Catering Manager
When registering to this job board you will be redirected to the online application form. Please ensure that this is completed in full in order that your application can be reviewed.
About OSH
Old Swinford Hospital is one of the country’s leading state boarding schools. A large number of the School’s students are boarders who come from a wide range of backgrounds in the UK and also from the EU and overseas. A third of our pupils are day pupils, who usually go home after lessons, unless they are involved in sport or music, CCF or DofE. The School is now on an exciting journey to become fully co-educational by 2025. Girls joined us in September 2021 in Year 7, whilst the Sixth Form has been mixed since 2004.
OSH is calm place to work. It is inclusive, tolerant and welcoming. The atmosphere is supportive and orderly, and it is also very relaxed because for many of our pupils their school is also their home. Parents, pupils and staff are all on the same side and our pupils want to learn before going out into the wider world and making their own contribution to it.
We have recently had two very favourable Ofsted visits, one for boarding and one for curriculum. We enjoy a very good academic reputation and regularly feature in the lists of the most academically successful maintained schools. We’re not about league tables, however. We pride ourselves on developing in our pupils a balance of academic achievement, character and resilience and we’ve been doing this now for nearly 360 years.
Our extensive extra-curricular programme contributes to our pupils becoming happy, healthy and interested young people, for whom sport, music, art, drama, outdoor pursuits feature in their everyday lives.
A major building programme has recently been completed which includes a large extension to an already impressive sports centre, an all-weather floodlit sports pitch, a new teaching block with a specialist arts room, a performing arts centre and a new senior boarding house.
Person Specification
* The successful candidate will be able to demonstrate the following skills:
* Significant experience and qualifications as a Catering Manager or Head Chef, preferably in a school, or similar setting;
* Flair and passion for food;
* Have excellent culinary skills with an attention to detail;
* A creative thinker with sound knowledge of the current food trends;
* Knowledge and experience of managing individual dietary needs e.g. allergens and nutrition;
* Ability to effectively lead, manage, develop and motivate staff;
* Budgeting skills and the ability to manage stock and food costs;
* Effective verbal and written communication skills:
* Experience of using Microsoft Office Packages including Excel and Word
* Planning and organisational skills in order to be able to run two busy food service areas;
* Have sound knowledge of hygiene, health and safety requirements;
* Self-motivated with the ability to work under pressure;
* A willingness to adopt a hands-on approach in a varied and demanding team environment to meet deadlines;
* Positive and professional attitude;
* Demonstrate a high standard of personal cleanliness and appearance;
* Polite manner in dealing with pupils and staff;
Job Specification
Overall Objectives:
To deliver an effective and efficient catering facility encompassing menu planning, budgetary control, stock management and ensuring kitchen health & hygiene regulations are met.
To develop and progress the catering provision to deliver healthy, home cooked and high quality meals that meet the required standards by the school as required by Ofsted.
To support the aims of the school.
To lead, manage and deploy a team of catering staff to ensure the efficient organisation of the catering provision.
To promote the School in delivering lettings and functions.
Reports to: The Bursar
Key Responsibilities
* To provide the strategic direction needed for the kitchen to develop successfully.
* To monitor, review and evaluate the catering provision to the school.
* To plan, implement and review a cycle of nutritionally balanced, home cooked menus which will be revised at regular intervals;
* To be responsible for the performance of the whole school catering provision, including co-ordinating and overseeing in and out of school events catering eg. events, functions, and lettings
* To be accountable for leading, managing and developing the catering facility, undertaking regular meetings with the Bursar to move the school catering facilities forward
* To be accountable for inspections undertaken by Local Authority, Environmental Health Inspector and external verifiers ensuring meeting the necessary Health, Hygiene and Safety requirements
* To manage the undertaking of food/beverage preparation and serving, day-to-day management and deployment of the catering team;
* To manage and train kitchen staff to ensure that Health and Safety and other standards of hygiene and safety are met;
* To manage the stock management system including ordering, receiving and storing food stocks;
* To manage the general cleaning of kitchen, its surrounds and equipment to ensure a hygienic and safe working environment;
* To ensure all kitchen reports, budget reports and due diligence forms are correctly filled in, sent to the Bursar and then filed accordingly.
