Job Details
Salary: Competitive
Hours: Full Time
Location: VHQ, Crawley
Contract: Permanent
Closing Date: 18th December 2024
At Virgin Atlantic Airways, we believe that everyone can take on the world, and it's our vision to become the most loved travel company. As we embark on this next exciting stage of our journey, we're harnessing our spirit of entrepreneurship and innovation to challenge the status quo.
In a nutshell
This critical leadership role delivers the global food and beverage strategy for the airline, delivering a competitive edge in customer satisfaction and NPS scores while ensuring operational excellence and financial sustainability. The role encompasses supporting strategy development and leading development to completion, culinary innovation, supply chain optimisation, and team leadership to enhance the airline's customer experience.
You will balance the complexities of delivering exceptional dining experiences with commercial viability, leveraging your expertise to influence stakeholders, negotiate high-value contracts, and set industry-leading standards in safety, sustainability, and quality.
Day to day
Culinary Development & Performance
* Deliver the global F&B strategy created by customer experience that strengthens brand positioning and enhances customer experience.
* Translate customer insights, macro trends, and food culture shifts into exceptional menu development with caterers, customer experience and cabin crew.
* Ensure special meal offerings cater to diverse dietary needs while managing their inherent complexities.
* Monitor food trends and innovations, leveraging them to differentiate the airline's offerings in consultation with the customer experience team.
* Integrate sustainability initiatives, including responsible sourcing and waste reduction, into the F&B strategy.
* Conduct data-driven analysis of customer preferences and competitor benchmarks to refine propositions and maintain competitive advantage.
Supplier Relationship & Performance Management
* Manage the full supplier lifecycle, ensuring adherence to KPIs and quality standards.
* Build collaborative supplier partnerships to drive efficiencies and co-create value.
* Implement governance frameworks (MBRs, QBRs, ABRs) to monitor and address performance gaps.
* Collaborate with cabin management for seamless product delivery and execution.
* Foster continuous improvement between cabin crew, F&B teams, and caterers.
People Management
* Lead a high-performing team, promoting innovation, accountability, and development.
* Align individual and team goals with organizational priorities through structured performance management.
* Champion diversity and inclusion across the team and supplier relationships.
Budgetary Management
* Develop and oversee the annual F&B budget, aligning investments with strategic goals.
* Create commercial models and business cases to drive profitability.
* Conduct scenario planning and risk analysis to maintain resilience in a dynamic environment.
About you
As Senior Manager - Inflight Services Food and Beverage, you will be an experienced F&B professional with extensive supplier management experience, along with the other skills detailed below:
* Degree-level education or equivalent professional experience demonstrating the required skills and competencies for the role.
* Food Hygiene (Level 3) certification mandatory.
* Passion for food, and experience in food development from service or manufacturing.
* Proven track record in delivering innovative food and beverage strategies that drive customer satisfaction and operational efficiency.
* Extensive supplier management experience, including negotiation of high-value contracts and compliance with cultural and regulatory requirements.
* Demonstrated ability to lead complex, cross-functional projects with measurable outcomes.
* Strong analytical skills, including financial modelling and scenario planning, to support robust commercial decision-making.
* Excellent communication and interpersonal skills to influence at all organizational levels.
* Evidence of strategic thinking, critical problem-solving, and ability to adapt to a fast-paced, dynamic environment.
* Willingness to travel internationally on short notice.
If the above sounds like you, we would love to receive an application from you.
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