Hiring Now | Project Manager | Benoni, Gauteng | Fixed-Term Contract Available
Empact Group, one of South Africa’s most established contract catering and food service organisations, is urgently seeking a senior, high-calibre Project Manager to take full ownership of a catering unit within its Food Solutions division in Benoni, Gauteng. This is a complex, senior-level operational role requiring 10+ years’ experience in catering or hospitality management — covering daily unit operations, food production oversight, financial control, compliance governance, people leadership, and the seamless execution of creative client-facing events and functions. If you are a decisive, experienced catering or hospitality professional with a proven track record in competitive and sensitive markets, Empact Group wants to hear from you.
🏆 Don’t miss this opportunity — vacancies are filling fast. Apply before 05 June 2026.
Project Manager Job Overview
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Job Title | Project Manager |
| Company | Empact Group (Pty) Ltd |
| Division | Empact Group Food Solutions |
| Industry | Food and Beverages / Contract Catering / Hospitality |
| Functional Area | Operations |
| Job Type | Fixed-Term Contract |
| Salary | Market Related |
| Location | Benoni, Gauteng |
| Minimum Experience | 10+ Years (Catering / Hospitality Management) |
| Closing Date | 05 June 2026 |
| Application Status | ✅ Open – Accepting Applications Now |
About the Role
The Project Manager at Empact Group Food Solutions is a senior operational leadership role with full accountability for a designated catering unit. You will manage the unit in strict alignment with the sector’s strategic objectives, contractual requirements, and statutory compliance standards — overseeing every dimension of the operation from food production and service delivery to team performance, financial control, and client satisfaction. This role demands a seasoned hospitality or catering professional who can simultaneously manage complex operations, lead diverse teams, satisfy demanding clients, and drive continuous improvement across all areas of the unit.
What distinguishes this role is its breadth. You will not only run daily operations to the highest food service standards but will also lead menu planning and innovation, oversee sales capture and GP margin management, direct workforce planning and performance processes, ensure full HSE and food safety compliance, and drive the execution of creative events and catering functions that consistently exceed client expectations. Change management and unit mobilisation experience will be a significant advantage — this is a role for a leader who is equally comfortable building something from the ground up as managing an established, high-performing operation.
⚠️ Please note: Empact Group is committed to Employment Equity in line with applicable legislation and will give first preference to candidates as per Equity requirements. Applicants are advised to bear this in mind when submitting their applications.
⚠️ Privacy notice: By applying for this role, you consent to Empact Group (Pty) Ltd storing and processing your personal information for recruitment purposes in accordance with the Protection of Personal Information Act, 4 of 2013 (POPIA).
Key Responsibilities of a Project Manager
Operational Excellence & Unit Management
- Manage daily unit operations in full alignment with sector strategy, contractual specifications, and statutory compliance standards — with zero tolerance for service or quality failures.
- Ensure the delivery of efficient, high-quality food production and service across all meal periods and service occasions.
- Oversee the planning and execution of creative events and catering functions, driving innovative, client-focused experiences that consistently exceed expectations.
- Implement and monitor operational improvement initiatives, ensuring the unit continuously evolves in line with best practice and client requirements.
Menu Planning, Food Production & Quality Oversight
- Lead all aspects of menu planning, standardisation, adoption, and costing, ensuring menus are commercially viable, seasonally relevant, and fully aligned with client expectations.
- Maintain consistency and quality across all food offerings, monitoring kitchen production standards and enforcing the use of standardised recipes at all times.
- Drive culinary innovation and profitability, identifying opportunities to refresh and elevate the food offering within budget constraints.
- Monitor the kitchen environment actively to ensure food quality standards are upheld throughout production and service.
Financial & Administrative Control
- Oversee all sales capture, stock control, and banking procedures, ensuring daily financial administration is accurate, complete, and fully compliant.
- Monitor and manage gross profit (GP) margins in line with budgeted targets, taking corrective action swiftly when variances arise.
