General Manager

gategroup•Halifax, NS

2d•Onsite

About The Position

Manages and directs the operation of the airline catering unit or “flight kitchen” with gross revenues of $350,000 to $2.1M+ and direct and indirect headcount of 10 to 35+ employees. The company is the global leader in airline catering, retail-on-board and hospitality products and services, providing passengers with superior culinary and retail experiences, leveraging innovation and advanced technology solutions. Headquartered in Zurich, Switzerland, the company delivers operational excellence through the most extensive catering network in the aviation industry, serving passengers from over 200 operating units in over 60 countries/territories across all continents. The work environment is fast-paced and international, with evolving industry trends and customer expectations, requiring agility, innovation, and readiness for change.

Requirements

Successful track record as a Manager or Assistant Manager in airline catering required.
7-10 years experience in in-flight catering or food manufacturing environment required.
Demonstrated experience with managing financials with budget responsibility required.
Proven experience successfully managing a team of supervisors and managers required.
Previous customer service and/or account management experience required.
Labor relations experience is required.
Candidate should be comfortable with all levels of employees and have the ability to drive positive program change.
Must be a Team builder with the ability to lead and motivate a diverse management and hourly staff.
Must have strong and effective leadership skills.
Excellent problem solving skills, planning and scheduling capabilities managing multiple account requirements.
Ability to effectively manage the operation while maintaining compliance in a heavy regulated environment e.g. FDA, HACCP and security.
Advanced Microsoft office tool skills (excel, word).
Knowledge of quality auditing, inspection methods.
Detail oriented and excellent project management skills.
Strong organizational skills, able to prioritize responsibilities and multi-task.
Strong interpersonal skills and the ability to interact effectively with multiple departments and customers.
Excellent written and oral communication skills.
Able to obtain an AOA badge and customs seal.
Candidates will be required to go through a criminal background check and employment verification check of the last 5 years in line with Transport Canada requirements.

Nice To Haves

Demonstrated knowledge of Lean manufacturing principles and/or six sigma and continuous improvement methodologies preferred.
Strong track record of innovation and making changes to the operation to further improve the work environment and unit performance.

Responsibilities

Leads and manages exempt staff of all Departments in the Airline Catering unit, including Food production, Transportation, Equipment Processing, Storeroom Department, Dish-room/Porters, Quality Assurance, and related departments to ensure production standards and customer service requirements are met.
Ensures Customer requirements/specifications and service requirements are complied with on all airline accounts, including production processing, on-time performance, equipment inventory, and quality assurance controls.
Drives to meet business objectives and goals set by superior related to food costs, labor costs, sanitation, quality assurance, market track goals, airline goals and objectives, and all other specific goals set thereof.
Ensures that all HACCP, FDA, Local Airport, Quality Assurance, and Airline Specifications are maintained at the highest level.
Monitors all menu cycles to ensure customer service and satisfaction is not interrupted.
Ensures that proper equipment is maintained and controlled in the Unit for operation excellence.
Manages operation staff on a day-to-day operation aspect to drive for exceeding set targets.
Supports and assist Lean initiatives, and Quality initiatives to achieve OPEX targets.
Monitors all training programs that are required to be conducted to ensure all Corporate Polices and Procedures are followed and maintained.
Monitors employee relations in each Department, and ensures compliance with the National Master and Local Addendum labor agreements are maintained in the Departments.
Supports customer audits, government audits to meet compliance.
Responsible for annual performance evaluations of direct reports in compliance with corporate initiatives.
Maintains customer communication with all local and corporate airline representatives to ensure all request, investigations, and/or related are concluded to the satisfaction of the customer and company.
Assists the Regional Director on projects, investigations, training, corporate goals and objectives, and airline requests.
Completes all administrative reports in an accurate and timely manner.
Ensures the security of the facility by monitoring and maintaining existing programs including all TSA, local airport and corporate requirements.
Drives prevention vs. detection of defects.
Coordinates actions to prevent the occurrences of nonconformities.
Maintains customer compliance resolution.
Responsible for the maintenance of key performance metrics for the Operation organization.
Verifies and insures company policies and procedures are followed.
Insures quality specifications and requirements are followed and met.
Develop Standard Operating Procedures.
Responsible for safety, quality and compliance to customer specification.
Completes all company required training including but not limited to ServSafe Sanitation Manager Certification.