Job Description

Food Services Manager | St Andrew's War Memorial Hospital

• Employment Term: Permanent Full Time

• Location: located opposite Roma St Parklands, St Andrew's War Memorial Hospital is just a short walk to Brisbane city

• Remuneration Value: Competitive Salary + 12% Super + Not for Profit Salary Packaging + Penalties & Allowances

• Applications Close: 25th of April 2026

Applications may be reviewed as they are received, and therefore may result in the role closing early if the right applicant is found.    

Your part in St Andrew’s War Memorial Hospital team

The Food Services Manager is accountable for the safe, efficient and high‑quality delivery of food and nutrition services across the hospital. The role provides leadership across kitchen operations, patient meal services and functions, ensuring services meet clinical, safety, financial and patient experience expectations. The position has end‑to‑end accountability for operational performance, workforce management, budget control, emergency preparedness and continuous improvement within Food Services. See below for in-depth breakdown of the position.

Food Services Operations

• Lead and oversee all food production and meal delivery services, ensuring compliance with food safety legislation, HACCP principles and organisational food safety programs.
• Ensure patient meals meet nutrition, dietetic and speech pathology requirements, with a strong focus on patient experience and satisfaction.
• Oversee menu implementation, production planning, stock control and waste reduction.
• Ensure appropriate coverage and continuity of services across all meal periods, weekends and public holidays.
• Work collaboratively with clinical teams to support patient care outcomes.
• Oversee electronic menu system

People Leadership and Workforce Management

• Provide leadership, direction and performance management for food services leadership roles, including Head Chef and Supervisors.
• Foster a positive, respectful and safety‑focused team culture aligned with UnitingCare values.
• Oversee recruitment, onboarding, training and capability development across Food Services.
• Ensure completion of mandatory training, competency requirements and performance reviews.
• Support leaders to manage day‑to‑day people matters, including performance, attendance and wellbeing.
• Manage labour to agreed targets using rostering system

Financial, Budget and Rostering Management

• Develop, manage and monitor the Food Services operating budget, including labour, consumables and catering costs.
• Accountable for labour management, including roster design, skill mix, overtime control and use of agency staff.
• Monitor and analyse labour performance against activity, occupancy and service requirements, adjusting rosters proactively.
• Ensure effective stock control and procurement practices to minimise waste and achieve budget targets.
• Contribute to forecasting, cost improvement initiatives and financial reporting as required.

Quality, Safety and Risk Management

• Ensure compliance with all relevant organisational, legislative and accreditation requirements relating to food safety, WHS, infection control and patient safety.
• Monitor incidents, risks, audit outcomes and patient feedback, ensuring timely escalation and corrective action.
• Lead and coordinate responses to internal and external audits related to food services.
• Promote a strong safety culture where staff are encouraged to identify, report and manage risks.

Continuous Improvement and Innovation

• Lead continuous improvement initiatives to enhance service quality, efficiency, patient experience and cost effectiveness.
• Use data such as meal satisfaction, waste, labour performance and incidents to identify improvement opportunities.
• Support the introduction of new systems, processes or models of care within Food Services.
• Encourage innovation, learning and continuous improvement across the team in line with organisational priorities.

Stakeholder Engagement

• Act as the key point of contact for Food Services within the hospital.
• Build effective working relationships with clinical leaders, dietetics, speech pathology, procurement and corporate support teams.
• Manage external suppliers and contractors in accordance with organisational requirements.

Emergency Preparedness and Business Continuity

• Ensure Food Services preparedness for emergency and business continuity scenarios, including power, water or gas outages, supply chain disruption, surge capacity and disaster response.
• Maintain and test Food Services emergency and business continuity plans in alignment with hospital frameworks.
• Ensure staff are trained and familiar with emergency procedures relevant to food production, meal delivery and staff safety.
• Participate in hospital emergency planning activities, drills and post‑incident reviews, incorporating learnings into service improvements.

What makes a difference for us?

• Willingness to obtain required vaccinations in line with hospitals infection control requirements, as well as undergo national criminal history check and functional assessment
• Full Working Rights in Australia

Experience

• Demonstrated experience managing food services or hospitality operations in a complex, high‑volume environment, preferably within a hospital or health setting.
• Proven leadership experience overseeing multidisciplinary food services teams operating across extended hours, including workforce planning, rostering and performance management.
• Experience in managing budgets, labour performance, stock control and cost improvement initiatives.
• Demonstrated experience working within regulated environments, including food safety, WHS, infection control and accreditation standards.
• Experience working collaboratively with clinical and corporate stakeholders to support patient‑centred service delivery.
• Current knowledge of HACCP-based food safety system

Qualifications

• Relevant tertiary or vocational qualification in hospitality management, commercial cookery, food services, or a related discipline, or equivalent experience.
• Food safety certification appropriate to the role (e.g. Food Safety Supervisor or equivalent).
• Formal leadership or management training is desirable.

What makes a difference for you?

• NFP Salary Packaging: Save tax and increase your take home pay by salary packaging your everyday living expenses and bills (up to $15,900) and meal entertainment (up to $2,650) per annum. To learn more about this benefit watch the video via the following link: Salary Packaging Explained

• Flexible work arrangements to support work-life balance

• A recognition and rewards platform, providing employee discounts at hundreds of retailers, including everyday expenses, holidays, health insurance, annual awards celebration, wellbeing and employee assistance programs

• 12 weeks paid parental leave and 2 weeks paid partner leave, available after 6 months service, in addition to the government scheme

• Diversity and inclusive leave, offering paid gender affirmation leave and cultural leave options (paid and unpaid) for those who may celebrate Lunar New Year, Diwali, Ramadan, NAIDOC weeks and other significant cultural events

• Career development opportunities to challenge yourself, grow and make a meaningful difference 

• A positive and inclusive team based on respect, shared standards, strong values and a commitment to serving others

We’d love you to be part of our UnitingCare family

By joining our Hospitals, you’ll also be welcomed as part of the UnitingCare family. The second-largest Queensland employer, we’re a proud not-for-profit with more than 17,500 staff and 9, 000 volunteers across our brands of BlueCare, Lifeline, ARRCS, The Wesley Hospital, Buderim Private Hospital, St Stephen’s Hospital, and St Andrew’s War Memorial Hospital, and have been leading by example for more than 100 years. Our team are compassionate, inclusive and committed to the work we do, helping people live life in all its fullness.

Child safe, Child friendly

UnitingCare is committed to being a Child Safe, Child Friendly organisation and will:

• provide welcoming, safe and nurturing services for children

• implement measures to prevent child abuse and neglect within our services

• appropriately and immediately address child abuse and neglect if it does occur

Diversity & Inclusion

Our approach is simple – everybody is welcome here.  At UnitingCare, diversity is at the core of our who we are, our mission and our values. We are committed to providing equal opportunities to all employees no matter their sex, race, culture, sexual orientation, disability or gender identity. Demonstrating our commitment to reconciliation and building long-term employment opportunities for First Nations peoples, UnitingCare strongly encourages Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander applicants for this position.  

Safe workplace

We work hard to make our services welcoming and safe for every person. We are united in keeping children, young people and the elderly safe from harm, within our services, workplaces and the communities we support. We are committed to speaking up loudly for their safety.