- Maintain and optimise the electronic ordering and reporting systems, ensuring all operational data is captured accurately and timeously.
- Apply strong financial acumen in costing, budgeting, and forecasting to protect unit profitability and support sound operational decision-making.
Compliance & Governance
- Uphold all applicable food safety, hygiene, and health regulations across every aspect of the unit’s operations, from goods receipt through to service delivery.
- Maintain accurate and audit-ready compliance records — including HSE documentation, food safety logs, and regulatory records — ensuring the unit is always inspection-ready.
- Ensure full and consistent adherence to company governance standards and contractual compliance obligations.
People Leadership & Team Development
- Manage all aspects of workforce planning, payroll administration, leave management, and performance management for the unit team.
- Foster a culture of teamwork, accountability, and operational excellence, leading by example and setting clear expectations at every level of the team.
- Coach, develop, and retain high-performing team members, creating an environment where people are motivated to grow and deliver their best work.
Client & Service Excellence
- Ensure strict SLA adherence in line with client contractual requirements, maintaining the highest standards of food service and customer experience at all times.
- Drive continuous service improvement through the active use of customer feedback, satisfaction surveys, and operational data insights.
- Build and sustain strong, trust-based client relationships, serving as the primary operational point of contact for all client engagement and escalation.
Minimum Requirements – Project Manager
Educational Qualifications:
- Relevant tertiary qualification in Hospitality, Culinary Arts, or Food & Beverage Services (preferred)
Experience:
- 10+ years’ experience in catering or hospitality management (essential — non-negotiable)
- Proven track record in competitive and sensitive catering or hospitality markets (essential)
- Strong financial acumen in costing, budgeting, and forecasting within a catering or hospitality context (essential)
- Leadership experience in managing diverse, multi-disciplinary teams (essential)
- Project management experience within a hospitality or catering environment (advantageous)
- Experience in change management and unit mobilisation (beneficial)
Licences:
- Valid driver’s licence (essential)
Knowledge Requirements:
- Strong, comprehensive understanding of catering and hospitality operations across a range of service environments
- In-depth knowledge of industry regulations and compliance requirements, including food safety, HSE, and labour legislation
- Expertise in financial management and operational reporting within a contract catering context
Skills & Competencies:
- Proven leadership, communication, and organisational skills with the ability to manage complex operations and diverse teams simultaneously
- Expertise in financial management and reporting — GP margins, budgets, forecasting, stock control, and sales capture
- Exceptional customer service orientation with a track record of building and sustaining high-value client relationships
- Strong capability in event planning and execution, delivering creative, innovative catering functions to an exceptional standard
- Ability to drive continuous improvement through data, feedback, and operational insight
Personal Attributes:
- Decisive, confident, and calm under pressure in a senior operational leadership capacity
- Strategic thinker with strong hands-on operational engagement
- Commercially astute with a genuine passion for food service excellence
📢 Empact Group is committed to Employment Equity in accordance with applicable legislation. First preference will be given to candidates who meet Equity requirements.
Core Values We Look For in a Project Manager
✅ Senior Leadership & Full Operational Accountability
This is not a supervisory role — it is full unit ownership at a senior level. We look for Project Managers who lead with authority and humility in equal measure: who set the vision, hold the team accountable, make the hard calls, and are present on the floor when it matters. The right candidate understands that operational excellence is a personal responsibility, not a delegated one.
✅ Financial Discipline & Commercial Acumen
With full accountability for GP margins, budgeting, costing, forecasting, and daily financial administration, financial discipline is at the core of this role. We value leaders who read the numbers fluently, who manage costs proactively rather than reactively, and who understand that profitability and service excellence are not competing goals — they are both non-negotiable outcomes of great unit management.
✅ Client Partnership & Service Innovation
Long-term contract catering relationships are built on trust, consistency, and a genuine commitment to client satisfaction. We value Project Managers who approach client engagement as a strategic partnership — who listen carefully, respond decisively, use feedback as a tool for improvement, and consistently find ways to exceed expectations rather than simply meet them.
