Labour Optimisation Manager

What you'll be doing:

📊 Labour Optimisation Manager

 Drive Change - Shape Smarter Workforces

 📍 Location: [Hybrid – 1 day/week in Birmingham head office + field travel] 

💸 Salary: [£62,000–£65,000]  

⏰ Hours/Contract: [Monday–Friday, Flexible Working Hours] 

 📢 Reports to: Head of Optimisation 

Why This Role Is a Great Fit for You

Are you a confident communicator and experienced project manager who thrives on using data to unlock performance? Do you enjoy guiding others through change and making complex things simple? At Compass Group UK&I, we’re looking for a Labour Optimisation Manager to lead smarter labour planning across our Compass One sites — driving workforce efficiency, unlocking value, and supporting a culture of continuous improvement.

In this high-impact role, you’ll be a key partner to operational leaders, using insights and expertise to improve how our people are deployed — ensuring the right resources, in the right place, at the right time.

 What You’ll Be Doing

Partnering & Project Leadership • Work with operational leadership, finance, and site teams to improve labour deployment and drive consistent productivity • Brief sector leadership teams on labour performance, trends, and opportunities • Act as a trusted advisor — taking teams on a journey through data and change initiatives • Lead field-based labour efficiency projects from discovery to implementation

Analysis & Reporting • Use WFM systems (like Zebra Workforce and Infor Cloud) to assess time, motion, and labour utilisation • Identify and quantify labour-saving opportunities with clear, actionable insights • Create reports and dashboards that help track productivity and project ROI • Regularly share root cause analysis and improvement recommendations

Tools, Systems & Change Enablement • Be the go-to expert for labour planning queries, tools, and models • Help shape the future of our WFM systems by feeding in user needs and operational insight • Support the rollout of labour-related change initiatives across the business • Act as gatekeeper for any process changes impacting labour efficiency

 You’ll Be a Great Fit If You…

✅ Have strong experience as a field-based project manager — ideally within contract catering, facilities management, retail, or hospitality 

✅ Are confident using labour systems and WFM platforms (e.g. Zebra Workforce, Infor, or similar cloud-based tools) 

✅ Are a natural people-person who can engage teams, manage stakeholders, and present complex info clearly 

✅ Are passionate about data-led decision-making — with a keen eye for time and motion studies 

✅ Are curious, proactive, and always seeking smarter, better ways of working

✅ Know your way around labour legislation and compliance 

✅ Love solving puzzles — and finding the ‘why’ behind the numbers 

✅ Have excellent Excel and analytical tool skills, and know how to turn numbers into narrative

Benefits That Support You

Wellbeing • 24/7 Digital GP access for you & your family • Wellness, fitness & mindfulness resources • Mental health and EAP support

Financial • Contributory pension scheme • Discounted shopping at Tesco, Morrisons, Sainsbury’s & more • Travel savings with Booking.com, Expedia, TUI • Wow Points and cashback through PerksAtWork

Career Development • Full access to MyLearning & Career Pathways • Opportunity to grow with the UK's No.1 catering services provider • Internal mobility, upskilling, and leadership training

 About Compass Group UK&I

We’re the UK’s market leader in food and support services — bringing people together through great food, service, and innovation across 6,000+ sites.

🏅 Top 100 Apprenticeship Employer 📈 LinkedIn Top Company to Grow Your Career 🤝 Disability Confident Leader 🎓 Investors in People – Gold Standard

 Inclusion Matters 🤝

At Compass, we celebrate individuality. We're proud to be an equal opportunities employer and create a workplace where everyone can thrive. If you need reasonable adjustments in the recruitment process, just let us know.