Job vacancy: Catering Manager, George Eliot Hospital NHS Trust, Nuneaton

Job summary

Main area: Catering Manager
Grade: NHS AfC: Band 6
Contract: Permanent
Hours: Full time - 37.5 hours per week
Job ref: 230-48361198-TECH-H

Employer: George Eliot Hospital NHS Trust
Employer type: NHS
Site: George Eliot Hospital NHS Trust
Town: Nuneaton
Salary: £38,682 - £46,580 per annum
Salary period: Yearly
Closing: 01/03/2026 23:59

Catering Manager

NHS AfC: Band 6

George Eliot Hospital NHS Trust opened in 1948 and provides a range of elective, non-elective, surgical, medical, women’s, children’s, diagnostic and therapeutic services to a population of more than 350,000 people.

The hub of the Trust is located on the outskirts of Nuneaton and its services cover a large footprint, including north Warwickshire, south west Leicestershire, and north Coventry. We also provide primary and community services across Coventry, Warwickshire and Leicestershire.

Our vision is "to EXCEL at patient care". If you think you've got what it takes, help us realise this and join #TeamEliot.

Don’t meet every single requirement? Studies have shown that women and people of colour aren’t as likely to apply unless they meet every qualification of non specialist roles.

We’re dedicated to building a diverse, inclusive workplace, so if you’re excited about this role and meet our values, but your experience doesn’t align perfectly with everything in the Job Description or Person Specification– apply anyway or email the Recruiting Manager to discuss the role further

We are proud to support the Armed Forces community. We are a Veteran Aware and Reservist Friendly organisation and welcome applications from Veterans, Reservists, Cadet Instructors, and family members of serving personnel.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

The successful candidate will:

Manage catering establishments comprising, patient feeding, restaurant and Cafes
Work closely with key stakeholder
Drive service improvement while ensuring compliance and safety.
Lead menu design and food service delivery across the Trust.
Manage a catering establishment comprising a central patient feeding area, restaurant, cafés, and vending services.
Provide line management for two senior managers and a team of 50 support staff.
Collaborate closely with nursing ward teams, Dietitians, and Estates & Facilities.

For a full comprehensive list of main responsibilities and duties, please kindly refer to job description and personal specification attached.

Person specification

Experience and Knowledge

Essential criteria

Minimum of 5 years (recent) experience in a catering environment preferably in the NHS
Management of HR related issues
To have experience and knowledge of the full range of patient catering including range of cooking methodologies nutrition, menu development
Knowledge of budget management and income generation
Experience of undertaking investigations and presenting disciplinary cases.
Recruitment & selection process

Desirable criteria

To have experience of managing retail outlet so have experience of managing retail outlets

Qualification(s) and Professional Training

Essential criteria

Educated to degree level or equivalent and evidence of continual professional development.
Professional Management qualification
Food Hygiene certificate level 4 Food Safety qualification or equivalent (Advanced Food Hygiene)
Willing to undertake future development training
Craft based qualification e.g. City & Guilds or equivalent.

Desirable criteria

Recognised HACCP qualification
Active member of a relevant NHS association in Facilities Management
Member of the HCA

Skills and Abilities

Essential criteria

Excellent communication skills to deal with a wide range of patients, visitors and staff (at all levels)
Confident and able to work with regulatory bodies, e.g. EHO
Ability to work across the Facilities Department and assist with projects.
Knowledge of catering production operations, food safety, cook chill processes, HACCP and dietary requirements
An understanding of infection control risks, policies and procedures.
Excellent IT and report writing skills
Excellent budgetary management skills

Personal Qualities

Essential criteria

Ability to interpret legislation and best practice to ensure the service is compliant • Highly organised and ability to prioritise and respond to constantly changing targets and agendas delivery to tight deadlines
Respectful and courteous approach to all staff groups and clients
Open door policy for staff to meet with post holder to discuss issues
Supportive to service managers
Firm and consistent approach on HR issues.
Ability to work well under pressure and to tight deadlines
Communicate well with service users
Communicate well with patients and visitors
Willing and able to facilitate change and motivate others
Excellent judgement and negotiation skills
Ability to communicate effectively with external organisations and trust representatives at all levels
Approachable and sensitive attitude to staff members
Ability to represent Facilities and clearly determine service levels and resources

Other

Essential criteria

Willing to act on own initiative
Well-motivated to manage a successful team of staff and promote a positive image of the department
Demonstrate a willingness to engage with staff

Please note:

George Eliot Hospital NHS Trust utilises a third party recruitment system (TRAC). When applying via NHS Jobs, your submitted application will be imported into TRAC where all subsequent information regarding your application will be generated. You will not be able to track the progress of your application or receive messages via the NHS Jobs website. Furthermore, as an employer, we will not be able to respond to any emails/messages sent to us via the NHS Jobs website.

By applying for this post you are consenting to George Eliot Hospital NHS Trust transferring the information contained in this application to its preferred applicant management system, TRAC.

The Job application data you provide will be used to assess your application for employment at GEH, to verify your information and conduct reference checks, and to communicate with you. If you accept employment with GEH, the information collected will become part of your employment record and will be used for employment purposes.

All information provided will be used for recruitment purposes only and processed in a lawful, fair and transparent manner.

Other:

The Trust is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of individuals and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. As part of our safe recruitment practice, if appropriate for the role, it is a mandatory requirement for all newly appointed staff to complete a Disclosure and Barring Service application.

In response to NICE guidance and to support the reduction of health harm from tobacco, the Trust has a smoke-free site policy which applies to anyone on Trust sites. Staff who smoke will be supported to quit or not smoke whilst on Trust sites.

George Eliot Hospital NHS Trust is committed to creating and sustaining a positive and inclusive working environment for all our employees as they are at the heart of our patients journey. Our aim is to ensure that employees are equally valued, respected, empowered and included within an organisation that is representative of all members of the community. We define diversity as valuing everyone as an individual – taking pride in that we value employees, job applicants, students, volunteers, patients and visitors as people. This is reflected within our excel behaviours with a vision to create a workplace that represents a culture of kindness, joy and inclusion.