Bar Manager

Exeter Northcott; Exeter; Hybrid; GBP 29,000 - 36,000; Full time

Job summary

Exeter Northcott Theatre is seeking a Bar Manager to lead beverage and snack services across the Northcott and Barnfield venues. You will recruit, train, and manage the Front of House casual team and Bar Supervisors, delivering outstanding customer service and maintaining high standards of safety and compliance.

You will work closely with the Theatre Manager to optimise trading performance, manage EPOS systems, and drive revenue while controlling costs.

Qualifications

• Experience in recruiting, training, and managing staff.
• Experience in hospitality sector and driving revenue.
• Knowledge of health and safety regulations, emergency planning, and first aid provisions in a public-facing environment.
• Understanding of accessibility and inclusivity best practices within a cultural or public venue setting.
• Willingness to work evenings, weekends, and bank holidays as required.
• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills, with the ability to engage positively with a wide range of stakeholders.
• Ability to remain calm under pressure and respond effectively to emergencies or unexpected situations.
• Experience working effectively as part of a team.
• Strong organisational and problem-solving skills, with high attention to detail.
• A warm, enthusiastic and friendly demeanour and a passion for providing excellent customer experiences.
• Good IT skills, experience using Microsoft Office.
• Proven experience in a similar role within a theatre, public venue, or customer service environment.
• Understanding of marketing and audience development strategies in a theatre or cultural setting.
• An interest in theatre and/or the arts.

Responsibilities

• Lead beverage and snack services across two venues with hands-on leadership.
• Line manage Bar Supervisor and FOH casual team with clear expectations.
• Oversee staffing, stock control, and banking arrangements.
• Develop and motivate casual staff to deliver an exceptional visitor experience.
• Lead on achieving financial targets and optimise revenue while controlling costs.
• Manage supplier relationships and ensure quality standards.
• Ensure compliance with Premises License, Food Hygiene and Health & Safety standards and train staff accordingly.
• Program and manage EPOS till systems and cash handling procedures.
• Review customer feedback and drive improvements in F&B experience.
• Collaborate with Theatre Manager to grow revenue streams and align with strategic objectives.

Skills

Staff recruitment

Hospitality revenue

Health & safety

Accessibility & inclusion

Evenings / weekends

Interpersonal comms

Calm under pressure

Teamwork

Org skills

Theatre/customer service

Marketing & audience development

Interest in theatre

MS Office

Tools

EPOS till systems

Job description

The Bar Manager plays a pivotal role in ensuring the delivery of outstanding customer service to all theatre visitors. They lead by example, covering bar supervisor shifts for a significant proportion of their time. Using this knowledge, they oversee the recruitment, training, and management of the Front of House Causal Team and Bar Supervisor(s). Working closely with the Theatre Manager, they oversee the daily operations of the beverage & snack services at both the Northcott and Barnfield Theatres, ensuring optimal trading performance and profitability, and contributing to the realisation of the Theatre’s strategic objectives.

Terms & Conditions

Job Title: Bar Manager
Reporting to: Theatre Manager
Responsible for: Bar Supervisors, Front of House casual team
Hours: 39 hours per week
Salary: £32,488 pa
Holidays: 32 days (inc. statutory holidays) per annum

