Programme Manager (Hospital Plates)

Role Summary

Are you an experienced project and relationship manager, passionate about changing the food system? You could soon be leading an exciting new programme to make hospital food in the UK healthier and more planet-friendly. You ll support our Head of Programmes, carrying out a wide range of tasks, including securing new partnerships with hospital trusts, providing advice on menus, managing relationships, and collecting data to measure the impact of the programme. You ll develop and deliver an effective strategy, starting with a pilot project with one NHS Trust before rolling the strategy out across the country.

Hospital Plates is the sister programme to our successful School Plates programme. Since the launch of School Plates in 2018, we ve supported over 90 major school caterers, responsible for the food in over 8,000 schools, feeding over 1.3 million children every day, helping almost 50 million school meals become meat-free or plant-based. Our plan is to replicate this scale of impact in the hospital sector, using the experience and insights we ve gained within schools.

Reporting directly to our Head of Programmes, you ll also work closely with our School Plates team including our Programme Coordinators and Chef Trainers, as well as our Public Health Lead, Communications Manager, Director, and the rest of our team.

We re looking for someone to join our team for 3 days a week with the potential for the hours to increase over time.

Job Details

Job title: Programme Manager, Hospital Plates
Reporting to: Head of Programmes, UK
Location: Remote (home-based, with some travel within UK)
Hours: 21 hours per week (0.6 FTE)
Salary: £34,000 per annum pro rata (based on 1.0 FTE)

Responsibilities

• Create a clear and effective strategy for delivering impactful menu change in UK hospitals.
• Launch and complete a pilot of the programme, managing the process from the start.
• On successful completion of the pilot, roll out the programme across the rest of the country.
• Conduct outreach to hospital trusts to build a network of contacts, engage new partners, and manage and develop these relationships.
• Coordinate with a range of different stakeholders within hospitals and trusts, including catering teams and nutritionists.
• Collaborate with other organisations in support of healthier and sustainable hospital food.
• Develop a range of resources and templates for hospitals and trusts to support and guide them through the programme.
• Contribute ideas for developing recipes that meet the nutritional guidelines for hospital food.
• Work with the School Plates Awards Coordinator to develop an equivalent menu awards scheme for hospital food.
• Work with our chef trainers to deliver presentations and training to hospital staff, including organising and promoting sessions, liaising with trusts/hospitals and attendees, presenting, and collating feedback.
• Measure the impact of our work for ongoing programme evaluation, supporter communications, and funding proposals.
• Develop an excellent understanding of the hospital food landscape, and the nutritional guidelines for hospital food.
• Update and maintain an accurate database of activity with our partners/hospital trusts.
• Represent ProVeg UK on calls, in meetings, and at events, including some public speaking.
• Work closely with our Communications Manager to produce engaging new content, including video content, for social media, and the website.
• Support the Head of Programmes with any other projects or tasks, as needed.

Qualifications

Essential

• Proven track record in project and relationship management.
• Experienced in planning and delivering presentations.
• Excellent communication skills with an ability to write effectively for a range of audiences.
• Flexible and agile approach, with a willingness to be a true team player and fill gaps as needed.
• Proactive with initiative and drive.
• Strong organisational skills and attention to detail.
• Solution-focused and resilient.
• Confident in creating basic spreadsheets and slide decks.
• Ability to work well under pressure and manage time effectively in a fast-paced and small but fast-growing non-profit work environment.
• Ability to work well unsupervised, with experience of working in remote teams with a reliable internet connection.
• Passionate about food systems change and alignment with our vision and mission.
• Based in the UK, and willing to travel within the UK to represent the team and programme at meetings, events, and trainings.

Desirable

• Experience of working within hospital food.
• Experience of liaising with local authorities, hospitals, hospital trusts or public sector bodies.
• Experience of working in the food, health or environmental sector.
• Experience in the field of nutrition, including an interest in plant-based nutrition.
• Experience of recipe development and analysing nutritional data.
• Experience of using customer relationship management (CRM) systems.

Benefits of working with us

• A strong organisational focus on personal development, with a designated training budget.
• Provision of a work laptop.
• Flexible, trust-based working arrangements and home-office arrangements.
• Career development support.
• Mindfulness programme - free Headspace account.
• We are a workplace that encourages everyone to bring their whole selves to work. We are an inclusive workplace for our diverse employees around the world.
• And, last but not least, become part of a great team and work with us towards a world where everyone chooses delicious and healthy food that is good for all humans, animals, and our planet!

When?

Application deadline: 20th April 2025
Start date: From May/June 2025

Application process and timeline

Please submit your application using our online form - including your CV and cover letter. By submitting your application you agree that your personal data will be processed by and shared with our UK entity (ProVeg C.I.C.) and German entity (ProVeg e.V.).

The recruitment process consists of two rounds: 1): an online trial task; 2): an interview with the Head of Programmes and Public Food Lead/Director.

• Application deadline: 20th April 2025
• Online trial task: sent to longlisted candidates during week of 21st - 25th April 2025
• Interviews: 7th & 8th May 2025
• Start date: From May/June 2025