✅ Culinary Leadership & Innovative Food Vision
Great catering leadership starts with a genuine passion for food. We value Project Managers who bring creative energy to menu planning, who hold the kitchen to uncompromising quality standards, who inspire their culinary team to take pride in their craft, and who understand that the food on the plate is ultimately the measure of everything the unit delivers.
✅ People Development & Culture Building
A unit is only as strong as the team within it — and team culture starts at the top. We value leaders who invest meaningfully in the people they manage: who develop talent from within, manage performance with fairness and consistency, build a kitchen culture rooted in accountability and mutual respect, and understand that staff retention and morale are direct drivers of operational and financial performance.
Career Growth Opportunities in Contract Catering & Senior Hospitality Management
Joining Empact Group as a Project Manager places you at a senior operational leadership level within one of South Africa’s most respected food service organisations. For high-performing individuals who deliver measurable results, the progression pathway within Empact Group is clear:
- Project Manager → Senior Project Manager / Area Manager
- Senior Project Manager / Area Manager → Regional Operations Manager
- Regional Operations Manager → Divisional Operations Manager
- Divisional Operations Manager → National Operations Director
Your career path is in your hands.
Frequently Asked Questions – Project Manager Jobs
Is 10+ years’ experience truly a non-negotiable requirement? Yes. A minimum of 10+ years’ experience in catering or hospitality management is listed as essential for this role. The scope of responsibility — covering full unit operations, financial management, people leadership, compliance governance, client relations, and event execution simultaneously — requires a depth of experience that cannot be substituted by a shorter track record, regardless of qualification level.
What does the “competitive and sensitive markets” requirement mean in practice? This refers to experience managing catering operations in environments where client expectations are exceptionally high, contracts are closely monitored, and service failures carry significant reputational or commercial consequences. Candidates with experience in corporate, healthcare, hospitality, or high-profile institutional catering environments would typically meet this criterion.
Is a formal hospitality qualification required? A relevant tertiary qualification in Hospitality, Culinary Arts, or Food & Beverage Services is listed as preferred rather than essential. Candidates with 10+ years of demonstrated management experience in a relevant catering or hospitality environment will be considered on the strength of their experience and track record, even where a formal tertiary qualification is not held.
What financial responsibilities does the Project Manager carry? The Project Manager is fully accountable for GP margin management, budgeting, costing, forecasting, daily sales capture, stock control, banking, and electronic reporting systems. This is a commercially accountable senior role — candidates must demonstrate strong, hands-on financial acumen in a catering or hospitality management context, not just general financial awareness.
Does Empact Group have an Employment Equity preference for this role? Yes. Empact Group is committed to Employment Equity in accordance with South African legislation and will give first preference to candidates who meet Equity requirements. All qualifying candidates are encouraged to apply, and Equity status should be clearly indicated in your application documentation.
What is the closing date and how do I apply? The closing date is 05 June 2026. Submit your application via the Empact Group careers portal or through the advertised application channel. Ensure your CV clearly reflects your 10+ years of catering or hospitality management experience, financial management track record, and any project management, change management, or unit mobilisation experience. Applications received after the closing date will not be considered.
How to Apply for This Project Manager Job
Ready to take full ownership of a high-profile catering unit with one of South Africa’s most respected food service organisations? Applications are open now. Quote Project Manager – Benoni in all correspondence and submit your application as directed below.
👉 Apply Online via Empact Group Careers Portal
⚠️ Closing Date: 05 June 2026. Applications received after this date will not be considered.
⚠️ Empact Group will give first preference to candidates in line with Employment Equity requirements. Please ensure your EE status is clearly reflected in your application.
⚠️ By applying for this role, you consent to Empact Group (Pty) Ltd processing your personal information for recruitment purposes in accordance with the Protection of Personal Information Act, 4 of 2013 (POPIA).
Apply early — this vacancy closes on 05 June 2026.
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