Role: Unit and Vending Manager
Location: Bedford College – Cauldwell Street Campus
Salary/Benefits: Salary is between £27,300 and £28,999 per annum DOE and Qualifications, 27 days annual leave plus Bank holidays, People’s pension, Retail and Leisure Discounts, excellent professional and personal development opportunities, accessing college courses.
Hours/Weeks: 37 hours per week – 52 weeks per year
Contract Type: Permanent – Full Time
This is a UK based contract, and you are required to have the Right to Work in the UK. Unfortunately, we’re unable to offer sponsorship and any offer of employment will be subject to evidence of your Right to Work in the UK.
About the role:
We are currently seeking a Unit and Vending Manager to join our Catering and Hospitality department at The Bedford College Group.
As a Unit and Vending Manager, you play an important role in the success of our students through:
1. Kitchen Operations & Food Production – Assist the Catering Manager with planning menus, staffing rotas and production schedules while preparing, cooking and presenting high‑quality food that meets Bedford College Services standards.
2. Stock Control, Ordering & Cost Management – Maintain fully stocked service areas, complete monthly stock takes, manage all kitchen ordering and help control food costs through effective waste, portion and purchasing management.
3. Hygiene, Safety & Compliance – Ensure HACCP procedures, fire safety, due‑diligence records and statutory food hygiene standards are upheld, while maintaining clean, safe kitchen environments and ensuring staff meet required training levels.
4. Team Leadership, Training & Customer Experience – Act as a role model and mentor, support staff development through coaching and training, resolve complaints, assist with hospitality requirements and promote a positive, respectful team culture.
5. Service Visibility & Professional Responsibilities – Be visible during service to support staff and engage with customers, contribute to business development at chef meetings and uphold safeguarding, EDI, health & safety and continuous development duties.
About you:
6. Qualifications & Culinary Background – Level 2 kitchen/larder or vocational qualification with 3+ years’ supervisory experience, Level 2 food hygiene, GCSE‑level English and maths (or willingness to achieve), and recent experience in large‑scale kitchen operations.
7. Culinary Skill, Creativity & Cost Control – Skilled in flavour development, menu structuring, buffet and plate presentation, food costing, budgeting and producing high‑quality dishes while meeting time and budget constraints.
8. Leadership, Training & Team Performance – Proven experience training staff (including 16–19 learners), leading teams, performance‑managing to targets, maintaining high standards and modelling professionalism and positive behaviour.
9. Professional Skills, Organisation & Customer Focus – Strong organisational, IT and communication skills with commercial awareness, reliability, creativity, attention to detail and the ability to provide a welcoming, high‑quality experience for customers and students.
10. Safeguarding, Flexibility & Ongoing Development – Committed to safeguarding and maintaining appropriate boundaries, continuously updating skills, working flexibly across locations, and adhering to health & safety requirements.
For a more detailed breakdown of the job role and the requirements, please see the Job Description attached to this vacancy.
Interviews to be held: TBC
Successful candidates must also be able to demonstrate alignment to our organisational VISION values:
11. Valuing Teamwork - We are one team who by working together can achieve great things, respecting the opinion and valuing the contribution each of us makes.
12. Improving Continuously - We challenge ourselves to always do better by trying new things, sharing knowledge, reflecting on practice and learning from others.
13. Student Centred - At our heart is always doing what is best for our students. We consider students in all of our decision making to create positive outcomes and memorable experiences for every student.
14. Inclusive - We celebrate differences and diversity, recognising that we can learn from each other.
15. Open and Caring - We care about the wellbeing of our staff, our students, our community and wider society, creating an environment built on trust where we listen, engage with and support each other.
16. Nurturing Education Excellence - We promote educational excellence by delivering programmes that challenge our students to achieve their ambitions.
About The Bedford College Group
The Bedford College Group was formed in 2017 following the merger of Bedford College and Tresham College and is now the largest provider of education in the South East Midlands, with over 15,000 students passing through our doors each year.
Today, the Group is made up of a family of colleges across Bedfordshire and Northamptonshire: Bedford College, Central Bedfordshire College and Tresham College in the towns of Bedford, Dunstable, Leighton Buzzard, Corby, Kettering and Wellingborough; Shuttleworth College, a specialist land-based college; The Bedford Sixth Form, (the only dedicated sixth form in Bedford); The Corby Sixth Form, (opened in September 2023); and the National College for Motorsport alongside Silverstone race circuit. To widen accessibility to education and training, the Group also has community-based Learning Centres in Bedford, Corby and Kettering which offer IT training.
Safeguarding our Students
The Bedford College Group is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. The successful candidate will be subject to thorough vetting process which includes, an enhanced DBS check and satisfactory references.
This post is exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974. The Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 and the Exceptions Order 1975, provides information about which convictions must be declared during job applications and related exceptions and further information about filtering offences can be found in the DBS filtering guide. The Bedford College Group's policy on Employment of Ex-Offenders is attached to this vacancy.
Candidates who are barred from working with children are reminded it is a criminal offence to apply for this post.