Senior Food & Beverage Operations Manager (111306-0226)

About The Role

Informal Queries

• For informal queries about the role, please contact Jonathan Fogarty, Recruitment Manager at Jonathan.fogarty@warwick.ac.uk
  
  

Are you an experienced food & beverage leader who thrives in complex environments? Do you enjoy leading large teams, improving performance, and delivering great food and service at scale? If so, this could be the role for you.

We’re looking for a Senior Food & Beverage Operations Manager to lead our multi-site F&B operation across the University of Warwick. This is a leadership role with real scope to deliver strategy, develop people, and drive continuous improvement.

What You’ll Be Doing

You’ll provide hands-on leadership for Food & Beverage operations across campus, ensuring everything runs safely, smoothly, and commercially. Working closely with the Head of F&B Operations, you’ll:

• Lead day-to-day operations across multiple outlets, ensuring excellent service, strong compliance, and consistent standards
• Inspire, develop, and support your management team, creating a positive, high-performance culture

Take responsibility for financial performance, delivering target surplus through effective cost control, commercial thinking and data-led decision making

Translate strategic plans into clear operational objectives and KPIs, and support managers to deliver against them

Ensure robust food safety, health & safety, and licensing compliance across all operations

Lead the implementation and effective use of systems such as EPOS, labour management, stock control, and allergen management

Drive continuous improvement in services, facilities, processes, and customer experience

Deputise for the Head of F&B Operations when required and act as a senior operational presence across the business

This is a visible, influential role where you’ll balance operational detail with big-picture thinking.

About You

You’ll be a confident, experienced F&B leader with a strong track record in multi-site operations and people management. You’ll also bring:

• Degree-level education or equivalent experience
• Food Safety Level 3 certification
• Senior operational management experience in foodservice, ideally across large or complex estates

Proven success in leading large, diverse teams and developing managers

Strong commercial and financial acumen, including P&L responsibility

In-depth knowledge of food safety, HACCP, and UK legislation

Excellent leadership, communication and influencing skills

The ability to stay calm, resilient, and decisive under pressure

The role is predominately Monday-Friday with the occasional weekend working

Experience of change management, systems implementation or risk and crisis management would be an advantage.

Why join us?

Warwick Food Group plays a central role in campus life, serving thousands of students, staff, and visitors every day.

As Senior F&B Operations Manager, you’ll have the opportunity to lead at scale, shape the future of our offer, and make a genuine impact on both customer experience and commercial performance.

This role offers autonomy, responsibility, and the chance to work with passionate teams in a dynamic university setting.

If you’re ready to lead from the front and help take our Food & Beverage operations to the next level, we’d love to hear from you.

For details on the experience and skills required, please refer to the job description attached as a PDF below.

About The Department

Our story

Warwick Food Group is a community of passionate people leading a collection of planet-friendly and food-centric campus services at the University of Warwick.

Our ambition is to break the mould of institutional catering in the higher education sector by offering exciting, vibrant, and inclusive dining and shopping options.

Why Join Us?

• Be part of a collaborative team that values your ideas and leadership.
• Lead in a role where you’ll shape the campus hospitality experience and contribute to community well-being.
• Enjoy opportunities for growth, creativity, and making a significant impact.
  
  

Ready to Lead and Inspire?

Apply now to become the Senior Food & Beverage Operations Manager at Warwick Food Group. Bring your expertise, energy, and vision to a role that’s as dynamic and rewarding as you are!

About The University

We are a world-leading research-intensive university founded in 1965. We are ranked 106th in the world and 8th in the UK.

* Additionally, 92% of our research is rated world-leading or internationally excellent.**

Find out more about us at warwick.ac.uk/about/.

• World University Ranking 2024, Guardian University Guide 2025
• Research Excellence Framework 2021
  
  

How to Apply

CLOSING DEADLINE: Monday 2nd March 2026 at 11:55pm (UK Time)

To apply, please click "Here" and submit an application form by the closing deadline. You will be asked to include a CV and a cover letter.

Your CV Should Include

• Your education and employment history (including your most recent employment).
• Any other relevant experience (e.g. volunteering, extracurricular, etc.).
  
  

Your Cover Letter Should Explain

• Your motivations for applying to the role.
• Using examples, how you meet the essential and desirable criteria detailed in the job description (PDF attached below).
  
  

All essential criteria must be met by candidates who are invited to interview.

You are welcome to include details of any career breaks (e.g. parental leave, caring responsibilities, sick leave).

For guidance on writing a cover letter, see here.

• Interview Date: 17th, 18th or 19th March 2026

Start Date: As soon as possible

Please note application forms must be submitted before the stated deadline - you will not be able to submit after 23:55 (even if you opened the form earlier). Only applications submitted via our official careers portal (warwick-careers.tal.net) will be considered.

What we Offer

We Provide a Comprehensive Range Of Benefits, Including

• An attractive pension scheme.
• 30 days holiday plus University Christmas closure.
• Generous parental/adoption leave policy.
• Onsite childcare facilities.
• Excellent learning and development opportunities.
  
  

We recognise the importance of a healthy work/life balance and offer access to flexible working arrangements. For more information, see here.

We are proud to be a Living Wage employer.

Our Commitment to Inclusion

To find out more about our commitments to equality, diversity, and inclusion, please see: Our Commitments | University of Warwick

Job Description

Senior FB Operations Manager_.pdf – 258KB Opens in a new window

Right to Work in the UK

If you do not yet have the right to work in the UK and/or are seeking sponsorship for a Skilled Worker visa, please follow this link which contains further information about obtaining the right to work in the UK.