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Interim Hospitality Service Manager

• Full-time
• Six-month maximum-term opportunity
• Location flexible across Australia

Great hospitality in aged care is about far more than delivering a service

The quality of a meal, the way a dining room feels, the cleanliness of someone’s home and the care taken with their personal laundry all shape a resident’s daily experience.

We are looking for an experienced hospitality leader who understands that connection—and who can help us strengthen these services across The Salvation Army’s national residential aged care network.

This is a six-month opportunity supporting 19 residential aged care centres. You may be based anywhere in Australia, provided you are comfortable travelling interstate and to some regional locations at least monthly.

The opportunity

Our catering, cleaning and laundry services are delivered in partnership with external service providers. You will bring together the people responsible for those services: our providers, Centre and Regional Managers, Chefs, operational teams and, most importantly, residents and their families.

Your days will be varied. You might help a centre respond to feedback about its meals, review the findings from a hospitality audit, work with a provider to resolve an ongoing concern or support local leaders to embed more consistent standards.

Food and the dining experience will be a significant focus. You will help ensure resident feedback, individual preferences, cultural needs and food-safety requirements are reflected in service delivery. Cleaning, environmental presentation and laundry will be equally important in creating homes where residents feel comfortable, respected and well cared for.

Across the network, you will draw together feedback, complaints, audits and performance information to identify emerging themes—and bring the right people together to turn those insights into practical improvements.

This is not a role that succeeds from behind a desk. It requires visibility, curiosity and the ability to move comfortably between a conversation with a resident, a service review with a contractor and a strategic discussion with operational leaders.

What you will bring

You will be an experienced hospitality professional with a strong understanding of residential aged care and the role hospitality plays in resident wellbeing, dignity and choice.

You understand how to work within an outsourced service model—building constructive relationships with providers while maintaining clear expectations around quality and performance. You are also comfortable influencing across a complex, multi-site environment where collaboration is essential.

We are particularly interested in your practical experience. You may have developed your career through hospitality management, catering, commercial cookery, food services, hotel operations or environmental services. A relevant qualification is highly regarded, but substantial experience leading hospitality services within residential aged care will be equally valuable.

You will also bring:

• Knowledge of the strengthened Aged Care Quality Standards, food-safety legislation and hospitality compliance
• Experience supporting catering, cleaning, laundry or environmental services across multiple sites
• Strong stakeholder, project-management and problem-solving capabilities
• A current Food Safety Supervisor qualification
• A current driver’s licence and willingness to travel regularly

The impact you can make

Over six months, you will provide leadership continuity, strengthen relationships with our service partners and help centres respond meaningfully to resident and family feedback.

Success will be seen in greater consistency, stronger collaboration and practical improvements that residents can genuinely experience in their meals, surroundings and everyday lives.

You will report to the General Manager – Residential Aged Care. Required travel will be paid for, with access to fleet vehicles where appropriate.

About us

The Salvation Army is a Christian movement and one of Australia’s largest and most-loved charities, helping Australians find hope amid all kinds of personal hardship. Our work is guided by our values of integrity, compassion, respect, diversity and collaboration.

If you are motivated by the opportunity to bring together hospitality expertise, operational leadership and genuine resident impact, we would welcome your application.

This is a full-time, six-month maximum-term appointment. Candidates may be based anywhere in Australia and must be available for interstate and regional travel at least monthly.

The successful applicant will be required to undertake a national police record check and hold or obtain an NDIS Worker Screening Check.

The Salvation Army is an Equal Opportunity Employer who provides an inclusive work environment and embraces the diverse talent of its people. We value people of all cultures, languages, capacities, sexual orientations, gender identities and/or expressions. We are committed to achieving a diverse workforce and strongly encourage applications from Aboriginal people and Torres Strait Islander people.

The Salvation Army is a child safe organisation and is committed to protecting children and young people from harm. All child facing roles will require the successful completion of a Working with Children Check. Applicants for all roles require a mandatory Nationally Coordinated Criminal History Check.

We value Integrity, Compassion, Respect, Diversity, and Collaboration