Group Commercial Director

Peoplebank; Hook Norton; On-site; GBP 125,000 - 150,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading catering company in the UK is seeking a Commercial Director to ensure financial performance and operational excellence across various business areas. The successful candidate will oversee compliance, purchasing, and contract negotiations while providing commercial insight and leadership. Strong experience in contract catering and financial acumen are essential. This role offers a full-time, permanent position with an opportunity for significant professional development and career progression.

Benefits

Wider wallet scheme

Free meals on duty

Volunteers leave - up to one day per year

Enhanced maternity, paternity and adoptive leave

Cycle to work scheme

Recommend a friend bonus

Unrivalled individual training and development

Well established apprenticeship programme

Team & company social events

Employee assistance programme

Excellent career progression

Qualifications

• Senior commercial leadership experience in contract catering or facilities management.
• Strong financial acumen with proven success in profitability.
• Experience managing compliance, purchasing, and contracts.
• Ability to lead mobilisations and project teams.

Responsibilities

• Ensure operational areas achieve financial targets.
• Analyze performance with Managing Directors and implement improvement plans.
• Oversee compliance across commercial activities.
• Drive purchasing strategy for competitive pricing and supplier reliability.
• Support commercial planning and strategic decision making.

Skills

Senior commercial leadership experience within contract catering, foodservice, or facilities management.

Strong financial acumen

Experience managing compliance, purchasing, and contract negotiation.

Excellent communication, negotiation, and stakeholder management skills.

Ability to influence at senior levels

Job description

Contract: Full Time , Permanent
Salary: Salary commensurate with experience
Hours: 40 per week

Our head offices تجهیزاتسorted in the beautiful village of Hook Norton near Banbury. Here you will find our teams of finance, HR, purchasing, marketing & creative that support all of our locations across the Thomas Franks family. There is ample parking space available when visiting.

The Commercial Director works closely with legal counsel to safeguard and enhance the financial and qualitative performance of operations, working in partnership with the Managing Director of each business area. The role ensures commercial integrity, contractual compliance, and operational excellence across the Group, while supporting key functions such as purchasing, compliance, and(ticket)mobilisation to ensure sustainable growth.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

• Ensure each operational area achieves its financial targets, including revenue, margin, labour efficiency, and cost control.
• Partner with Managing Directors to analyse performance, identify risks, and implement improvement plans.
• Strengthen qualitative outcomes by aligning commercial decisions with service standards, food quality, and client expectations.
• Provide commercial insight to support operational planning and productivity initiatives.

Compliance, Contracts & Purchasing

• Oversee compliance across all commercial activities, ensuring adherence to internal policies, client requirements, and regulatory standards.
• Drive the purchasing strategy to secure competitive pricing, supplier reliability, and category innovation.
• Work closely with legal counsel to review, negotiate, and finalise client contracts, supplier agreements, and commercial terms.
• Ensure all contracts are commercially sound, operationally deliverable, and aligned with risk management frameworks.
• Manage the mobilisation team responsible for launching new contracts.
• Ensure mobilisations are delivered onvol time, within budget and contract, and to agreed quality standards.
• Oversee mobilisation planning, resource allocation, and cross functional coordination with operations, HR, finance, and culinary teams.
• Establish clear mobilisation KPIs and reporting to ensure accountability and continuous improvement.

Commercial Strategy & Business Support

• Support Managing Directors with commercial planning, forecasting, and strategic decision making.
• Evaluate commercial opportunities, pricing structures, and contract variations to maximise long term value.
• Provide leadership guidance on tender responses, ensuring solutions are financially robust and operationally feasible.
• Drive consistency in commercial processes, tools, and governance across all business units.
• Support teams across commercial analysis, purchasing, compliance, and mobilisation.
• Foster a culture of accountability, transparency, and partnership with operational leaders.
• Act as a senior commercial advisor to the executive team, contributing to long term business planning.

Skills & Experience

• Senior commercial leadership experience within contract catering, foodservice, or facilities management.
• Strong financial acumen with proven success in improving operational profitability.
• Experience managing compliance, purchasing, and contract negotiation.
• Demonstrated ability to lead mobilisations and cross functional project teams.
• Excellent communication, negotiation, and stakeholder management skills.
• Ability to influence at senior levels while supporting operational leaders.

• Wider wallet scheme (discounts at major retailers, restaurants, gyms etc).
• Free meals on duty
• Volunteers leave - up to one day per year.
• Enhanced maternity, paternity and adoptive leave.
• Cycle to work scheme.
• Recommend a friend bonus.
• Unrivalled individual training and development.
• Well established apprenticeship programme.
• Team & company social events.
• Employee assistance programme.
• Excellent career progression within a leading independent contract caterer.

About us

Thomas Franks is a founder led, fresh food catering business with a focus on excellence and service delivered with individuality, passion and style. We are unique in every approach and our clients, and our people are paramount to our daily success.

Disclaimer

All applicants must be able to demonstrate that they have the Right to Work in the UK to be considered for this role.

An enhanced DBS, Identity & reference checks (covering the last five years) will form previstas selection process. As an organisation using the Disclosure Barring Service (DBS) Disclosure service to assess applicants' suitability for positions of trust, Thomas Franks Ltd complies fully with the DBS Code of Practice and undertakes to treat all applicants for positions fairly. We are committed to safeguarding the welfare of children and undertake not to discriminate unfairly against any subject of a Disclosure based on conviction or other information revealed. However, for any post in a school please be aware that any application is exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 and as such any criminal conviction, caution or bind‐over must be declared.

Diversity and Inclusion at Thomas Franks

We actively encourage applications from candidates from diverse backgrounds and continue to develop a culture of growth and inclusion and would like to invite applications from groups who are currently under-represented, because we believe greater diversity leads to exceptional results and provides a better working life.