Assistant Manager (Kitchen) Manchester Area

Pret A Manger; Greater Manchester; On-site; GBP 33,000 - 42,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

33 days annual leave

Private medical cover

Pension contributions

Life assurance

Sabbatical after 3 years

Employee discounts

Job summary

Pret A Manger is looking for an Assistant Manager in Manchester to support the General Manager in running the shop and delivering exceptional customer experiences. You will lead a team, uphold high food quality, and maintain standards in a fast-paced environment.

You will be responsible for coaching front-of-house and kitchen operations, ensuring smooth daily operations and a positive customer journey in line with Pret’s values.

Qualifications

• Experience in retail, hospitality, food production, or another fast-paced customer-focused environment.
• Ability to lead and inspire a team, drive performance, and maintain high operational standards.
• Strong focus on delivering exceptional customer experiences and food quality.

Responsibilities

• Support the General Manager in overseeing day-to-day shop operations.
• Lead and develop the in-store team, ensuring high standards of service.
• Drive performance, manage stock and waste, and uphold food safety standards.

Skills

Leadership

Retail experience

Hospitality

Food safety

Job description

124 Oxford Road Manchester M13 9RD

Hello, we’re Pret Proud makers of freshly made food, organic coffee and big ideas. Across 750+ shops and 20+ countries, our teams are shaping the future of Pret through innovation, inclusion, great customer service and a shared passion for doing the right thing. We’re growing fast on our mission to be the hospitality employer of choice everywhere we operate – so it’s an exciting time to hop on board. Growing good things Pret is where passionate, hardworking, wonderful people (like you!) find what they need to shine. Growth is at the heart of everything we do – from supporting our people to grow in confidence and skills to pursue their unique paths, to figuring out how to make our food and coffee even more delicious and accessible.

Our Teams 85% of our Managers and 25% of our Support Centre teams started on the shop floor. How far could a Pret career take you? Our shops are powered by caring, hardworking and passionate people. Whether you’re serving customers, making coffee, preparing food or leading a team, every role plays an important part in creating the Pret experience. Expect flexibility, opportunity and variety. Whatever your ambitions, you’ll find a place where you can make an impact and build your career with us.

Assistant Manager Role

Now, on the Assistant Manager Role... We’re looking for passionate leaders who love developing people, delivering exceptional customer experiences, maintaining outstanding food quality, and driving high standards every day. As an Assistant Manager at Pret, you’ll support the General Manager in overseeing the day-to-day operation of the shop, helping to create an environment where both our teams and customers can thrive. You’ll lead by example, motivate and develop your team, and ensure our products, service, and standards consistently reflect what makes Pret special. Whether supporting front of house or kitchen operations, you’ll play a key role in delivering an outstanding experience for our customers while maintaining the high standards we’re known for. Leaders, inspirers, and drivers of their teams, our Managers are our in‑shop champions, coaching and mentoring those around them. They’re the protectors of the things that make Pret, Pret, keeping standards and spirits high, and our teams and customers happy. When things get busy, so do they. Whether supporting front of house during peak trading, coaching team members in the kitchen, driving performance, managing stock and waste, maintaining food safety standards, or ensuring every customer receives a great Pret experience, they’re passionate about helping their shop and the people in it grow.

About You

Be kind, honest and generous: Bring genuine warmth and your authentic self to work every day. Bring your passion: Share our passion for exceptional customer service, great food, and creating memorable experiences. Spread joy every day: Small acts of kindness, like giving away a free coffee on the house, are a big part of what makes the Pret experience special.

Experience Needed

You’ve got experience in retail, hospitality, food production, or another fast‑paced customer‑focused environment. You know how to lead and inspire a team, drive performance, maintain high operational and food safety standards, and create a positive environment where both people and results thrive. Whether your experience is primarily in front of house, kitchen operations, or across both, you’ll bring energy, resilience, and a passion for helping others grow while delivering outstanding results.

Salary and Benefits

The starting salary for this role is £32,952 with a discretionary 15% quarterly bonus.

• You’ll get 33 days of annual leave (including flexible Bank Holidays), increasing to 38 days the longer you’re with us.
• Free private medical cover, with the option to add family or partner at an additional cost
• 4% of your pension contribution matched by Pret, rises to 5% after 5 years
• Life assurance at 3x annual salary
• Loyalty award for 5, 10, 15, 20 years’ service
• Flexible Benefits Platform packed with lifestyle discounts
• Season ticket loans
• Healthcare cash plan
• Financial wellbeing provisions
• Free mortgage services
• Sabbatical after 3 years
• Opportunities to support our charity, The Pret Foundation
• Comfy free shoes to wear on shift

Life in Our Shops & Support Centre

Our shops are a wonderful place to be. For our customers, and for our teams! The teams in our shops bring their talents (and their unique charm) to make every day a little more joyful. Here, you’ll find:

• Individual ways to grow: fully funded professional qualifications, leadership development and informal and formal mentoring
• Diversity & belonging: Everyone’s welcome at Pret – you’ll be valued for who you are and supported to feel confident in yourself and your skills
• Pace & variety: Build a diverse skillset, meet some new people and learn (a LOT)
• Community & purpose: We work together to create positive change through the Pret Foundation
• Great customer experiences start with great teams. Explore the diverse career paths, skills and opportunities across our shops and Support Centre, and learn how our people bring the Pret experience to life every day.

Our values

• Happy Teams Happy Customers
• Amazing Standards Every day
• Never Standing Still
• Doing The Right Thing

The Pret interview journey

The Pret interview journey. Please don’t overly rely on the use of AI, we want to get to know you, not a robot. Then, if we move forward with your application, we’ll start the process with an initial phone screening. Every interview process at Pret begins with the same two stages. First stage virtual interview on Teams (60 min); Second stage shop experience in person (60 min). Next, you may be invited to a coffee chat, in‑person interview with the Head of Operations.

We encourage applications from underrepresented groups, including women, people with disabilities, neurodiversity, ethnic minorities, and the LGBTQ+ community.