Tarve
Start Free Trial →

Verified Skilled Worker sponsor

Head of Catering

Northern Care Alliance NHS Foundation Trust

Salford, M8 6HD £57,528 – £64,750 a year Permanent Posted 10 August 2026 Apply by 20 September 2026

Home Office register entry: Northern Care Alliance NHS Foundation Trust, Salford

Visa sponsorship

This role is listed by an employer that holds a live Home Office sponsor licence on the Skilled Worker route.

NHS roles fall under the Health and Care Worker route. Public reference figures for that route: the general salary minimum is £25,000 a year, and salaries set by national pay scales (NHS bands) at or above the relevant band rate typically meet the occupation's requirement. Individual eligibility depends on personal circumstances. These figures are public reference information, not advice or a verdict on this job.

Role description

Job summary

Northern Care Alliance NHS Foundation Trust (NCA) is seeking an ambitious, innovative and values-driven Head of Catering to lead and transform catering services across our organisation.

This is an exciting opportunity for an experienced catering professional to shape high-quality food services that support patient recovery, staff wellbeing and excellent visitor experience across our hospital and community sites.

Main duties of the job

As Head of Catering, you will provide strategic and operational leadership for all catering services, ensuring delivery of safe, nutritious, cost-effective and sustainable food services that meet the highest standards of quality, compliance and patient satisfaction.

You will lead large multidisciplinary teams, manage significant budgets and contracts, and play a key role in delivering the Trust's wider estates and facilities ambitions.

About us

The Northern Care Alliance NHS Foundation Trust (NCA) provides hospital and integrated health and social care services to over one million people living across Greater Manchester. Our 20,000 colleagues care for people in hospital and in the community, working across Bury, Rochdale, Oldham and Salford, to save and improve lives.

As a large NHS trust we are committed to enhancing the health of our local population by delivering consistently high standards of care and working closely with local authorities and key partners. We believe in our power and potential to make a difference and we're always looking for people who demonstrate our three core values - care, appreciate and inspire - to join our team.

In return, we can offer you a job role with purpose and flexibility. The size and scale of the NCA means we can provide more challenge and opportunities so your career can always be moving in the right direction. By joining us you can also access a competitive benefits package, including, a fantastic annual leave allowance, flexible working opportunities and protected hours for health and wellbeing activities, helping you to achieve more personal downtime and a better work-life balance.

Learn more about us in our Candidate Information Pack.

Details

Date posted

10 August 2026

Pay scheme

Agenda for change

Band

Band 8a

Salary

£57,528 to £64,750 a year per annum

Contract

Permanent

Working pattern

Full-time

Reference number

236-NCA-EA105-26-A

Job locations

Salford Royal Hospital

Stott Lane

Salford

M8 6HD

United Kingdom


Job description

Job responsibilities

To read more information about the advertised role, and the main job duties/responsibilities please open the Job Description and Person Specification located under the supporting documents heading. You can also read more information about working at the Northern Care Alliance within the attached Candidate Information Pack or by visiting our careers website: www.careers.northerncarealliance.nhs.uk

Person Specification

Registration

Desirable

  • Member of hospital catering association

Skills

Essential

  • Key leadership skills and ability to drive future development of service
  • Experience of successfully leading and implementing change and service improvement projects
  • Extensive specialist knowledge of food production and food service systems including
  • Strong liaison skills with multi-disciplinary departments and contacts
  • Ability to work to tight deadlines under pressure
  • Data analysis skills and ability to compile reports.
  • High level of communications and presentation skills
  • Confidence in managing difficult situations
  • Flexibility and provide innovative service solutions

Knowledge

Essential

  • Knowledge of NHS catering agenda in respect of facilities and up-to-date knowledge and awareness in key issues in Catering Management
  • Understanding of essential aspects of Customer Service in Catering
  • Good understanding of legislation governing the provision of Catering services and ability to translate this into practice knowledge and understanding of Hospital Food Standards and the BDA
  • Professional Leadership
  • Knowledge of Human Resources policies and excellent staff and management skills
  • Commercial experience gained in management of outsourced contracts in a healthcare setting
  • Extensive experience in catering management and significant senior level management experience
  • Direct line management experience in large scale multi-site operations with a large and diverse workforce
  • Business case writing skills and ability to draw up action plans and ensure deadlines are met in compliance with overall strategy
  • Evidence of achieving financial targets and significant budgetary management
  • Evidence of excellent innovation and achievement in management practice
  • Ability to carry out effective negotiation with diplomacy

Qualifications

Essential

  • Educated to degree level or equivalent management experience
  • Management/Professional qualification or extensive experience at a senior level in Catering Management
  • Evidence of continuous professional development
  • Food Safety Level 4
  • Further post graduate qualification in catering/facilities management or sufficient experience gained in practice to equate to this level of training

Desirable

  • Recognised Management Qualification
  • Evidence of post graduate food study

Disclosure and Barring Service Check

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.

Certificate of Sponsorship

Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website.

From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement. Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants.

UK Registration

Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).

Employer details

Employer name

Northern Care Alliance NHS Foundation Trust

Address

Salford Royal Hospital

Stott Lane

Salford

M8 6HD

United Kingdom


Employer's website

https://www.northerncarealliance.nhs.uk/

Apply now

Last verified against our ingestion on 12 August 2026; sponsor register dataset 2026-08-25.