Catering Manager, Centre for Alternative Technology Catering Services

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Job Description for Catering Manager, CAT Catering Services

Job Title: Catering Manager, CAT Catering Services

Responsible to: Operations Team Manager

Staff Responsible for: All FCM catering staff (Head Chef and Front of House Manager), ACM staff (Associate Cooperative Member) and general staff

Salary: £17,845 per annum

Working Hours: 40 hours per week on a rota basis, including some weekends, evenings and early mornings and split shifts if required

Catering Services at CAT

The Catering Manager post is a new role at the Centre for Alternative Technology, created to coincide with the expansion of the catering service provision required to meet the customer needs of CAT’s new education centre, the Wales Institute for Sustainable Education (WISE). This is an exciting time in CAT’s development, and the role will suit an experienced, dedicated and enterprising individual who is interested in taking CAT’s catering services to the next level. CAT currently operates a vegetarian catering service. We are seeking a Catering Manager who will strive to make CAT recognised for the quality, sustainability and creativeness of the food it offers. With WISE we will have a new flagship sustainable building, and we need a flagship sustainable catering service to accompany it.

As an integral part of CAT’s visitor centre experience, the existing site restaurant provides hot and cold counter service to a potential 60,000 paying day visitors throughout the year. The restaurant caters for participants on over 60 of our residential short courses, plus full board catering for around 200 post graduate students each month, who come to CAT in two blocks of seven day residential stays. Visiting school and university groups staying in our Eco Cabins also require food provision. The areas of operation include the main visitor restaurant, a small seasonal food outlet known as Trading Post and a kitchen and dining area known as T-Chest which provides lunch for CAT’s staff (approx 80 covers per day).

With the new WISE restaurant extension recently opened, the existing cover space will double in size with a potential 160 seats available in one sitting. WISE will also be available for venue hire, and Catering Services will be required to meet the new customer needs which will include plated service, buffets for up to 200 people, and a expansion of the type of catering and menus on offer. In addition WISE will have a paying bar, serving organic wines, bottled beers and snacks. The bar area will also be the refreshments station for meetings and conferences during the day. The Catering Manager will be expected to lead on direction and development of all these new catering activities.

Job Summary

To oversee and develop the catering services including the food delivery and service provision in all of the catering areas. To develop a high quality, efficient and profitable service, which receives excellent customer feedback. Operating within CAT’s environmental, procurement and food policies the Catering Manager has overall responsibility for the catering services.

With overall responsibility for, but in consultation with the Head Chef, Front of House Manager, and other departmental staff as required.

Operating within CAT’s environmental, procurement and food policies responsibilities include:

Strategy & business development

• Devising the annual Catering Services Department strategy
• Taking responsibility for the business performance of the catering services, analyse & plan catering sales levels and profitability
• Setting and control the catering department’s annual budget, produce financial and performance reports on a quarterly basis
• Developing the quality and range of products and services offered by the catering department to increase profitability and customer satisfaction
• Liaising with relevant staff for the expansion of the restaurant and bar services
• Developing a strategy to staff the catering service with motivated, passionate staff

Operational

• Being the main point of contact for, and liaise with, the main internal client departments including the Graduate School, Short Courses, WISE Events, Education, Eco-Cabins and Visitor Centre regarding their respective catering requirements. Communicate the client’s requirements to the Head Chef and Front of House Manager and ensure that they both meet and carry out the requirements as specified
• Being responsible for catering and restaurant bookings, managed in the main via the venue/resource booking system ‘Rendezvous’
• Ensuring that the staffing requirements for all catering functions are adequately covered including drawing up staff rotas
• Setting standards – devising and implementing a system of quality and service benchmarks including obtaining regular feedback on all aspects of the catering services across all client groups, reviewing and acting on findings in a timely manner
• Taking overall responsibility for motivating staff, staff training and development, ensuring that all staff receive adequate induction, health and safety, food hygiene and customer care training
• Recruit staff including cooks and other kitchen workers
• Liaise with the Human Resources department regarding staff recruitment

Food sustainability

• Liaising with the Head Chef, analysing and providing reports on the sustainability of food procurement including developing and increasing the range of seasonal, organic, fair trade and locally produced produce
• Liaising with the Head Chef to increase the sustainability of food preparation and production
• Liaising and communicating with the Head Chef and Gardens Department to facilitate planning and ensure that as much fresh produce as possible can be sourced from on site
• Developing the restaurant food messaging and displays in liaison with the Displays Department and Food Group
• Liaising with the Head Chef to develop local contacts for food procurement

General

• Taking overall responsibility for ensuring that health and safety, food hygiene and HACCP standards are met
• Ensuring relevant staff have appropriate personal license, H&S and customer care training
• Ensuring compliance with CAT’s waste management policies
• Ensuring the timely maintenance & repair of the catering areas & facilities reporting any issues to the Maintenance Team
• Standing in for other FCMs in the department as required. This includes long or medium term leave such as sickness or holidays and short-term absences such as being away from the restaurant on meetings elsewhere
• Co-ordinating & assisting with annual maintenance such as painting / cleaning as required during the shut down week in January
• Reporting on environmental performance and providing monitoring data in a form agreed and at times defined by the organisation

Co-operative Duties

· To attend a minimum of 6 monthly staff meetings per year (or such other number as may be agreed with the Management Group)

· To consider issues presented to the staff body and be involved in the consensus decision-making process regarding such issues

· To input to policy development when policies are proposed by the Directions Team

· To input to the strategy process when requested by the Directions Team

· To comply with all CAT’s policies and processes as they are amended from time to time. To read and act upon policies and processes as they are approved

· To be responsible for own health and safety plus that of others as defined in the job description. To report to the Health and Safety Committee any matters of concern regarding health and safety

Person Specification

	Essential	Desirable
Qualifications Qualification in Hospitality Management or similar, to Edexcel BTEC National Diploma level or equivalent	X
2. Experience Significant experience of managing a busy catering service	X
Significant line management experience, including staff recruitment, motivation and retention	X
Experience of budget setting and management	X
Experience of business development and expansion	X
Staff training & development	X
Possess the drive to maintain up to date skills and knowledge	X
3. Skills
Supervisory - able to work effectively as part of a team whilst undertaking a leadership role	X
Team building. Able to build a strong team.	X
Excellent communication and motivational skills	X
· Computer skills including the ability to operate spreadsheets, databases & word processing programmes proficiently	X
· Experience of building supply networks from local producers and suppliers	X
· Able to manage own time and the time of others	X
· Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals to make improvements or take corrective action.	X
4. Personal attributes
Real desire to succeed and make a difference	X
Real passion for producing excellent food & drink and in particular, vegetarian and vegan food	X
· Customer focused	X
Positive, flexible with a “can do” attitude	X
· Desire to develop yourself and those around you	X
· Able to work on own initiative	X
5. Other
· Empathy with the ethos and core values of the Organisation	X
· Interest in developing sustainable food procurement and CAT’s sustainable food messages	X
· Welsh speaker or willingness to learn	X