Purpose of the post
MANAGEMENT RESPONSIBILITIES:
Leading and Managing People
Motivate, encourage and empower staff by delegating work effectively and by creating an atmosphere of respect, collaboration and risk-taking.
Management of Resources
Plan and monitor to ensure a high-quality service and continuous improvement. Provide value for money by purchasing, prioritising, managing and monitoring effective use of resources and recognising that knowledge, ability and skills are also resources.
Enabling and Empowering
Create and support an environment that enables each team member to contribute to and take decisions to provide the best possible services.
Delivering
Encourage the team to be innovative, enterprising and to learn from experience to improve performance.
Performance and Development
Identify staff strengths and areas of development through constant supervision of the work performed.
Problem Solving
Be proactive and to ensure that meaningful decisions are made in a timely manner, while also responding effectively to priorities as they change.
Communication
Share and listen to information, views and ideas without prejudice by using appropriate communication methods. Increase motivation by using inclusive communication that takes other people’s feelings into account.
Responsibility for functions
•Responsibility for over 600 staff
•Responsible for a budget of almost £15 million
•Responsibility for kitchen and cleaning equipment
Main duties
MAIN DUTIES
Lead the Catering and Cleaning Service for Gwynedd Schools:
•Ensure that the people of Gwynedd are at the centre of everything we do.
•Responsibility for the strategic direction of the catering and cleaning service and drawing up a modern vision for the service, which is shared and understood by all stakeholders.
•Responsibility for the direction of the service's business model, considering and investigating alternative options of providing the service, as needed.
•Responsibility for coordinating and interpreting the necessary work that requires attention, drawing up and identifying priorities for the service to implement as a part of the service and the Department's annual business planning arrangements.
•Responsibility for leading and managing a small team of central staff, appropriately allocating resources to ensure that the team achieves what is expected of it and leading the team strategically.
•Responsibility for leading over 600 staff in over 80 educational establishments across the county, leading and implementing human resources processes, e.g. appointment, dismissal, sickness, capability and discipline, in an appropriate and timely manner, in line with the corporate policies and guidance available.
•Responsibility for leading and implementing arrangements to ensure a safe working environment for every staff member in the catering and cleaning service daily, complying with the legal health and safety requirements.
•Responsibility for drawing up guidance in the form of a staff Handbook in the catering and cleaning field to ensure that staff work in a secure and safe environment and provide safely and appropriately for their customers.
•Responsibility for the service's risk management arrangements, including risk management arrangements in the field of allergies.
•Responsibility to ensure appropriate resources and equipment for all members of staff on an ongoing basis, e.g. kitchen equipment, cleaning equipment, suitable attire, staffing resources and finance, etc.
•Responsibility for leading and ensuring effective budgetary management of the service, which has a budget of almost £15 million, including ensuring appropriate annual expenditure for the service, ensuring appropriate and consistent income levels for the service, ensuring effective staffing levels for all aspects of the service, in line with the available budget, as well as an appropriate and effective procedure of collecting breakfast club and school dinner debts.
•Responsibility for all aspects of the service's customer services, including responding to and investigating complaints in accordance with the corporate complaints procedure, implementing various arrangements to gather the views of stakeholders, including the views of headteachers, children and young people on the service, considering, adapting and responding to the observations received as needed.
•Responsibility for leading and implementing a Service Level Agreement for the catering and cleaning field collectively with the schools, ensuring clarity and compliance with the terms of the SLA, fostering a positive working relationship with school headteachers, to ensure their satisfaction with all aspects of the services provided for them.
•Represent the Council at meetings and public fairs, as well as at meetings with key stakeholders involved in the catering and cleaning field, e.g. school headteachers, governing bodies, private sector companies, e.g. food providers, cleaning equipment providers, equipment purchase and repairs companies, third sector companies, etc.
•Represent the Council as appropriate in discussions with officers and members of the Welsh Government, the WLGA, as well as officers in other councils.