Client Service:
To ensure that students are given a prompt and efficient service and expectations are consistently exceeded.
To be customer focused at all times, approachable and quick to exceed expectations in fulfilling customer needs.
To ensure all food is cooked, presented and served in line with School standards, using innovation in the method and style of presentation and food service.
To ensure that you deliver what you promise to the students, School, lettings, functions and catering team.
To work closely with the Bursar to ensure that all agreed service objectives are met in line with School budget.
People Management
To supervise and deploy all catering staff to ensure the efficient organisation of the catering service, and deal with any staffing problems/issues that arise in consultation with the Bursar
To manage the duty rota for all catering staff
To assess kitchen team performance and recognise training needs and potential as appropriate.
To ensure that Performance Management is completed for all staff in the Kitchen.
To ensure training is carried out in line with the needs of School to meet the needs and requirements of the individual and Old Swinford Hospital.
To develop the team by empowering them, supporting them, encouraging them and maintaining an ‘open door’ policy.
To treat your team as you would expect to be treated.
Financial Management:
To ensure that all standards of food preparation and service are established and achieved in line with School budget.
To work with the Bursar to negotiate best value contracts with authorised suppliers to ensure the cost effectiveness of the catering service
To consistently look at ways of maximising income through effective purchasing via suppliers and creative merchandising.
To ensure that all food orders are emailed sent to the Finance Office so a purchase order number can be raised prior to being delivered. Then every Wednesday the invoices need to be taken to the Finance Office.
To maintain budgetary records and ensure that all budgets are adhered to, unless exceptional circumstances arise and are cleared by the Bursar.
To assist with the ordering of all necessary food, dry goods and equipment, obtaining best buys in line with directives from Supply Chain.
To manage, on a monthly basis, a stock take and evaluate and calculate the cost of sales results.
Health & Safety, Food Safety, the Environment:
To ensure that the kitchen meets statutory and company requirements of Health and Safety, COSHH, Food Safety and environment legislations and procedures.
To conduct Food Safety and Health and Safety Risk Assessments and ensure that all standards and procedures with regard to Hygiene and Safety are established and maintained in line with the School manual.
To undertake routine checks of equipment and cleaning material
To ensure that any necessary repairs to kitchen equipment are reported immediately through ‘Every’
To ensure that all accidents and incidents are reported
To ensure all kitchen staff and high risk food handlers are trained to the appropriate standard.
To ensure that all catering personnel maintain high standards of cleanliness, personal hygiene and appearance
To ensure all appropriate staff are trained on the use and cleaning of dangerous equipment.
To ensure all equipment is well maintained and is in good working order.
To make recommendations for renewal and replacement of equipment when required.
To ensure cleaning schedules are adhered to.
To ensure that all School procedures and work instructions are fully understood and practised by all employees.
To attend all health and safety training courses as required.
To promote and encourage environment improving initiative, as appropriate within the business.
Additional Responsibilities:
To take responsibility for contributing towards your own development and attending training courses as identified.
To show commitment to school values in all aspects of your role.
To act as a positive ambassador for the school.
To work additional hours when required by the School, these may be in term time or in holiday time.
To do all other reasonable duties as requested by the Bursar or Headmaster.
The School reserve the right to vary or amend the duties and shift patterns of the post holder at any time according to the needs of the School’s business. In exceptional circumstances the Post holder will be required to undertake other duties and responsibilities of a similar post in order to support workload peaks, skills shortages, to ensure priorities are met.
Remuneration & Hours
A remuneration package will be agreed depending on qualifications or experience.
The hours of work are 40 per week all year round to suit the needs of the school. The Catering Manager will be expected to work on a rota mornings (6am start), evenings (8.30pm finish) and weekend shifts.
In line with current regulation you will, if you are eligible, be offered a workplace pension through NEST.
Equal Opportunities
Old Swinford Services Ltd welcomes applications for employment from all sectors of the community.
Suitability to Work with Children
Old Swinford Services Ltd is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and applicants are required to undertake an enhanced Disclosure & Barring Service check.
The School reserves the right to close the job advert early where sufficient applications have been received and so we encourage early applications to ensure consideration for the post