SOFEA
Head of Food Operations - Thames Valley & South Midlands
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Head of Food Operations – Thames Valley & South Midlands
At SOFEA, we are a charity who support disempowered young people in transforming their lives. Within this we run social value programmes, one of which our biggest is distributing 000’s tonnes of surplus food through our network, helping communities access food while reducing food surplus.
We're looking for an experienced Head of Food Operations to lead across both our sites in Milton Keynes and Oxfordshire to drive excellence across our supply chain, warehousing, logistics and distribution activities. This is a senior leadership opportunity for someone who combines strong food supply chain expertise with a passion for purpose driven work.
What you'll do
- Lead end to end food operations across multiple sites
- Ensure safe, efficient and high performing warehouse operations
- Drive stock control, forecasting and inventory management
- Maximise food availability and minimise waste
- Lead food safety, compliance and operational assurance
- Support delivery of strategic and annual objectives
- Lead and develop warehouse and food sourcing teams
- Build strong partnerships with food suppliers and community organisations
- Work closely with pathway teams to support young people in meaningful warehouse opportunities
- Support employability trainees and corporate volunteers
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Essential experience
- ✔ Significant end to end food supply chain experience
- ✔ Procurement, forecasting, inventory management and demand planning expertise
- ✔ Experience managing short shelf-life food products
- ✔ Logistics and distribution management experience
- ✔ Warehouse management experience
- ✔ Proven leadership and people management capability
- ✔ Budget setting and financial management experience
- ✔ Strong operational and decision-making skills
- ✔ Continuous improvement mindset
- ✔ Excellent stakeholder and partnership management skills
- ✔ Commitment to SOFEA's mission and values
Desirable
- Experience working across multiple locations
- Charity sector experience
- Experience of/Willingness to learn NEBOSH qualification, HACCP qualification, Food Safety Level 5 qualification
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Why SOFEA?
At SOFEA, we are committed to supporting people to make a deep connection with themselves and their community. We treat everyone with compassion and respect, accepting them as they are while refusing to accept any limitation on what they might achieve.
Why join us?
- Opportunity to lead a significant food operation
- Be part of the Social Value Programmes leadership team
- Lead and influence strategic operational decisions
- Work with a wide network of partners and community organisations
- Support young people through meaningful work opportunities
- Help maximise the impact of thousands of tonnes of surplus food
- Join an organisation driven by purpose, community and social impact
The role is Head of Food. The impact reaches far beyond food.
If you are interested in this role, please apply by sending your CV to jobs@sofea.uk.com
Lead food operations. Strengthen communities. Create lasting impact.
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