Canteen Manager

Job Description: University Canteen Manager1\. Position Details * **Job title:** University Canteen Manager * **Department:** Campus Dining / Food Services * **Reports to:** Contract Manager, Food Services Director, or University Facilities Manager * **Direct reports:** Canteen Supervisors, Chefs, Cooks, Cashiers, Service Staff, and other assigned employees * **Work location:** University campus and associated food\-service outlets * **Business scope:** Daily food and beverage service for students, faculty, staff, visitors, and approved campus events 2\. Role Purpose Manage the safe, efficient, and financially sustainable operation of university canteens and food\-service outlets. Ensure food is available, prepared, and served to agreed quality, hygiene, value, and service standards; maintain compliance with university requirements and applicable regulations; and deliver a positive dining experience for the campus community. 3\. Scope of Responsibility Oversee daily operations across assigned canteens, cafés, kiosks, or dining areas, including staffing, menus, food preparation, service, inventory, purchasing coordination, cash controls, cleaning, maintenance, customer feedback, and performance reporting. The role may also coordinate catering for university meetings, conferences, and events. 4\. Key ResponsibilitiesA. Daily Operations and Service * Open, operate, and close assigned outlets in accordance with approved schedules, service standards, and university access requirements. * Ensure food and beverages are available in appropriate quantities during agreed service periods, including peak class and examination periods. * Coordinate food preparation, replenishment, queue management, service, and clean\-down to maintain a consistent customer experience. * Monitor service speed, product availability, portion control, presentation, and outlet cleanliness throughout each operating period. * Coordinate special service arrangements for campus events, conferences, and university activities, within approved scope and capacity. * Report operational interruptions, equipment failures, utility issues, and security concerns to the appropriate university or company contact. B. Food Safety, Hygiene, and Quality * Ensure food is received, stored, prepared, displayed, transported, and served in line with applicable food safety requirements and company procedures. * Verify that required temperature, cooking, cooling, reheating, cleaning, and sanitation checks are completed, recorded, and reviewed. * Ensure employees follow personal hygiene, handwashing, uniform, illness\-reporting, allergen\-control, and cross\-contamination prevention procedures. * Confirm that food is within shelf life, correctly labeled, traceable, and suitable for service; remove unsafe or non\-conforming products from use. * Coordinate with the Quality and Food Safety team and university representatives on inspections, audits, incidents, and corrective actions. * Ensure food safety incidents, customer illness reports, allergen concerns, and suspected contamination are escalated immediately and handled under approved procedures. * Maintain current food safety, allergen, and hygiene training records for assigned staff. C. Menu and Customer Experience * Deliver menus approved by the company and university, reflecting contractual requirements, student needs, dietary requirements, and applicable nutrition standards. * Coordinate menu planning with culinary, nutrition, procurement, and university stakeholders where required. * Ensure menu information, prices, ingredients, allergens, and dietary labels are accurate, visible, and kept current. * Gather and review feedback from students, staff, and university representatives through approved channels. * Track recurring complaints and implement documented corrective actions with assigned owners and completion dates. * Recommend menu, service, or layout changes using customer feedback, sales data, waste levels, and operational feasibility. D. Staffing and Team Leadership * Prepare staff schedules that provide adequate coverage for operating hours, anticipated demand, breaks, and approved events. * Assign daily roles and communicate service, hygiene, production, and cleaning priorities to the team. * Train and coach staff in service standards, food safety, allergen awareness, cash handling, and workplace conduct. * Monitor attendance, punctuality, uniform standards, productivity, and conduct; address issues in line with company procedures. * Conduct shift briefings and handovers, ensuring that outstanding issues, stock levels, incidents, and event requirements are recorded. * Identify staffing gaps and training needs and escalate them to the responsible manager. E. Inventory, Purchasing, and Waste Control * Forecast daily and weekly demand using enrollment patterns, academic calendars, historical sales, event schedules, and current trends. * Submit accurate requisitions and stock requirements within approved lead times and purchasing procedures. * Monitor receiving, storage, stock rotation, and issuance to reduce shortages, spoilage, theft, and excess inventory. * Apply approved first\-expiry\-first\-out or first\-in\-first\-out practices, as appropriate to the product. * Record food waste, spoilage, returns, and variances by category and investigate material or recurring causes. * Recommend production and purchasing adjustments based on demand, sales, waste, and service availability. F. Financial and Commercial Controls * Monitor outlet sales, transaction volumes, product mix, refunds, discounts, and voids using approved point\-of\-sale reports. * Ensure cash, card, and other payment transactions are handled, reconciled, and secured in accordance with company and university controls. * Complete or review daily sales and cash reconciliations and escalate discrepancies promptly. * Control food and labor costs within approved budgets while maintaining required service, portion, quality, and food safety standards. * Ensure prices are displayed accurately and match approved price lists and point\-of\-sale settings. * Do not authorize unapproved discounts, refunds, purchases, or financial commitments. G. Cleaning, Equipment, and Site Standards * Maintain daily, weekly, and periodic cleaning schedules for food\-preparation areas, service counters, dining areas, storage, and equipment. * Verify that cleaning tasks are completed and recorded, and that chemicals are labeled and stored safely. * Inspect equipment and facilities routinely, report defects, and coordinate preventive maintenance and repairs. * Ensure equipment is operated only by trained and authorized personnel and that any unsafe equipment is taken out of service. * Maintain clear, organized, and safe work areas and comply with university rules for waste disposal, pest control, fire safety, and campus access. H. Reporting and Coordination * Submit daily or weekly operating summaries as required, covering sales, staffing, stock, waste, customer feedback, incidents, and service issues. * Prepare monthly performance reports covering key operational and financial indicators. * Coordinate with university representatives, company management, procurement, culinary teams, Finance, Facilities, Security, and Quality and Food Safety. * Maintain accurate records for inspections, temperature checks, cleaning, training, stock, cash reconciliation, incidents, and corrective actions. * Escalate actual or anticipated service failures, food safety risks, serious customer complaints, and contractual issues without delay. 