Restaurant Cocktail Bar jobs in Manchester

About Us:

We are a renowned, live music venue, daytime café, and late-night club space located in central Manchester. For decades, we’ve been a legendary staple of the city's music scene, celebrated for our incredible programming and independent spirit. We are currently seeking an exceptional Bar Operations specialist to join our leadership team, build on our success, and elevate our beverage and service levels to the next level.

We believe that a live entertainment space should also deliver a great customer experience. We need a floor-focused, highly driven leader who manages bar operations with precision, ensuring our team delivers a premium night out to our customers from the first daytime coffee to the final late-night drink.

The Role:

As Deputy Venue Manager, your primary focus will be the bar, the floor, and the team. Working closely with the General Manager, you will oversee multi-faceted day-to-night operations. You will be responsible for driving bar speed and efficiency, raising service standards, maintaining strict cellar standards, and managing stock levels.

Key Responsibilities:

• Bar & Floor Mastery: Lead by example on the floor during high-volume daytime café trade, live music events, and intense weekend club nights. Keep the bar fast, clean, and beautifully stocked.
• Incredible Hospitality: Foster a culture of genuine, proactive service. Implement training to ensure staff are engaging, efficient, and customer-focused during peak trade.
• Stock & Cellar Discipline: Take full ownership of the cellar. Manage line cleaning, strict stock control, ordering, and waste management to maximize GP% margins across coffee, draught beer, and spirits.
• Team Leadership & Rota Control: Recruit, mentor, and schedule a tight-knit bar and support team. Build smart, labour-efficient rotas that balance customer demand with team well-being.
• Operational Excellence: Act as a primary keyholder managing opening/closing procedures, cash reconciliation, till management, and strict health & safety/licensing compliance.

What We’re Looking For:

• The Experience: 2+ years of strong management experience in high-volume bars, late-night entertainment hubs, or premium hospitality venues (e.g., high-turnover bars, premium pubs, or busy multi-tier spaces).
• The Blueprint: A natural floor manager who thrives in high-energy, bustling environments, stays incredibly calm under pressure, and has a sharp eye for the finer details of service.
• Operational Rigor: Deep knowledge of cellar management (draught quality, line cleaning) and full confidence with ordering systems, and GP calculations.
• Credentials: Must hold a valid Personal Licence.
• Flexibility: Absolute commitment to a varied, late-night hospitality schedule, including weekends and bank holidays.

Benefits:

• Competitive salary
• Free entry/guestlist to our live shows and club nights.
• Staff discount on drinks at the venue.
• Transparent, fair rota planning with a commitment to work-life balance.
• The autonomy to build and run one of the sharpest bar teams in Manchester.

To Apply:

If you are a hospitality professional who loves the rush of high-volume bar service and wants to shape a premium customer experience, we want to hear from you. Send us your CV alongside a short note outlining your approach to maintaining high bar standards during a peak-trade shift.

Pay: £32,000.00-£35,000.00 per year

Benefits:

• Company pension
• Employee discount

Work Location: In person