Sheffield

29/05/2026

Head of Catering Services

The job requirements are detailed below. Where applicable the skills, qualifications and memberships required for this job have also been included.

Job details

Salary

£47,578 - £52,457 per annum

Contractual hours

37.5

Basis

Full time

Package

Enhanced pension contribution scheme with SYPA 37 Days (273.8 hours) + 8 Bank Holidays (59.2 hours) - this includes a discretionary Christmas closure period

Date posted

16/03/2026

Job reference

RR00001496

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Job description

About us

The Sheffield College is a further and higher education institution dedicated to providing academic, vocational, and professional qualifications to approximately 13,000 young people and adults annually. Our mission is to transform lives through learning, advocating for inclusivity and diversity at every stage.

About The role

The Sheffield College is a large, vibrant and diverse further education college and we are proud of how the college contributes to transforming lives through learning by meeting local skills needs.

We have high aspirations and standards for ourselves, and our students and this role will be a key one in supporting the college’s mission to be consistently great and ensure our students get the qualifications and skills they need to go further in employment, careers, apprenticeships, further training and university level courses.

The role will ensure the delivery of affordable, nutritious food and welcoming social environments that actively support student wellbeing, attendance, engagement and success.

Working as part of the College Leadership Team, the postholder will lead the development of a reliable, insight-led and customer-focused service, ensuring high standards of food quality, hygiene, service delivery and environment, while driving continuous improvement through data, feedback and innovation.

The role will also be responsible for developing a commercially sustainable catering operation, including growth of internal hospitality and conferencing services.

Main responsibilities:

The main responsibilities of this role cover:

1) Student experience and service quality

Lead the delivery of a high-quality, student-first catering service that enhances the overall student experience and supports well-being, engagement and retention
Ensure all catering outlets provide affordable, nutritious and appealing food options, aligned to student needs and the Student Support Fund
Work with the team to develop and continuously improve menus using sales data, customer insight and feedback
Ensure the department maintains consistently high standards of food preparation, presentation, portion control and allergen management
Implement and embed simple, effective customer feedback mechanisms to drive ongoing service improvements

2) Service stability and operational excellence

Ensure consistent and reliable catering provision across all campuses, minimising disruption and unplanned closures
Lead effective operational planning, rota management and workforce deployment aligned to demand
Develop and maintain a resilient staffing model, including use of bank staff to support continuity
Ensure clear communication of service times, locations and offer to students and staff
Improve operational efficiency including queue management, service flow and customer access

3) Environment and student spaces

Lead improvements to the look, feel and functionality of refectories and coffee shop spaces, driving to the enhancement of overall customer experience
Work collaboratively with Estates and other teams to ensure environments are clean, safe, compliant and welcoming
Promote a culture of team ownership and pride in maintaining high standards of environment and presentation

4) People leadership and culture

Provide visible, values-led leadership that promotes a positive, inclusive and high-performing team culture
Build and sustain a stable, skilled and motivated workforce across multiple sites
Ensure 100% completion of mandatory training, compliance and performance reviews (GFR)
Develop staff capability and progression opportunities through coaching, training and clear performance expectations
Promote staff wellbeing through effective workload management and supportive leadership practices

5) Financial performance and commercial development

Lead the operational management of the catering budget, including income, expenditure, forecasting and cost control
Work closely with Finance to improve financial insight, reporting and accuracy of forecasting
Drive cost-aware behaviours including stock control, waste reduction and portion management
Identify and deliver income growth opportunities, including development of internal hospitality and conferencing services
Ensure the service delivers value for money while remaining accessible and affordable for students

6) Strategy, innovation and continuous improvement

Translate the college’s strategic priorities into clear operational plans and measurable outcomes for catering services
Lead key improvement projects
Use data, benchmarking and insight to inform decision-making and prioritisation
Regularly review service performance and adapt delivery to meet changing student and organisational needs

7) Compliance, risk and governance

Ensure full compliance with all relevant legislation and standards, including:
Food hygiene and safety
Allergen management (including Natasha’s Law)
Health & Safety requirements
Maintain robust systems for monitoring, audit and continuous compliance improvement
Proactively manage risks relating to staffing, service delivery, financial performance and customer experience

8) Cross-college collaboration and student focused approach

Work collaboratively with Student Services and wider college teams to maximise student access to food and support
Ensure catering services actively contribute to student recruitment, retention and experience strategies
Support key college activities including open days, enrolment and events
Contribute to cross-college initiatives and act as an ambassador for a student-first culture

From time-to-time these responsibilities may be reviewed so that they evolve as part of the college’s strategic growth and success. You may also be required to take on other tasks related to the job to support the College in the delivery of its strategic aims, without changing the role's main purpose.

