Head of Bars- Manchester Entertainment District

Manchester City Football Club; Manchester; On-site; GBP 150,000 - 200,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading sports club in Manchester seeks a Head of Bars to craft a dynamic bar culture. You will lead innovative beverage programs across diverse venues, ensuring operational excellence while inspiring high-performance teams. The ideal candidate has proven experience in large-scale hospitality operations and a passion for delivering distinctive beverage experiences. This role offers a unique opportunity to define the beverage identity in an ambitious hospitality development.

Qualifications

• Proven experience as a Head of Bars, Group Bar Manager, or equivalent.
• Strong creative identity and passion for delivering trend-led beverage experiences.
• Demonstrated success in developing and launching new bar concepts.

Responsibilities

• Define and deliver the creative direction for bar operations.
• Oversee the design, costing, and execution of beverage menus.
• Implement standards and procedures for best-in-class bar service.

Skills

Creative identity

Team leadership

Trend knowledge

Commercial acumen

Job description

Closing Date of Applications – 13/11/2025

Our Story

Manchester City is an English Premier League club whose roots began in East Manchester. From its first incarnation as St Mark’s West Gorton in 1880, the club became Manchester City FC in 1894. Behind each title lies emotion, moments and memories that resonate with millions of supporters around the world. Manchester City fans are known for their commitment and togetherness, as a Club that fights to the end.

The Role

As Head of Bars for our 365 Beverage Operations, you’ll take the lead in crafting a distinctive and dynamic bar culture at the heart of Manchester City’s brand new Entertainment District. This is a rare opportunity to shape the beverage identity across a diverse portfolio of venues — from vibrant matchday bars to sophisticated cocktail lounges and hotel destinations opening in 2026. You’ll bring creative flair, strategic vision, and operational precision to build a suite of experiences that rival the very best of Manchester’s hospitality scene. Your leadership will be key in setting standards, driving innovation, and bringing each concept’s personality to life.

We’re looking for a confident and creative bar professional with the experience to deliver at scale and the imagination to define something new. You’ll combine a strong understanding of trends, mixology, and guest experience with the commercial acumen to make every pour count. This is a role for a natural leader — someone who can inspire teams, collaborate with partners, and create memorable moments that blend craft, culture, and storytelling. If you’re ready to build a new benchmark for beverage excellence within one of the UK’s most ambitious hospitality developments, this is your stage.

Your Impact

Lead Beverage Vision: Define and deliver the creative direction for bar operations across all 365 venues, ensuring quality, consistency, and innovation.

Develop Beverage Programs: Oversee the design, costing, and execution of beverage menus, introducing trend-led and seasonal offerings.

Ensure Operational Excellence: Implement standards and procedures that maintain best-in-class bar service and profitability across multiple venues.

Collaborate & Launch: Partner with the Director of Restaurants, operating vendors, and internal teams to bring each bar concept to life.

Inspire & Build Teams: Recruit, train, and mentor bar leadership and mixology teams to create an engaging, high-performance culture.

Champion Sustainability & Compliance: Promote responsible sourcing, reduce waste, and ensure all venues meet licensing, safety, and hygiene regulations.

Enhance Guest Experience: Curate beverage programs that elevate storytelling, hospitality, and brand differentiation across the district.

What we are looking for

Essential

• Proven experience as a Head of Bars, Group Bar Manager, or equivalent within large-scale, multi-outlet hospitality operations.
• Strong creative identity and passion for delivering distinctive, trend-led beverage experiences.
• Demonstrated success in developing and launching new bar concepts or beverage programs.
• Deep understanding of bar operations, team leadership, licensing laws, and cost management.
• Commercially minded with the ability to balance creativity and efficiency.
• Collaborative leadership style with confidence to work across diverse internal and external teams.

Desirable

• Experience in destination or entertainment-led venues, high-street bars, or multi-brand hospitality groups.
• Strong supplier and producer network within the UK beverage industry.
• Familiarity with Manchester’s bar and hospitality scene and emerging consumer trends.
• Experience with vendor-style operations, pop-ups, or concept development.
• Knowledge of digital ordering systems, bar management platforms, and sustainable bar practices.
• Passion for developing talent and building inclusive, forward-thinking bar teams.
• Exposure to international mixology and the ability to translate global beverage trends locally.