Group Catering Lead in England

Job description

The Role

United Learning is seeking a dynamic Group Catering Lead to shape and deliver exceptional catering services across our schools. This senior role is pivotal in ensuring that every pupil enjoys high-quality, healthy, and sustainable meals in welcoming environments that foster social interaction and wellbeing.

As Group Catering Lead, the role will set the strategic direction for catering, leading on initiatives to improve standards, design menus, and champion healthy eating and sustainability across all sites.

The successful candidate will manage the Group’s outsourced catering contracts, ensuring compliance with food safety and legal requirements whilst driving food quality, service and value for money. Working closely with schools and contractors, you’ll oversee performance monitoring, analyse Key Performance Indicators, and report to senior leadership on trends and improvement opportunities.

This role demands a commercial acumen, reviewing budgets, advising schools on cost management, and ensuring services remain efficient and effective. Alongside this, you’ll act as a key point of contact for schools, promoting engagement and maintaining clear communication channels.

If you are a strategic thinker with senior-level experience in catering operations, contract management, and quality assurance, and you are passionate about delivering excellence in education environments, we would love to hear from you.

About You

We are seeking an experienced professional with a strong background in hospitality and catering management. You will hold a relevant Diploma (or equivalent) and a Food Safety Level 3 qualification, alongside a full clean driving licence.

You will bring senior-level experience in catering operations, contract management and quality assurance, ideally across multi-site educational or public sector environments, with a proven ability to develop innovative strategies for catering provision at scale.

Your knowledge will include food safety legislation, nutritional standards, catering procurement experience, and value-for-money principles. You will be able to combine strategic decision-making skills with analytical abilities in data evaluation, cost management, and reporting.

We are looking for someone who is visionary, resourceful, and highly collaborative, with a track record of driving excellence. Flexibility, resilience, and strong interpersonal skills are key, along with the ability to influence and build relationships at all levels.

If you are commercially aware, and passionate about delivering outstanding service, this is an opportunity to make a significant impact across our schools.

Rewards and Benefits

• Competitive salary.
• Contributory pension scheme.
• 26 days holiday
• Occupational sick pay, protecting you and your family.
• Competitive maternity, paternity, and adoption benefits.
• Group Life Insurance Scheme
• Westfield Health cash plan and extensive range of employee benefits for eligible staff
• Continuous Professional Development options that will be tailored to your needs.
• A supportive team across the country.
• We are open to requests for flexible working; and we encourage open and regular conversations about work-life balance.

Further information

This vacancy closes at midnight on the 10th December 2025. Please note we reserve the right to close this vacancy early should we receive a large volume of applications.

First Interviews will be scheduled for week commencing 15th December 2025.

For a confidential discussion about this role or the process, please contact: billy.ewart@unitedlearning.org.uk.

If you are applying internally, please apply via your ESS account (

Internal Vacancies page

). You will be requiredto submita personal statement with a summary of your experience that make you suitable for this role. There is a character limit of 4000-character limit (roughly oneand a half to two sides of A4).

Extra information

Status

Closed

Education Level

Secondary School

Location

England

Type of Contract

Part-time jobs

Profession type

Teaching / Instructors / Guides

Full UK/EU driving license preferred

No

Car Preferred

No

Must be eligible to work in the EU

No

Cover Letter Required

No

Languages

English