Key Duties & Responsibilities

1. Operational

• Leading the beverage & snack services across two venues, including pre-show packages. Ensuring seamless service and high customer satisfaction, including regularly delivering Bar Supervisor responsibilities for performances by leading the team with a hands-on approach.
• Managing front of house trading facilities, including staffing, stock control and banking arrangements.
• Line managing the Bar Supervisor(s) and Casual Front of House Team, setting clear expectations and fostering a positive, performance-driven work environment. Supporting performance, development, and wellbeing as needed.
• Proactively building, training, and motivating a cohesive team of casual staff to deliver an exceptional visitor experience.
• Taking the lead in achieving financial targets, optimising revenue opportunities while maintaining cost control.
• Supporting the Theatre Manager to identify and realise opportunities to increase revenue streams, increase profitability, and support the strategic objectives of the organisation.
• Working with the Theatre Manager to determine appropriate staffing levels, balancing budget considerations with customer service needs.
• Leading on the development and implementation of the catering offer, including daytime service, evening trade and ad-hoc catered hires.
• Managing supplier relationships, negotiating competitive deals, and ensuring quality standards.
• Monitoring stock levels and overseeing ordering and storage.
• Developing initiatives to reduce waste, improve sustainability, and support ethical sourcing within the operations.
• Ensuring that ENT complies with its Premises License, Food Hygiene, and Health and Safety standards and to ensure that all Front of House staff are trained and knowledgeable in these areas.
• Programming and managing the EPOS till systems, ensuring all staff are fully trained on using the tills.
• In coordination with the Bar Supervisor(s), overseeing cash handling procedures, including float checks and adherence to ENT’s financial policies.
• Reviewing customer feedback to identify opportunities for enhancing the food and beverage experience.
• Ensuring clear procedures for addressing customer concerns, equipping FOH staff with training in de-escalation and problem resolution.

2. General

• Maintaining up-to-date knowledge of the strategy and business plan of ENT.
• Thinking creatively and strategically about how the Front of House activity contributes to ENT goals and being alert to relevant opportunities.
• Taking an active role in identifying and removing access barriers for anyone with access needs.
• Maintaining a working knowledge of the theatre’s programme.
• Attending staff meetings/training as required.
• Adhering to all Exeter Northcott Theatre policies & procedures.
• Always maintaining confidentiality.
• Any other duties which may be reasonably requested by the Theatre Manager.

NB: This job description may develop and evolve with the growth of Exeter Northcott Theatre and is not intended to be read as a complete account of all duties or responsibilities.

Person Specification

• Experience in recruiting, training, and managing staff, and the ability to motivate and develop teams.
• Experience in hospitality sector and driving revenue.
• Knowledge of health and safety regulations, emergency planning, and first aid provisions in a public-facing environment.
• Understanding of accessibility and inclusivity best practices within a cultural or public venue setting.
• Willingness to work evenings, weekends, and bank holidays as required.
• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills, with the ability to engage positively with a wide range of stakeholders.
• Ability to remain calm under pressure and respond effectively to emergencies or unexpected situations.
• Experience working effectively as part of a team.
• Strong organisational and problem-solving skills, with high attention to detail.
• A warm, enthusiastic and friendly demeanour and a passion for providing excellent customer experiences.
• Good IT skills, experience using Microsoft Office.
• Proven experience in a similar role within a theatre, public venue, or customer service environment.
• Understanding of marketing and audience development strategies in a theatre or cultural setting.
• An interest in theatre and/or the arts.

About Exeter Northcott

Exeter Northcott is a city-wide organisation welcoming more than 100,000 people each year to live theatre and events at the Northcott Theatre on the University campus, and the Barnfield Theatre in the city centre. A registered charity, the Northcott offers a wide range of creative opportunities for and with the people of Exeter and Devon. These include year-round opportunities for young people through the Northcott Young Company; Elevate, a talent development programme for local artists and bespoke projects developed with community groups, schools, and other charities.
Exeter Northcott Theatre is a registered charity and is supported by the University of Exeter, Arts Council England and Exeter City Council.

Diversity & Inclusion

There continues to be a significant lack of diversity across the arts, with a pressing need to provide progression routes for talented people from backgrounds that are under-represented. Exeter Northcott Theatre is committed to playing its part in addressing this by putting inclusion at the heart of our recruitment processes, finding new ways to share the power and resources we have at our disposal, and fostering a working culture that is welcoming for all our team. We actively encourage people from all backgrounds to join us and positively impact our teams and working practice. We are particularly keen to receive applications from people of African and Caribbean heritage, people of South Asian, East Asian and South East Asian Heritage, deaf and disabled people, LGBTQ+ people, or those experiencing barriers due to their socioeconomic background.
All deaf or disabled candidates who demonstrate that they meet the essential criteria for this role will be invited for interview.

Closing Date: 9am 16 November 2026
NB: We’ll pay travel expenses for candidates invited to interview.