General Manager

ABOUT THIS ROLE

The General Manager is responsible for delivering exceptional guest experience and service excellence. They will lead, motivate, and develop the Guest Experience team, ensuring clear direction and delivery of business priorities through the hospitality strategy, in collaboration with the Theatre Director and Senior Management Team. The role will drive revenue through effective upselling, the development of events and private functions, and maximising pre-ordering and in-venue spend, enhancing both commercial performance and the overall guest experience. They are also responsible for upholding the highest standards of health and safety across the Front of House and Hospitality operations, maintaining full compliance and embedding a proactive safety-first culture within the team, with a strong focus on maintaining high standards and accountability across the operation.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

Strategic:

• Work with the Theatre Director to develop and deliver annual business plans and budgets, aligned to commercial, service, and community objectives.
• Contribute to the venue's long-term strategy, identifying opportunities for growth across Front of House, hospitality, and events.
• Develop and deliver the annual hospitality and events marketing plan in collaboration with marketing and central support teams.
• Maximise the use of the theatre's ancillary spaces to support commercial performance, programming, and community engagement.

Financial:

• Take overall responsibility for hospitality and events financial performance, including budgets, forecasts, and KPIs.
• Monitor performance against targets, identifying risks and implementing corrective actions where required.
• Drive secondary spend, sales growth, and spend-per-head across all Front of House and hospitality operations.
• Ensure effective pricing, stock management, cash control, and reporting systems are in place and compliant with group standards.

Operational Excellence & Guest Experience:

• Provide senior operational leadership across all Front of House, hospitality, box office, and events activity.
• Act as duty manager as required, leading the operation in a live, customer-facing environment.
• Ensure all hospitality and events activity is delivered to agreed quality, service, and brand standards.
• Build strong working relationships with visiting companies, tour managers, and internal stakeholders to ensure seamless delivery.
• Champion accessibility, inclusion, sustainability, and environmental responsibility across venue operations.

People Leadership, Recruitment & Development:

• Lead, motivate, and performance-manage Customer Experience and hospitality teams, fostering a positive, inclusive, high-performance culture.
• Oversee recruitment, induction, training, and engagement of permanent and casual staff.
• Ensure effective workforce planning and rota management in line with budget and operational demand.
• Support colleagues' professional development and ensure compliance with company HR systems and processes.

Health & Safety, Safeguarding & Compliance:

• Take overall responsibility for Health & Safety, food hygiene, licensing, safeguarding, and statutory compliance within Front of House and hospitality operations.
• Ensure the venue meets or exceeds internal and external audit requirements.
• Maintain and implement effective risk management, emergency planning, and safeguarding practices.
• Ensure full compliance with the company's Food Safety Management System, including HACCP procedures, cleaning rotas, and opening and closing checks.
• Undertake, document, review, and disseminate risk assessments relevant to Front of House and hospitality operations.
• Manage and implement the venue's emergency, evacuation, and invacuation procedures, including drills, training, and briefings.
• Act as Deputy Safeguarding Officer and a key member of the venue's emergency response structure.

ABOUT YOU

A self-motivated individual with a genuine passion for delivering an exceptional hospitality offer and first-class experience. To achieve this, you will inspire and lead a team to meet and exceed budgeted targets, with customer care at the heart of your departments work.

The candidate must be adaptable and forward-thinking, with creative flair and meticulous attention to detail with experience in a senior level manager position.

A proven and robust hospitality knowledge, including strategic planning, food and beverage management, event delivery, the development of quality customer care strategies and pricing strategies are imperative to the role.

YOUR EXPERIENCE:

• Significant senior management experience within a theatre, live entertainment, hospitality, or visitor attraction environment
• Proven track record of leading, motivating, and developing large customer-facing teams, including casual and contracted staff
• Strong commercial and financial management experience, including budgeting, forecasting, cost control, and delivering against KPIs
• Proven ability to monitor and challenge food quality, service standards, menu execution, pricing, and presentation
• Experience of driving secondary spend, sales growth, and spend-per-head
• Experience reviewing stock control, wastage, portion control, and cost management
• Excellent people management skills, including recruitment, training, performance management, and succession planning
• Strong operational leadership with the ability to manage busy, high-pressure live environments
• Thorough knowledge of Health & Safety, food hygiene, licensing, and compliance requirements
• Highly organised, resilient, and adaptable, with excellent attention to detail

DESIRABLE:

• Proven experience managing third party or contract catering/kitchen partners within a theatre, hospitality, or live events environment
• Familiarity with zonal till systems, stock management software, and hospitality reporting tools
• Experience of developing and delivering hospitality and events marketing plans in collaboration with marketing teams
• Understanding of sustainability initiatives within venue operations and hospitality settings
• Experience supporting accessibility, inclusion, and equality initiatives in customer-facing environments
• Knowledge of safeguarding principles and experience acting as, or supporting, a Safeguarding Officer