Centre for Alternative Technology

Salary/benefits: £17,485 per annum

Application closing date: Jul 11, 2011

Catering Services at CAT
The Catering Manager post is a new role at the Centre for Alternative Technology, created to coincide with the expansion of the catering service provision required to meet the customer needs of CAT’s new education centre, the Wales Institute for Sustainable Education (WISE).  This is an exciting opportunity, and the role will suit an experienced, dedicated and enterprising individual who is interested in taking CAT’s catering services to the next level.  CAT currently operates a vegetarian catering service.  We are seeking a Catering Manager who will strive to make CAT recognised for the quality, sustainability and creativeness of the food it offers.  With WISE we have a new flagship sustainable building, and we need a flagship sustainable catering service to accompany it.

The current annual turnover of CAT Catering Services is £445,000. As an integral part of CAT’s visitor centre experience, the existing site restaurant provides hot and cold counter service to a potential 60,000 paying day visitors throughout the year.  The restaurant caters for participants on over 60 of our residential short courses, plus full board catering for around 200 post graduate students each month, who come to CAT in two blocks of five day residential stays. Visiting school and university groups staying in our Eco Cabins also require food provision.  The areas of operation include the main visitor restaurant, a small seasonal food outlet known as Trading Post and a kitchen and dining area which provides lunch for CAT’s staff (approx 80 covers per day). 

With the new WISE restaurant extension recently opened, the existing cover space has doubled in size with a 170 seats available in one sitting. WISE is available for venue hire, and Catering Services are required to meet the new customer needs which include plated service, buffets for up to 200 people, and a expansion of the type of catering and menus on offer.  In addition WISE has a paying bar, serving organic wines, bottled beers and spirits.  The bar area is also the refreshments station for meetings and conferences during the day.  The Catering Manager will be expected to lead on direction and development of all these catering activities.

About the job
To oversee and develop the catering services including the food delivery and service provision in all of the catering areas. To develop a high quality, efficient and profitable service, which receives excellent customer feedback.  Operating within CAT’s environmental, procurement and food policies the Catering Manager has overall responsibility for all the catering services.
Full Job description and Person Specification available at www.cat.org.uk/jobs

Closing date:  11/7/11