Drive Change - Shape Smarter Workforces
Location: [Hybrid – 1 day/week in Birmingham head office + field travel]
Salary: [£62,000–£65,000]
⏰ Hours/Contract: [Monday–Friday, Flexible Working Hours]
Reports to: Head of Optimisation
Why This Role Is a Great Fit for You
Are you a confident communicator and experienced project manager who thrives on using data to unlock performance? Do you enjoy guiding others through change and making complex things simple? At Compass Group UK&I, we’re looking for a Labour Optimisation Manager to lead smarter labour planning across our Compass One sites — driving workforce efficiency, unlocking value, and supporting a culture of continuous improvement.
In this high-impact role, you’ll be a key partner to operational leaders, using insights and expertise to improve how our people are deployed — ensuring the right resources, in the right place, at the right time.
What You’ll Be Doing
Partnering & Project Leadership
- Work with operational leadership, finance, and site teams to improve labour deployment and drive consistent productivity
- Brief sector leadership teams on labour performance, trends, and opportunities
- Act as a trusted advisor — taking teams on a journey through data and change initiatives
- Lead field-based labour efficiency projects from discovery to implementation
Analysis & Reporting
- Use WFM systems (like Zebra Workforce and Infor Cloud) to assess time, motion, and labour utilisation
- Identify and quantify labour-saving opportunities with clear, actionable insights
- Create reports and dashboards that help track productivity and project ROI
- Regularly share root cause analysis and improvement recommendations
Tools, Systems & Change Enablement
- Be the go-to expert for labour planning queries, tools, and models
- Help shape the future of our WFM systems by feeding in user needs and operational insight
- Support the rollout of labour-related change initiatives across the business
- Act as gatekeeper for any process changes impacting labour efficiency
You’ll Be a Great Fit If You…
✅ Have strong experience as a field-based project manager — ideally within contract catering, facilities management, retail, or hospitality
✅ Are confident using labour systems and WFM platforms (e.g. Zebra Workforce, Infor, or similar cloud-based tools)
✅ Are a natural people-person who can engage teams, manage stakeholders, and present complex info clearly
✅ Are passionate about data-led decision-making — with a keen eye for time and motion studies
✅ Are curious, proactive, and always seeking smarter, better ways of working
✅ Know your way around labour legislation and compliance
✅ Love solving puzzles — and finding the ‘why’ behind the numbers
✅ Have excellent Excel and analytical tool skills, and know how to turn numbers into narrative
Benefits That Support You
Wellbeing
- 24/7 Digital GP access for you & your family
- Wellness, fitness & mindfulness resources
- Mental health and EAP support
Financial
- Contributory pension scheme
- Discounted shopping at Tesco, Morrisons, Sainsbury’s & more
- Travel savings with Booking.com, Expedia, TUI
- Wow Points and cashback through PerksAtWork
Career Development
- Full access to MyLearning & Career Pathways
- Opportunity to grow with the UK's No.1 catering services provider
- Internal mobility, upskilling, and leadership training
About Compass Group UK&I
We’re the UK’s market leader in food and support services — bringing people together through great food, service, and innovation across 6,000+ sites.
Top 100 Apprenticeship Employer LinkedIn Top Company to Grow Your Career Disability Confident Leader Investors in People – Gold Standard
Inclusion Matters
At Compass, we celebrate individuality. We're proud to be an equal opportunities employer and create a workplace where everyone can thrive. If you need reasonable adjustments in the recruitment process, just let us know.
