Role: Operations Manager Salary: 40-55k plus Car Allowance & Benefits Location: North Kent Join the brilliant Culinera Team, looking after our schools in the Surrey area. At Culinera, we are a team that puts people first. We are passionate about creating a positive food culture, helping students enjoy better, fresher meals every day and offering excellent opportunities to our people. Making a difference in our communities is central to who we are, and we are always striving to improve, grow, and innovate. We are proud to cater to over 40,000 students across the UK every (school) day, and to have been awarded the Newcomer Award at the Cateys in 2023 and remain the only contract caterer to have ever received the accolade. We are a dynamic, entrepreneurial, education focussed business with a small, dedicated and awesometeam. To learn more, visit our website. Were pleased to offer a fantastic opportunity for an experienced Operations Manager to join our team. This role involves overseeing a portfolio of schools and is field-based, so you will need to travel to support your teams. However, your region will be well-defined to help you balance your time effectively. This role in particular will focus on the Surrey area. We are looking for: We are searching for an experienced Operations Manager with a strong background in commercial contract catering and people management. Can you Lead, inspire, and motivate teams Build strong relationships with our people, clients, suppliers, and service providers Bring a passion for fresh, contemporary food and customer service Deliver exceptional senior management operations in contract catering Show excellent leadership and commercial management skills with a challenger mindset approach What you will bring: We are looking looking for someone who has: Experience as an Area Manager or Operations Manager within contract catering or retail catering, managing at least 8 locations The ability to guide and support chef managers, manage client relationships, and handle recruitment and people matters Confidence in engaging at all levels, from kitchen teams to boardroom discussions. Strong self-motivation, resilience, and organisational skills, with a knack for prioritising effectively A good grasp of Microsoft Office, including creating spreadsheets and presentations to showcase success Whats in it for you? We will reward your hard work with: A competitive salary of up to £55,000, plus a car allowance 25 days of paid annual leave, plus bank holidays Life assurance and pension scheme Private healthcare Access to our extensive online learning platform and career development opportunities An employee wellbeing platform Discounts at high street retailers Being part of a dedicated team who have fun together we have loads of company events and you will always be invited. We cannot wait to hear from you apply today and start your journey with Culinera Culinera and safer recruitment Culinera are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people. Culinera expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment and uphold the highest standards of professional behaviour at all times. We operate a strict safer recruitment policy that aims to ensures we recruit the right people. All successful candidates are required comply with our safer recruitment procedures which include reference checks and an enhanced DBS check. AMRT1_UKCT