About the role

Reporting to the Corporate & Financial Director, the Catering Operations Manager provides strategic and operational leadership across the Guild’s catering portfolio, including cafés, the Tavern, and Functions.

The role is responsible for delivering strong commercial outcomes while maintaining a high-quality, accessible offering for the student community. Operating with a high degree of autonomy, you will drive financial performance across complex, multi-site operations and develop commercial opportunities beyond the core student market.

You will balance student-focused service delivery with the growth of external revenue streams, partnerships, and functions to maximise utilisation and support ongoing financial sustainability, while contributing to organisational planning and advising senior leadership.

Key Responsibilities

• Provide strategic and operational leadership across cafés, the Tavern, and Functions, ensuring high-quality, accessible services for the student community
• Drive financial performance, including revenue growth, cost control, and profitability across a complex, multi-site portfolio
• Identify and deliver commercial opportunities beyond the core student market, including external partnerships and functions
• Balance student-focused service delivery with the development of external revenue streams to maximise utilisation and long-term sustainability
• Lead, coach, and develop outlet managers to build a high-performing, accountable team culture
• Oversee budgets, forecasting, and financial reporting, ensuring alignment with organisational objectives
• Ensure compliance with food safety, WHS, and liquor licensing requirements across all operations
• Contribute to organisational planning and provide practical, commercially focused advice to senior leadership

About you

You’re an experienced hospitality leader who enjoys running multi-site operations and finding ways to improve performance. You bring a strong commercial focus, with demonstrated experience developing, implementing, and successfully delivering strategy, and a proven track record of driving initiatives that enhance growth and performance.

• Experience managing multi-site hospitality or catering operations
• A solid commercial mindset, with the ability to improve revenue and profitability
• Demonstrated experience developing and implementing strategies, not just maintaining the status quo
• Demonstrated ability to identify and deliver new opportunities, partnerships, and revenue streams
• Demonstrated experience leading and driving teams to achieve performance outcomes, including building capability and accountability
• Good financial skills, including budgeting and monitoring performance
• Knowledge of food safety, WHS, and liquor licensing requirements
• Strong communication skills and the ability to build effective working relationships

About UWA Student Guild

The UWA Student Guild has supported students since 1913 and is recognised as a benchmark for student representation across Australia. They are committed to delivering high-quality, accessible services while remaining financially, environmentally, and socially responsible.