Catering Manager

We have an excellent opportunity for an experienced Hospitality Manager to lead the Officers' Mess at HMS Collingwood. This role would suit someone with a military background looking to transition into a civilian role while staying within a Defence environment. You'll take full responsibility for delivering high-quality hospitality and catering services within the Mess, ensuring a professional, well-organised, and welcoming environment for Officers and guests. What you'll be doing

• Overseeing all hospitality and catering services within the Officers' Mess
• Managing day-to-day operations, ensuring smooth and efficient service delivery
• Acting as the key point of contact for clients, building strong relationships and responding to feedback
• Maintaining high standards across all hospitality functions, including formal dining and events
• Promoting the Mess facilities and identifying opportunities to enhance service and revenue
• Managing budgets, monitoring costs, and maintaining accurate financial controls
• Planning and scheduling staffing in line with operational needs
• Ensuring all departments are aligned to deliver seamless events and services
  
  Background in hospitality, catering, events or similar operational roles
• Military experience or understanding of Mess life (highly desirable)
• Strong leadership and organisational skills
• Good financial awareness and experience managing budgets
• Confident communicator with strong stakeholder management skills
• Comfortable using systems and handling administrative tasks
• A proactive, "can-do" attitude with high standards and attention to detail
This is a great opportunity for someone looking to move from military service into a structured civilian role, where your experience, leadership, and understanding of Defence environments will be highly valued. You'll be part of a supportive organisation that invests in its people and offers stability, development, and a strong team culture.

Part of Compass Group UK&I, ESS is the Defence, Government, and Energy services sector of Compass Group UK & Ireland. We support 250+ UK military establishments, high profile police, secure environments and government sites, along with a range of onshore and offshore facilities including platforms, drilling rigs, floatels and offices for the energy sector. We know that a friendly face makes all the difference, so we look for people who are passionate about delivering excellent customer service, at all levels, to join our teams.

We ensure you're rewarded for all your hard work, which is why we offer a comprehensive benefits package which includes but is not limited to:
• Contributory pension scheme
• Grow your career with our Career Pathways and MyLearning programmes
• Quick access for you and your immediate family to a Digital GP, and wider healthcare benefits
• Exclusive travel discounts with TUI, Expedia, Booking.com and many more
• Save money on your food shop with discounts on Tesco, Sainsbury's, Morrisons and many more
• Up to 44% off cinema tickets to enjoy your favourite blockbuster
• Receive cash rewards every time you spend and use them on a wide range of brands
• Un-wind with us with free wellness, mindfulness and exercise classes
• You can share all discounts and offers with your friends and families