Catering Manager

Catering Manager
Location: Meldreth, Nr Royston, Cambridgeshire/Hertfordshire border
Contract Type: Permanent, Full time 
Hours: 40 hours per week (Monday to Friday), 52 weeks per year
Salary: £13.87 - £15.53 per hour (£28,849.60 - £32,302.40 per annum), depending on experience

The Aurora Group

The Aurora Group is an innovative provider of education and care for children and young adults with special educational needs and disabilities.

Aurora Meldreth Manor School, Meldreth Manor Children’s Home and Orchard Manor Adults Residential Home, provides education, care and therapeutic support for children aged 6–19 years and young adults aged 18–30 years with severe and profound communication, cognitive and physical difficulties associated with conditions such as cerebral palsy, autism, brain injury and degenerative disorders.

The role:

We’re currently looking for a Catering Manager to lead our onsite catering service.

This is a hands-on leadership role where you’ll oversee the preparation and delivery of high-quality, nutritious meals tailored to the complex dietary needs of our service users. You’ll manage a small team including a Senior Cook and Catering Assistant, ensuring compliance with food safety standards, budget control, and a person-centred approach to mealtimes.

You’ll be responsible for supervising staff, conducting probation reviews, supporting performance development, and fostering a positive team culture. You’ll also contribute to leadership development across the catering team, helping staff grow in confidence and capability.

You’ll work closely with therapy, education, and care teams to develop inclusive menus, support themed events, and contribute to emergency planning for catering operations. This is a rewarding opportunity to make a meaningful impact every day in a diverse and inclusive environment.

Please see the full job description below:

Job Description - Catering Manager

We’re looking for someone with:

• Experience managing a catering service in a care or education setting
• Proven track record of team leadership, staff supervision, and performance management (e.g. probation reviews, coaching, feedback)
• Experience supporting leadership development and fostering team growth
• Strong understanding of food safety, hygiene, and health & safety legislation (including COSHH and Natasha’s Law)
• Excellent cooking skills and experience with complex dietary needs
• Strong proficiency in Microsoft Office (Outlook, Teams, Word, Excel, PDF)
• Attention to detail and accuracy in documentation, planning, and communication
• Demonstrated ability to manage and monitor budgets effectively, including stock control and supplier liaison
• Commitment to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young adults

What’s on offer?

Be part of our successful team and also benefit from a generous package that includes:

• Life assurance
• Competitive pension
• Perkbox - offering high street discounts
• Employee assistance programme
• Car lease scheme
• Fully funded training and qualifications
• Bike to work scheme
• Free membership to our Health cash back plan - Claim back money on services such as dental, optical, physio and many more

You can apply online by completing our online application form. For more information on this position please contact kirsty.wilkinson@theauroragroup.co.uk

Successful applicants will be subject to pre-employment safeguarding checks including an enhanced disclosure and barring service (DBS) check.

The post is exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 and the Aurora Group is therefore permitted to ask job applicants to declare all convictions and cautions (including those which are "spent" unless they are "protected" under the DBS filtering rules) in order to assess their suitability to work with children and young adults.

The Aurora Group is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of the children and young adults in our care and is a disability confident and equal opportunities employer.

This advert could be taken down at any point in time without prior notice if the position is filled.

Please note that candidates that are shortlisted might be subject to an online search.