People management and cross-college responsibilities

You will directly line-manage the following posts:

Senior Supervisors
Catering Services Administrator
Kitchen Porter

You will be part of the College Leadership Team (CLT) and will need to work collaboratively with members of those teams across the college to deliver the college’s strategy and objectives.

You may be required to participate in cross-college teams and working groups on key projects.

You may need to attend relevant internal committees and groups. This could include preparing and presenting papers as required.

You may be required to support and lead employee relations processes within and external to your area including but not limited to grievances, disciplinaries, performance management, flexible working and absence management.

You will act as a role model to colleagues, ensuring that the responsibilities of the post are carried out in line with the College’s FREDIE+ values and behaviours.

Student related responsibilities

Anyone who has regular contact with children and young people in their day-to-day responsibilities must ensure they are safe. You will work with the Safeguarding Team, ensuring concerns regarding students/apprentices are shared in a timely, accurate manner
You will be involved in supporting college open days, supporting during the exam season, student enrolment, invigilation and any other required events
You will be required to assume part of the Duty Manager Rota, which will require you to be on campus and available to support in an emergency. This will include being available and responsive to help in difficult situations

Other responsibilities

All staff have a responsibility to ensure that the college provides a safe and sustainable environment for students, staff and visitors. You will support this by:

Understanding and undertaking specific responsibilities for the role as documented within the Health and Safety Policy and Procedures
Ensure compliance with Data Protection Regulations
Ensure that environmental sustainability is a key consideration in the actions we take, working towards the college’s environmental strategy and net zero ambition

For more information about this role, please contact Holly Anderson, Director of Marketing, Communications and Learner Recruitment - Holly.Anderson@sheffcol.ac.uk

What we can offer you

As the successful candidate, you will be offered a salary of between £47,578 - £52,457 per annum based upon a combination of the skills, knowledge and experience that you can bring to the role.

Our benefits

Enhanced Pension contributions scheme with SYPA
Annual leave - 37 Days (273.8 hours) + 8 Bank Holidays (59.2 hours) - this includes a discretionary Christmas closure period
Health and wellbeing, we offer:
- Employee assistance programme through Bupa
- Occupational Health through PAM
- Free eye tests for VDU users
Free Parking is available at the majority of our campuses

Further information can be found on our Benefits and Career Development pages.

Disability Confident

We are a Disability Confident employer and are committed to removing barriers for applicants with a disability during our recruitment process, upon appointment and as an employee. Please review our Recruitment Guidelines for Disabled Candidates which provides further information on reasonable adjustments and how the Disability Confident scheme works in practice. If you require any reasonable adjustments or any support at any point throughout the process, please contact jobs@sheffcol.ac.uk

Armed Forces Covenant

As part of our commitment through the Armed Forces Covenant, we’re pledged to support the Armed Forces Community. Recognising the value Personnel, Veterans and military families contribute to our community and country.

Safeguarding

We are an employer who is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of students. Successful applicants will be required to have an enhanced DBS check and will be subject to safer recruiting procedures. Further details on our safer recruiting procedures, including the employment of ex-offenders can be found here Safeguarding

Next Steps:

To apply:Click and follow the links to complete the online application. For queries regarding the application process, please contact the Recruitment Team at jobs@sheffcol.ac.uk

CVs are currently not accepted.

As a Leader in Diversity employer, we encourage applications from everyone and value diversity in our workforce.

Closing date: 29 May 2026

Please be aware – If we have a high number of applications, we may decide to close the vacancy earlier.

The Sheffield College

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Head of Catering Services