General Manager - Rugby

Job Description

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 Wow Points 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

What you'll be doing:

The main purpose of the role includes the following;

To organise and supervise the contract in accordance with and to the standards required by Compass Group UK & Ireland and the client. To be responsible for the overall efficient and effective management of the contract to provide great quality Foodservice and Support Services as required. Responsible for the management, development and training of all team members. Ensure your contract is compliant and run commercially in line with net growth and retention targets.

More about the role:

  • To have overall accountability for a multi-site, single client contract. To develop and lead a team of Managers within a single contract to provide exceptional service to our clients.
  • Manage client and contractual relationships in a commercial manner ensuring compliance and company policies are adhered to.
  • Drive food service and support service solutions that exceed new and existing customer requirements.
  • Review business performance and ensure delivery of key financial targets in line with management and performance reporting.
  • Demonstrate commercial value to the Leadership and Executive teams in line with the One Compass vision, values and overall business strategy. 
  • To continually define, monitor and deliver contractual commitments across all areas, managing other stakeholders as necessary to exceed client expectation
  • Support and inspire the in situ team - to maintain and develop already high standards
  • Owning reporting for the contract - financial, operational and performance metrics
Bilton Grange is a co-educational Prep and Pre-Prep school for children aged 3 to 13 years and this is part of the Rugby School Group.

The year groups commence with 3+ which is The Nest, pupils aged 4 to 8 in Pre-Prep and pupils aged 8 to 13 attend the Prep School

We have a longstanding relationship with Bilton Grange, working closely together to improve and develop our food and education offering. We have just renewed our contract for another 10 years, which reflects the growth of our partnership and a shared commitment to deliver delicious, high-quality, sustainable food to our pupils. We know food plays a valuable role in enhancing the overall educational experience of our pupils and this partnership is vital in ensuring we continue to foster a positive dining environment and engage our pupils in nutritional education for many years to come. 

In order for pupils to develop a fantastic relationship with nourishing food, it's really important that we make it fun and engaging for them. 

That's why we provide many experiential learning opportunities for our pupils, which are aligned with the curriculum so that they can start to understand where food comes from and the importance of healthy food choices. Our themed days are a great example of this. We recently created a Tudor-themed banquet to coincide with the pupil's history lessons, where staff and pupils had the opportunity to dress up in traditional Tudor outfits, as well as try popular dishes of the time.

As part of the Beyond The Chartwells Kitchen programme, we also run a World Food' workshop which teaches the pupils about different tastes, smells and cuisines from across the world. The last session we ran was about Indian food, where our catering team cooked a selection of Indian dishes for pupils to try and to help bring their learning to life.

Inclusivity is something that we encourage beyond mealtimes and the classroom, through our parent engagement. We share regular updates in the school's newsletter The Bugle', which brings to life the nutritious food their children have been served during term time, as well as showcasing the fun and educational ways they are learning about the importance of nutrition and how they can make a positive impact on the environment - such as reducing food waste. In addition, we also run frequent headteacher breakfast sessions with staff and parents, as well as our famous sports teas, to help keep them up-to-date and engaged on our food education programme. 

Little Grange is a recent addition into the education profile at Bilton Grange and it sets the standard for learning, development and care for children from birth up to 5 years old. Little Grange is open 51 weeks of the year.

Our vision is very simple; to take each child who we cater for on a daily basis to ensure they eat a healthy and nutritional meal, and we assist them to reach their full potential at every stage in their journey.

There are so many catering adventures to be had, from visiting the allotment where home grown fruit and vegetables can be picked and then made into dishes on the menu for the children, we provide Forest Schools where the children will play in the woods and cook their meals with our chef team members which develops their social skills, confidence, and communication.

Sustainability is extremely important, and our provision of food and drink is an extension of this. Educating the next generation about sustainability and encouraging them to make better food choices, both for themselves and for the planet, is something that we actively encourage. 


We have now introduced two wormeries onsite to utilise and recycle our food waste. The catering staff feed the wormeries any leftover food waste from the kitchen, with the compost from this then being taken and used in the schools' allotments, which grows a range of fruit and veg. Picking the fruit and vegetables that are grown in the allotment is a key component to pupils' food education and learning at Bilton Grange, so these wormeries provide pupils with real-life examples of how food goes from the land to their plates. 

We're on a positive journey when it comes to sustainability - Bilton Grange recently won the Green Award for its most recent efforts in implementing sustainable practices - and we're excited to see where it takes us. 

You will manage a team of up to 40 employees, through term time schooling, accompanied by a busy events programme across the academic calendar and non-term time activities.

Who you are:

  • The ideal candidate will come from and independent schools background or 5 star hotel environment
  • Proven experience in leading, managing and developing successful teams across multiple sites
  • Must be commercially astute, disciplined, organised and experienced in developing budgets & meeting financial targets
  • Must have exceptional stakeholder management skills 
  • Flexibility in approach and mindset
  • Ability to lead and motivate teams to deliver consistently high-quality services
  • Develop an inclusive, enabling and participatory leadership approach with managers, individuals and teams across different units promoting collaboration and coordinated outcomes.
  • Actively support and encourage learning and development to enable individuals to reach their potential and the provision of coaching and mentoring support
  • Initiate, develop and implement systems, procedures and practices to support staff engagement, development and retention

About Us

As part of Compass you'll help to feed people, fuel progress and forge connections in around 6,000 venues. Join us to grow your career with the industry leader, and get competitive pay, great perks and unrivalled opportunities for learning and development, at one of the UK's biggest businesses.


Compass Group UK&I wants everyone in our business to feel able to be themselves at work and to have an equal opportunity to progress their career. We want to create a culture where we respect and embrace everyone's talents, beliefs, backgrounds, and abilities. Where our colleagues feel valued, can reach their full potential, and thrive - Diversity is Our Strength!