An exciting opportunity has arisen to join the Catering Team at University Hospitals of North Midlands NHS Trust as a Catering Services Support Manager within the Estates, Facilities and PFI Services Division.
This is a fantastic opportunity for an experienced catering professional with a passion for fresh food, quality service and team leadership to take the next step in their career within the NHS. We are looking for someone with a strong background in fresh food production, high-volume catering and bulk batch cooking, ideally with experience working in complex catering environments such as healthcare, education, contract catering or hospitality.
The successful candidate will be confident leading from the front, supporting teams across our sites to deliver safe, high-quality catering services to our patients, visitors and staff. This role will suit someone who is a genuine food enthusiast, a "foodie" who enjoys new ideas, innovation and developing services, while also maintaining a high standard of food quality. The Catering Services Support Manager will support the operational management and delivery of catering services across the Trust, ensuring services are safe, efficient and delivered to the highest possible standards. This is a hands‑on leadership role, requiring a visible presence within kitchens and catering operations.
Responsibilities
* Supporting the day‑to‑day operational management of catering services across Trust sites.
* Providing strong leadership and support to catering teams, helping to maintain high standards of food quality and service delivery.
* Leading from the front within kitchen and food service environments and supporting operational service where required.
* Ensuring compliance with food safety legislation, HACCP procedures, infection control and health and safety standards.
* Supporting monitoring of service performance, audits and quality assurance processes.
* Assisting with workforce management including staff supervision, training, development and performance management.
* Monitoring food usage, stock control and supporting good financial management including food cost awareness.
* Contributing to service development, innovation and continuous improvement across catering operations.
The post holder will help ensure that catering services remain responsive, efficient and aligned with the Trust's commitment to delivering excellent patient and staff experiences.
Qualifications & Experience
* Previous experience working within multiple professional kitchens or food production environment.
* Strong understanding of fresh food preparation and catering service operations.
* Experience managing catering teams within high-volume food service settings, NVQ Level 3 Professional Cookery or equivalent.
* Advanced Food Safety Level 3 or 4; proficiency in Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, Access and PowerPoint).
* Experience of cook‑freeze or regeneration catering systems.
* Experience within healthcare or large‑scale contract catering.
Benefits & EEO
University Hospitals of North Midlands NHS Trust is one of the largest and most modern in the country. Based across two sites, Royal Stoke in Stoke‑on‑Trent and County Hospital in Stafford, we serve around three million people and are highly regarded for our facilities, teaching and research. We are a specialist centre for major trauma for the North Midlands and North Wales.
All employees make a valuable contribution regardless of role. We provide a wide range of benefits including the NHS Pension Scheme, generous annual leave, opportunities for training, development and career progression. UHNM create and encourage a culture of inclusion, providing equal opportunities for career development that are fair and transparent. We are committed to being a diverse and inclusive employer and foster a culture in which all staff feel valued and respected. In return we ask all of our employees to make a commitment to the values, co‑created by staff, patients and carers, and that unite us as a Trust.
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