Cafe Manager

Vita Student; Manchester; On-site; GBP 27,000 - 33,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Holidays 22 days

Bank holidays

Perkbox access

Pension plan

Parties & events

Recognition programmes

Career development

Employee assistance

Job summary

House of Social Manchester is a Vita Group venue seeking a Café Manager to lead the daytime operation, deliver outstanding guest experiences, and drive revenue in a dynamic all-day destination.

You will oversee a collaborative daytime team, nurture coffee knowledge, manage costs and introduce seasonal offerings, while maintaining food safety and premium standards across the venue.

Qualifications

• Experience leading, coaching and developing teams in daytime hospitality.
• Strong knowledge of coffee quality, barista operations and coffee presentation.
• Passion for delivering exceptional guest experiences with high hospitality standards.
• Ability to manage stock, costs and commercial performance.

Responsibilities

• Lead and oversee the daytime operation.
• Deliver an exceptional guest experience with premium standards.
• Develop and coach the daytime team, fostering accountability.
• Maintain coffee quality and equipment care.
• Control stock, ordering and wastage for efficiency.
• Develop seasonal drinks and daytime initiatives.
• Identify commercial opportunities to grow sales and guest engagement.
• Collaborate with vendors and internal teams for daytime offering.
• Ensure food safety and company standards.

Skills

Operational leadership

Coffee knowledge

Guest experience

Team development

Hospitality industry knowledge

Job description

Café Manager – House of Social, Manchester

Contract: Permanent, 45 hour per week

Salary: £30,000 per annum plus generous benefits.

Working Patterns: Open 7 days a week, our Management Team work collaboratively throughout the full week. Shifts can start as early as 7am and finish as late as 2am

Days and hours will rotate weekly subject to demands and team availability.

House of Social Food Hall is Manchester’s newest and most exciting food hall. A collection of five independent kitchens, serving food and drink to suit every taste and time. We’re looking for an accomplished Supervisor to provide leadership support, steering the on-site team to deliver to our premium standards.

Located on two levels of Vita Group’s purpose built student accommodation concept House of Social, the new venue spans 12,000 square feet of brand new dining and drinking space.

We’re looking for an experienced and passionate Café Manager to take ownership of the daytime operation at House of Social Manchester. But this isn't your average coffee shop. House of Social is an all-day food, drink and social destination – bringing together great coffee, five independent kitchens, bars, co-working, live music, events and late-night hospitality all under one roof.

Our Café Manager

Is someone who can build a brilliant daytime operation and create an environment that people want to spend time in – whether they're grabbing their morning coffee, working for the day, meeting for lunch or staying into the afternoon. You'll need to be passionate about coffee and daytime hospitality, but equally excited about being part of a much bigger food and beverage destination.

• Lead and oversee the day-to-day daytime operation.
• Deliver an exceptional guest experience, ensuring high standards of hospitality and service.
• Manage, train, coach and develop the daytime team, fostering a positive and accountable culture.
• Maintain coffee quality, product consistency, presentation standards and equipment care.
• Manage stock control, ordering and wastage to support operational efficiency.
• Develop seasonal drinks, product offerings and new daytime initiatives.
• Monitor market trends and introduce innovative ideas to enhance the customer experience.
• Drive daytime sales growth by identifying commercial opportunities and increasing guest engagement.
• Develop and promote co-working, resident engagement and community-focused initiatives.
• Build strong relationships with regular guests, residents and local businesses.
• Collaborate with food vendors and internal teams to enhance the daytime food and beverage offering.
• Support the delivery of daytime events, meetings and venue activations.
• Maintain compliance with food safety, health & safety and company standards.
• Analyse and report on operational and commercial performance, identifying opportunities for improvement.
• Take ownership of key commercial metrics, including sales, labour costs, gross profit, stock management, productivity and average spend.
• Work closely with the General Manager and wider management team to establish House of Social as a leading daytime destination.

Who We’re Looking For

We're seeking a passionate hospitality professional who combines strong operational leadership with excellent coffee knowledge and a genuine commitment to guest experience. This individual will be comfortable taking ownership of a busy daytime operation, developing a high-performing team, and using commercial insight to drive growth. Equally capable of delivering exceptional standards and introducing new ideas, they will play a key role in shaping House of Social as a leading all-day hospitality destination.

Professional Experience

• Previous experience as a Café Manager, Assistant Manager, Head Barista or in a similar hospitality leadership role.
• Strong coffee knowledge and understanding of barista operations.
• Proven experience leading, coaching and developing teams.
• Passion for hospitality, customer experience and service excellence.
• Experience managing ordering, stock control and inventory levels.
• Good understanding of labour costs, gross profit, wastage and commercial performance.
• Confidence managing and taking ownership of an operation.
• Strong organisational, communication and stakeholder management skills.
• Proactive approach to problem-solving and continuous improvement.
• Ability to identify opportunities to grow sales and enhance the guest experience.
• Strong awareness of food, beverage and hospitality trends.
• Speciality coffee experience is desirable but not essential. Hospitality leaders with strong coffee knowledge and a passion for developing an all-day destination are equally encouraged.

Personal Characteristics

• Excellent interpersonal skills and the ability to motivate, lead and develop teams effectively.
• A hands-on attitude, combined with strong communication and people management skills.
• A strategic thinker
• Flexibility: An ability and enthusiasm for working in a varied job with rotating shift patterns, days and hours.

Why work for us

Our employees have the pride of working at our luxury venues, which offer the highest standard of hospitality across the UK. We reward the commitment and dedication of our people by providing the following benefits:

Holidays – 22 days paid holiday, rising each year up to 25 days (pro rata)

Bank Holidays – 8 paid holidays (England & Wales Bank Holidays) (pro rata)

Perkbox – All employees are given access to a Perkbox account, enabling them to choose lifestyle perks that matter by giving points to spend on a wide range of products, services & experiences, such as; cinema tickets, supermarket savings, discounted days out, a daily coffee or a summer holiday – there’s something to suit everyone!

Royal London Pension – We care about our people and their future. Vita Group contribute a financial value of 3% of salary to your pension pot in addition to 5% employee contribution to help prepare for the future.

Parties & Events – We expect high standards from our people and like to reward demanding work by hosting parties and events each year, encouraging colleagues to let their hair down, have a great time and celebrate success together.

Recognition Programmes – We recognise and celebrate our people via numerous recognition schemes, such as employee of the month vouchers, community champion, experience awards, golden buzzer awards, work anniversaries etc.

Career Development – Whether your Vita career is a medium or long-term venture; we onboard all employees by means of a thorough induction and learning & development programme, delivering professional progression via our Bronze, Silver, Gold & Platinum training & recognition schemes.

24/7 Employee Assistance – The wellbeing of our colleagues is of vital importance to Vita Group. All employees have access to a confidential service; offering support and guidance for personal or work-related issues that may be impacting wellbeing.

Important

Unfortunately, we are unable to offer Right to Work Sponsorship. Therefore, if you do require a company to sponsor your Right to Work in the UK, we will not be able to progress your application further.

All offers of employment are subject to satisfactory pre-employment checks which will include Disclosure & Barring Service (DBS) checks.