_{08th September, 2026}

Retail Fresh Food Manager Co. Kerry
 
Blue Forge Recruitment proudly partners with some of the most progressive and respected retail and FMCG companies across Ireland. We are delighted to assist a successful supermarket business, which has been a major Irish success story and is still going with more in store in the coming years. Our client is seeking a passionate and driven candidate to take ownership of their busy Fresh Food Department. This is an exciting opportunity for a candidate with a background in Fresh food management, or Senior Catering Management and Food Service Management to lead and motivate a dedicated team while driving daily sales, maintaining exceptional food standards, and achieving departmental targets. The role is based in a well-established store, conveniently located approximately 25 minutes from Listowel and 35 minutes from Killarney. The successful candidate will have strong people management and leadership skills, along with a strong understanding of HACCP, food safety standards, stock control, inventory management, and waste reduction. You will also work closely with the Store Manager to maximise sales and profit margins, while building strong relationships with suppliers and ensuring the highest standards of customer service. This is an excellent opportunity for someone who is passionate about fresh food, enjoys leading a team, and is eager to progress their career in Fresh Food Management.

• Proven supervisory or management experience in a hands-on, fast-paced, fresh-food, customer-facing environment. 3-4 years of management experience as a senior member of a deli or fresh-food team and people management.
• Strong knowledge of fresh-food stock control, with the ability to accurately monitor stock levels, complete stock checks, and place deli orders across a broad range of fresh food products..
• Confident leadership skills, with the ability to motivate, coach, delegate, and provide clear direction to a team while creating a positive and supportive working environment.
• A proactive and reliable self-starter who can work independently while also contributing effectively as part of a wider team.
• Fully competent in food safety procedures and HACCP compliance, with a thorough understanding of best practices within a fresh-food handling environment.
• Strong commercial awareness, with an understanding of sales, margins, waste reduction, stock rotation, and the importance of controlling costs.
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills, with the confidence to deal professionally with customers, suppliers, and colleagues.

• Take full ownership of the day-to-day operation of the deli department, overseeing a range of fresh-food functions including ready-made meal production, hot and cold food counters.
• Lead, organise, and support a team, ensuring workloads are distributed effectively and all daily tasks.
• Maintain appropriate stock levels while actively reducing food waste, shrinkage, over-ordering, and unnecessary costs.
• Ensure all fresh food is correctly received, stored, labelled, dated, rotated, and displayed in accordance with food safety requirements.
• Ensure full compliance with HACCP procedures, food safety legislation, cleaning schedules, temperature checks, allergen controls, and hygiene requirements, keeping all relevant records accurate and up to date.
• Ensure promotional activity, new products, and seasonal ranges are implemented correctly and presented to the highest possible standard.
• Respond professionally to customer queries, feedback, and complaints, resolving issues wherever possible and escalating matters when appropriate.
• Assist with opening and closing procedures, stocktaking, audits, and other operational duties as required.
• Continuously look for opportunities to improve efficiency, product availability, presentation, sales, and customer satisfaction within the deli department.

Contact Blue Forge Recruitment at 01 4853725 or visit our website Blue Forge Recruitment | Recruitment Agency to learn more on how we can assist you in advancing your career or team. Blue Forge Recruitment is a specialist Recruitment Company, assisting Retail and FMCG companies source Retail, HR, Accountancy and Sales professionals.

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