence.We're looking for a Area Support Manager who can do far more than cook. This is an exciting opportunity for a passionate culinary professional to step into a regional leadership role, combining food expertise, operational excellence, and people development to drive outstanding results across multiple sites.As a key member of our operational leadership team, you'll work across our Midlands and Northern locations, supporting and inspiring kitchen teams while ensuring consistent quality, innovation, and commercial performance.If you're as comfortable leading teams and meeting clients as you are stepping into the kitchen, this could be the perfect next step in your culinary career.What You'll Be DoingLead and support kitchen teams across your region to deliver exceptional food and service every day.Drive consistency, quality, and presentation standards across all menus and sites.Coach and develop Chef Managers and kitchen teams, helping them grow and succeed.Build strong partnerships with Site Managers, clients, and central support teams to enhance standards and drive innovation.Monitor and manage key operational metrics including food costs, labour, waste, and GP to ensure commercial success.Maintain full compliance with food safety, health & safety, and company policies.Champion culinary excellence and continuous improvement, introducing new ideas that elevate our food offering.What You'll Bring to the TableProven experience as a Chef Manager or similar leadership role, ideally with multi-site responsibility.A strong culinary background and passion for delivering exceptional food and service.Inspirational leadership skills, you motivate teams, build engagement, and lead by example.Excellent client relationship and communication skills.Strong understanding of food safety, compliance, and kitchen operations.Solid financial and operational awareness, confident managing budgets, costs, and performance metrics.A full UK driving licence and flexibility to travel regularly across the region.Why Join Us?We offer a dynamic environment where no two days are the same. You'll have the autonomy to shape culinary standards across your region while being supported by a passionate central team.We also offer exciting culinary development pathways for you and your teams, from hands-on mentoring to recognised qualifications, so you can continue to grow your skills while inspiring others to do the same.DINECompass Group UK&I is committed to fostering an environment where every individual can truly be themselves at work and has equal opportunities to advance in their careers. We strive to build a culture that respects and celebrates the unique talents, beliefs, backgrounds, and abilities of all our team members. We want our colleagues to feel valued, empowered to reach their full potential, and to thrive - because diversity is our strength!