Head of Catering Operations

Head of Catering Operations

The Head of Catering will lead and manage the club’s food and beverage operations across all environments - including matchdays at the stadium, hospitality suites, corporate events, and the training ground. This strategic and operational role ensures exceptional quality, commercial performance, food safety, and a seamless customer experience across all catering service.

The role will also play a key part in the development and mobilisation of catering operations for Power Court, representing a step-change in scale, complexity and opportunity. The Head of Catering will ensure exceptional quality, safety, service and commercial performance while delivering a food and beverage offer that enhances the supporter and guest experience.

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KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

• Lead the planning and delivery of all matchday catering operations, including public concourses, bars, kiosks, premium hospitality, lounges and executive boxes.
• Oversee hospitality and event catering for non-matchday use, including conferences, private events and club functions.
• Oversee the training ground catering, including first-team, academy and staff food provision, ensuring quality, consistency and alignment with performance and nutrition standards.
• Ensure smooth end-to-end operations covering food preparation, service delivery, logistics and stock management.
• Maximise revenue and margin across all catering operations through strong commercial planning, menu engineering and cost control.
• Own catering budgets, forecasting, stock control and supplier spend, with clear accountability for financial performance.
• Work closely with the Commercial and Marketing teams to support ticketing, hospitality sales and fan engagement initiatives.
• Recruit, lead and develop a high-performing catering and hospitality team, including full-time, casual and matchday staff.
• Manage catering partners, suppliers and contractors, ensuring value for money, service reliability and strong relationships.
• Ensure the highest standards of food safety, hygiene, licensing, allergen management and health & safety compliance across all sites.
• Champion continuous improvement in quality, efficiency and customer service.
• Play a role in the planning, development and mobilisation of catering operations for Power Court, ensuring the model is scalable, efficient and commercially robust for a significantly larger venue.
• Lead the transition from the current stadium to the new stadium, including supplier strategy, menu development, staffing structures, systems and operational processes.
• ·Develop a reimagined matchday and hospitality catering offer that meets higher volumes and broader audiences while maintaining quality, speed of service and value for money.

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 MAIN JOB REQUIREMENTS AND PERSON SPECIFICATION

Experience & Knowledge

• Significant experience in senior catering, hospitality or food & beverage management roles, ideally within stadiums, arenas, major venues, hotels or large-scale event environments.
• Proven experience managing high-volume, multi-outlet operations, including public catering and premium hospitality.
• Experience supporting venue growth, stadium development or major operational change is highly desirable.
• Strong commercial and financial management background

Skills & Attributes

• Confident leader with the ability to motivate, develop and manage large teams.
• Highly organised, resilient and calm under pressure in fast-paced matchday environments.
• Commercially minded with a strong focus on customer experience and operational excellence.
• Strong stakeholder management and communication skills.
• Flexible to work evenings, weekends and matchdays as required.

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Additional Information

• This a Full-Time role
• Flexibility to work evenings, weekends and matchdays as required.
• Travel for away fixtures and club events when necessary.
• Applicants must be eligible to live and work in the UK