Regional Operations Manager
Location: Field-based, covering East region (Stevenage, Hatfield, Welwyn, Cambridge, North East London, Enfield, Surrey, Hampshire, Reading) with regular regional travel (Head Office: Mundells, Welwyn Garden City)
Salary Range: £57,094 - £60,746 per Annum (DOE)
Salary Grade: M4 + Car Allowance
Hours: Full-time, 37 hours per week
Contract: Permanent
Reports to: Head of Operations
Lead Operational and People Excellence Across Our Catering Portfolio
Are you a driven, people-centred leader passionate about delivering outstanding food and service in education? Join HCL as a Regional Operations Manager, taking ownership of people, performance, safety, service quality and commercial outcomes across a diverse regional portfolio of approximately 220 sites panning multiple counties including London, Essex, Bedfordshire, Hertfordshire, Buckinghamshire and Cambridgeshire.
What Youll Lead
Inspire and develop a team of Senior Operations Managers, ensuring consistent service, food quality, presentation and safety.
Workforce planning and leadership development for operational teams.
Regional performance reviews, incident management and continuous improvement plans.
A strong QHSE culture, ensuring audit action closure across all sites.
Commercial growth through client retention, upsell opportunities and strategic engagement.
Executive-level relationships with MATs/Trusts, shaping long-term account value.
Full regional P&L ownership, including budgeting, forecasting and margin improvement.
What Youll Bring
Being an ambassador for HCL with a fresh enthusiastic vision that will inspire your teams, by being purpose lead and reflecting our values
Proven leadership in multi-site operations within contract catering (education desirable).
Strong commercial and financial acumen, with full P&L accountability.
QHSE expertise and compliance governance whilst delivering continuous improvement.
Authentic engagement of senior stakeholders including Trust executives.
Experience leading change (digital systems, pricing, innovation).
A calm, resilient leadership style with strong service and safety focus.
Why Join HCL?
Competitive salary + car allowance
Generous holiday entitlement
Good pension scheme
Life assurance & Employee Assistance Programme
Excellent development and career progression opportunities
A values-driven organisation dedicated to improving food experiences in schools
Apply Now
If youre ready to lead a region and shape the future of school food services, wed love to hear from you.
Closing Date:17 /05/2026
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