•Participating on Council Working Groups, as needed
•Being technical experts in the field, with a high-level and operational understanding of schools' ICT systems which are relevant to the catering field, e.g. cashless system, MIS system, etc.
•Fostering the ability and expertise to lead on high-level procurement discussions for the service itself and on behalf of the county's schools, e.g. ICT systems procurement, food supplier procurement, cleaning materials procurement, etc.
•Prepare relevant reports and documents to report to the Education Management Team, business meetings and school headteacher strategic forums, as well as Council committees, as needed.
•Responsibility for leading and managing the service to ensure the highest standards in the school cleaning field, acting on any defects and risks in a timely way.
•Responsibility for leading and managing the service to ensure the highest standards in the Food Safety and Food Hygiene field, undertaking the public protection role seriously and acting on any defects and risks in a timely manner.
•Responsibility for leading and managing the processes and actions associated with offering a nutritious and healthy meal for all learners, including:
-Drawing up the primary menu, ensuring that it complies with the Healthy Eating in Schools Regulations, reviewing the menu twice a year, and/or in response to changing ingredients or feedback from learners.
-Consider the requirements of Welsh Government guidelines, drawing up and preparing suitable and appealing menus to provide nutritious and healthy meals for learners, in accordance with national standards.
-Ensure appropriate equipment in every kitchen to be able to provide a nutritious and healthy meal for every learner.
-Ensure appropriate staffing in each kitchen to be able to provide a nutritious and healthy meal to every learner.
-Ensure compliance with the Education Department's Food Contract, communicating and discussing any discontent with aspects of the contract to ensure a swift solution.
-Implement the Free School Meals Scheme for every Primary Child
-Establish and implement a timely manner of collecting income and debts associated with providing a nutritious meal for learners.
-Lead and facilitate the arrangements associated with on-line payments collectively with key stakeholders.
-Apply Benefits Department 'free school meal' information on the position of school meal income and requirements for reporting on data to the Welsh Government.
•Lead and act on joint campaigns with schools that promote free school meals and encourage more families to take advantage of the offer.
•Lead and implement plans for children and families in partnership with the Welsh Government, which is based on providing healthy food and healthy eating, e.g. ⁠Food and Fun.
•Responsibility for managing the procedure associated with providing a Pre-school Care Club/Breakfast Club
•Responsibility for managing the Milk Scheme and submit financial claims to the Welsh Government accurately and promptly.
•Responsible for looking after the buildings of closed schools.
•Lead and implement arrangements for the ongoing evaluation programme pro-actively with relevant members of the team, in accordance with the requirements of the Education Department and the Council.
•Responsibility for self-development and for promoting the development of relevant members of the team, taking advantage of the ongoing programme of Learning and Development training and personal development opportunities as well as other relevant external organisations.
•Undertake any responsibility or other equivalent and reasonable duty at the request of the Head of Education or Assistant Head, which equates to the salary level and responsibility level of the post.
•Ensure compliance with Health and Safety rules in the workplace in accordance with the responsibilities noted in the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 and the Council’s Health and Safety Policy.
•Operate within the Council’s policies in relation to equal opportunities and equality.
•Responsibility for managing information in accordance with the Council’s information management standards and guidelines.  Ensure that personal information is treated in accordance with Data Protection legislation.
•Commitment to reducing the Council’s carbon emissions in accordance with the Carbon Management Plan, and to encourage others to act positively towards reducing the Council’s Carbon Footprint.
•Responsible for reporting any concern or suspicion that a child or vulnerable adult is being abused.
Special circumstances
WORK CONDITIONS
•This post is on permanent terms
•The Council’s official working hours is 37 hours per week.
•The Council operates hybrid working arrangements, with the expectation to work from the office at least two days per week. 
•The post is based in the Headquarters of Cyngor Gwynedd, in Caernarfon.
•The ability to communicate through the medium of Welsh and English is essential.