Sodexo

Operational Food & Beverage Manager

Colchester CO4 5JL

Key information

Pay
£45,000 per annum
Hours
40 hours per week
Contract
Full Time
Posted date
29 Oct 2026
Closing date
12 Nov 2026

About this role

Job Description

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Job Title

Operational Food & Beverage Manager

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Location

Colchester Hospital

  • £45,000 + bonus
  • 40 Hours / 5 over 7 days
  • Staff Parking / On site discounted staff retail offer / Free park & ride / Sodexo global company career opportunities

Job Introduction

We are looking for an experienced Operational Food & Beverage Manager to lead patient dining and retail services across Colchester Hospital and its community sites. You will be responsible for maintaining high standards of food quality, safety and service delivery, with a particular focus on the patient experience. Leading a diverse operational team, you will ensure services are compliant, financially controlled and continually improved.

What You'll Do

  • Lead the day-to-day delivery of patient dining and retail services.
  • Work closely with the Patient Dining team to maintain agreed standards at ward level.
  • Lead, support and develop supervisors, ward hosts, retail assistants, patient dining staff and kitchen porters.
  • Manage staff rotas, holiday allocation, training and annual development reviews.
  • Monitor food quality, preparation, hygiene and stock levels across the service.
  • Complete monthly stocktakes and manage food ordering and waste.
  • Review Saffron patient menu information and WasteWatch data to identify improvements.
  • Manage departmental budgets, forecasts, labour costs and financial variances.
  • Ensure compliance with food safety, HACCP, health and safety, infection control, company and Trust requirements.
  • Maintain accurate monitoring, training, quality and due-diligence records.
  • Carry out service audits against catering KPIs and take corrective action where required.
  • Manage complaints and queries from wards and retail outlets professionally.
  • Build positive working relationships with the Trust, clients, colleagues and operational teams.
  • Drive continuous improvement, service excellence and customer satisfaction across patient dining and retail services.

What You Bring

  • Proven experience of leading and developing teams within a service environment.
  • Previous operational management experience within catering or food services.
  • A strong understanding of food safety, food hygiene and HACCP requirements.
  • Knowledge of relevant health and safety, employment and legislative requirements.
  • Experience of delivering staff training and maintaining accurate training records.
  • Strong financial and commercial awareness, including budget, labour and stock control.
  • Excellent communication skills and the ability to build effective working relationships.
  • Strong attention to detail with a consistent focus on quality and compliance.
  • Confident IT skills and the ability to manage operational systems and reporting.
  • The ability to analyse problems, identify opportunities and implement practical solutions.
  • A calm, resilient and flexible approach when managing competing priorities.
  • A commitment to delivering safe, high-quality services for patients, customers and clients.

What we offer

Working with Sodexo is more than a job; it’s a chance to be part of something greater. You’ll belong in a company and team that values you for you; you’ll act with purpose and have an impact through your everyday actions; and you’ll be able to thrive in your own way. In addition, we also offer a range of resources, rewards and benefits for our colleagues and their families:

  • Unlimited access to an online platform offering mental health and wellbeing support.
  • Employee Assistance Programme to help with everyday issues or larger problems where you may need additional support, including legal and financial advice, support with work related issues or personal issues such as bereavement.
  • Access to a free health and wellbeing app that provides rewards for maintaining a healthy lifestyle and includes access to a 24hr virtual GP and various other services.
  • The Sodexo Discounts Scheme, offering great deals 24/7 (also open to friends and family) and/or the prepayment cashback card.
  • Money Insights and financial benefits via the Salary Finance Platform.
  • Save for your future by becoming a member of the Sodexo Retirement Plan
  • A Death-in-Service benefit for colleagues who pass away whilst employed by Sodexo
  • Opportunities to enable colleagues to grow and succeed throughout their career at Sodexo, including a variety of learning and development tools.
  • Cycle to Work Scheme to help colleagues to do their bit for the environment whilst keeping fit.
  • Volunteering Opportunities to enable all colleagues to help support worthwhile causes in our communities.
  • Flexible and dynamic work environment
  • Competitive compensation
  • Full training and full protective uniform supplied.

Ready to be part of something greater? Apply today! Career progression for the caring profession.

Sodexo reserves the right to close this advertisement early if we are in receipt of a high volume of applications.

About Sodexo

At Sodexo, our purpose is to create a better every day for everyone to build a better life for all. As the global leader in services that improve the Quality of Life, we operate in 55 countries, serving over 100 million consumers each day through our unique combination of On-Site Food and FM Services, Benefits & Rewards Services and Personal & Home Services.

We are committed to being an inclusive employer. We are a forces friendly employer. We welcome and encourage applications from people with a diverse variety of experiences, backgrounds, and identities. We encourage our employees to get involved with our Employee Networks such as Pride, Sodexo Parents & Carers, Sodexo Disability, Ability network, So Together, Generations and Origins.

We’re a Disability Confident Leader employer. We’re committed to changing attitudes towards disability, and making sure disabled people have the chance to fulfil their aspirations. We run a Disability Confident interview scheme for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria for the job.

Click here to read more about what we do to promote an inclusive culture.

Sodexo Disability, Ability network, So Together, Generations and Origins.