5\. Key Performance Indicators Targets should be set according to the university contract, outlet size, service hours, academic calendar, menu, and applicable regulatory requirements. Management should approve the baseline, target, calculation method, and data source for each KPI. KPIMeasurementReview frequencyOutlet availabilityPlanned service periods delivered with the agreed outlet and menu availability ÷ total planned service periods × 100Weekly and monthlyService\-level complianceApplicable service\-level requirements met ÷ total requirements measured × 100MonthlyCustomer satisfactionAverage score from an approved survey or feedback methodMonthly or per academic termComplaint resolutionComplaints closed within the approved response time ÷ complaints due for closure × 100MonthlyFood safety record completionRequired food safety checks completed and recorded ÷ checks due × 100Weekly and monthlyFood safety audit performanceScore achieved in approved internal or external inspectionsPer auditCritical food safety incidentsNumber of confirmed critical incidents attributable to the outletImmediate escalation; monthly reviewFood cost varianceActual food cost compared with the approved budget or theoretical cost, with material variances explainedMonthlyLabor cost varianceActual labor cost compared with the approved budget, adjusted for approved operating changesMonthlyFood waste rateRecorded food waste cost or quantity ÷ food purchased or produced, using the approved methodWeekly and monthlyStock varianceAbsolute variance between recorded and physical stock ÷ recorded stock value × 100MonthlyCash reconciliation accuracyShifts reconciled without unexplained variance ÷ total shifts × 100Daily and monthlyStaff training complianceStaff current on required training ÷ staff requiring training × 100MonthlyCleaning schedule completionCleaning tasks completed and recorded ÷ cleaning tasks due × 100Weekly and monthlyEquipment uptimeScheduled operating time equipment was available ÷ total scheduled operating time × 100, for designated critical equipmentMonthly **Measurement controls:** Define the outlets, service periods, customer feedback method, audit scope, food waste calculation, cost allocation, and incident classification before setting targets. Food safety requirements and critical incident escalation apply at all times and should not be weakened to meet commercial targets. 6\. Authority The University Canteen Manager exercises authority in accordance with company policy, the university contract, and the delegation of authority, which may include: * Assigning daily tasks and managing shift operations. * Adjusting production and replenishment within approved menus, recipes, forecasts, and food safety controls. * Placing non\-conforming or potentially unsafe products on hold and escalating them to the designated Quality and Food Safety contact. * Requesting approved maintenance, replenishment, and staffing support. * Recommending menu, service, staffing, or site improvements. * Escalating customer, safety, financial, or contractual issues to the responsible manager. * Approving routine operational actions only within delegated limits. 7\. Qualifications and Experience * Diploma or bachelor’s degree in Hospitality Management, Food Service Management, Culinary Management, Business Administration, or a related field. * A recognized food safety or food hygiene qualification appropriate to local requirements. * At least **5 years of experience** in food\-service operations, catering, hospitality, or institutional dining, including at least **2 years in a supervisory or management role**. * Experience managing high\-volume food service, shift teams, inventory, customer service, and operational reporting. * Working knowledge of food safety, allergen control, stock rotation, cash controls, and food\-service cost management. * Experience using point\-of\-sale, inventory, scheduling, and reporting systems. * Strong communication skills in English; Arabic or other language skills are required as relevant to the campus community. 8\. Required Competencies * Operational planning and shift management. * Food safety, hygiene, and allergen awareness. * Customer service and complaint resolution. * Staff supervision, coaching, and training. * Inventory control and waste reduction. * Basic financial and sales analysis. * Clear recordkeeping and reporting. * Communication with university and company stakeholders. * Sound judgment, accountability, and attention to detail. 9\. Working Relationships * **Internal:** Contract Management, Operations, Culinary Teams, Procurement, Finance, Human Resources, Facilities, Quality and Food Safety, and Security. * **External:** University representatives, students, faculty, staff, visitors, approved suppliers, and service contractors. 10\. Accountability Boundaries The University Canteen Manager is accountable for the daily operation of assigned outlets, staff coordination, service delivery, recordkeeping, and timely escalation of issues. Food safety release, clinical or nutritional approvals where required, contract amendments, price changes, capital expenditure, and other reserved decisions remain with the designated authorized functions. The manager must follow approved menus and procedures and must not make commitments outside their delegated authority. 11\. Approval * **Prepared by:** \_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_ * **Reviewed by Human Resources:** \_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_ * **Reviewed by Food Services / Operations:** \_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_ * **Approved by Authorized University or Company Representative:** \_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_ * **Approval date:** \_\_\_\_ / \_\_\_\_ / \_\_\_\_\_\_ * **Next review date:** \_\_\_\_ / \_\_\_\_ / \_\_\_\_\_\_ **Implementation note:** Before approval, align this description with the university contract, applicable food safety regulations, campus operating calendar, outlet count, service hours, reporting line, and the company’s authority matrix. Pay: RO300\.000 \- RO500\.000 per month Work Location: In person