Catering manager

Hachette UK; Greater London; On-site; GBP 35,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading publishing firm in Greater London seeks a dynamic Catering Manager to lead the café bar team. The role includes overseeing daily operations, ensuring high food hygiene standards, and delivering exceptional visitor experiences. Candidates should possess proven experience in hospitality management, strong leadership skills, and the ability to motivate a team. This full-time position offers a salary of approximately £34,700 per year.

Qualifications

• Proven experience in managing or supervising a catering or hospitality team.
• Ability to motivate and lead a team to deliver excellent customer service.
• Good knowledge of food hygiene and health & safety regulations.

Responsibilities

• Manage daily opening/closing procedures and stock control.
• Ensure food hygiene, cleanliness, and safety standards are met.
• Develop and maintain a high-quality, profitable product range.

Skills

Interpersonal skills

Leadership

Customer service

Food hygiene knowledge

Organizational skills

Education

Food Hygiene Level 2

Job description

Closing date for applications: 8th December 2025 at 12.00pm midday

Salary: circa £34,700 per annum

Contract: Full-time, 38 hours per week over 5 days, Monday to Saturday, based on operational needs

Use your leadership skills and hospitality expertise to oversee operations, guide a team, and deliver outstanding service that creates unforgettable visitor experiences.

Hampstead Theatre is one of London’s leading producing theatres, dedicated to creating bold, original, and thought-provoking work. We are looking for a hands‑on, dynamic catering manager to lead our café bar team and deliver an exceptional experience for our audiences and daytime visitors.

This is a fantastic opportunity for someone with proven experience in catering or hospitality management who thrives in a fast‑paced, customer‑focused environment. You’ll oversee day‑to‑day operations, ensure high standards of food hygiene and service and inspire a motivated team. If you have strong leadership and interpersonal skills, previous experience managing catering or hospitality teams and are committed to delivering a welcoming experience for every visitor, we'd love to hear from you.

Responsibilities

Operations

• Manage daily opening/closing procedures and stock control
• Ensure food hygiene, cleanliness, and safety standards are consistently met
• Deliver hospitality for press nights, hires, and special events
• Act as bar duty manager for performances and events
• Support building maintenance in all catering areas and report issues promptly
• Assist theatre manager in identifying hazards and completing suitable risk assessments for all bar related activities
• Assist theatre manager in investigating accidents/incidents/near misses relating to the bar team

Product & service

• Develop and maintain a high‑quality, profitable product range
• Ensure the café bar team delivers excellent customer service aligned with theatre‑wide standards

Team leadership

• Line manage café bar team members and café bar managers ensuring effective recruitment, induction, training, and performance management
• Schedule staff to meet operational needs while maintaining cost efficiency
• Foster a collaborative and motivated team culture

Financial

• Monitor sales, wastage, and profitability
• Generate regular reports and propose adjustments to improve performance

Collaboration

• Work closely with the theatre manager, front of house (FOH) manager and FOH team to ensure a seamless customer experience
• Support marketing initiatives to promote catering offerings

Commercialsupport

• Support the delivery of hospitality and fundraising events
• Oversee bar sales and reconciliation, working with the theatre manager to maximise revenue opportunities
• Ensure bar staff are briefed on current shows, promotions, and customer‑facing initiatives

Administration

• Maintain accurate records for payroll, rotas
• Assist with reporting and analysis of customer service performance and commercial activity
• Ensure that daily, weekly & monthly records adhering to food & safety requirements are checked and uploaded into the compliance system
• Oversee bar staff training records, ensure all certificates required are up to date
• Deputise for theatre manager during annual leave/sickness
• Ensure adequate stock levels of bar range & bar equipment

Knowledge, skills & experience

Essential

• Commitment to delivering a high-quality, welcoming experience for all customers
• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills
• Proven experience in managing or supervising a catering or hospitality team – including recruitment, training, and performance management
• Ability to motivate and lead a team to deliver excellent customer service
• Good knowledge of food hygiene, health & safety regulations, and compliance standards
• Experience in stock control, cash handling, and daily operational procedures
• Ability to monitor sales, control costs, and improve profitability
• Highly organised, with strong attention to detail
• Flexible and adaptable to work evenings and weekends as required
• Ability to work collaboratively across departments
• Food Hygiene Level 2 (minimum) or willingness to obtain

Desirable

• Previous experience in a theatre, arts venue, or similar cultural environment

To apply, please visit our website and download a job pack.

We welcome and encourage applications from candidates who are under‑represented in the creative industries.

Please state in your application that you found this role through Creative Access.