Hospality & Events Manager

Chepstow Racecourse; Chepstow; On-site; GBP 45,000 - 65,000; Full time

Job summary

Chepstow Racecourse is seeking an experienced Hospitality & Events Manager to lead hospitality across race days and non-race day events. This hands-on role involves planning, coordinating and delivering high-standard hospitality operations while identifying commercial opportunities to grow revenue and manage costs.

You will drive a team, maintain service standards, and work closely with the Catering Operations Manager, Head Chef and wider team to ensure seamless guest experiences and compliance

Qualifications

• Excellent communication and organisational skills.
• The ability to remain calm and work effectively under pressure.
• A systematic and solutions-focused approach to problems.
• A process-driven approach with strong attention to detail.
• A positive, professional and proactive attitude.
• Strong customer service and relationship-building skills.
• The ability to lead, motivate and develop a casual hospitality and events team.
• A strong understanding of hospitality and event operations.
• A commercial mindset, with the ability to identify opportunities to increase revenue while controlling costs.

Responsibilities

• Planning staffing requirements for race days and non-race day events, including detailed race day hospitality management plans.
• Planning and monitoring variable labour costs, ensuring hospitality provision remains within budget.
• Working with the Catering Operations Manager and Head Chef to develop food and beverage offers and event themes while maintaining agreed cost of goods.
• Managing allergen compliance and ensuring all allergen information is accurate and up to date.
• Leading hospitality and events and supporting Business Coordinators with key client requirements from planning through to delivery.
• Managing cutlery, crockery and light equipment inventories and maintaining agreed PAR levels.
• Training and developing the casual Hospitality & Events team in core skills and service standards.
• Working closely with the Retail & Events Manager to ensure a seamless customer experience across events and racedays.
• Coordinating the set-up of furniture and event equipment across the racecourse.
• Carrying out regular site inspections and using checklists to monitor and maintain operational standards.
• Coordinating weekly linen orders and maintaining appropriate stock levels.
• Coordinating the administration required for race day and non-race day events.
• Briefing staff before events and ensuring all relevant paperwork is completed.
• Dealing with customer complaints and enquiries professionally, escalating where appropriate.
• Identifying opportunities to generate additional sales and bookings through proactive customer engagement.
• Collating event feedback and ensuring effective event handovers.
• Ensuring all team members are well presented and maintain professional standards.
• Meeting and greeting clients and acting as an ambassador for the racecourse.
• Completing event area close-down checks at the end of each event.
• Ensuring company policies and procedures are consistently followed.
• Supporting the company's environmental objectives by minimising waste, maintaining equipment appropriately, recycling effectively and reducing unnecessary energy consumption.

Skills

Excellent communication

Organised

Calm under pressure

Systematic problem solving

Detail oriented

Proactive attitude

Customer service

Team leadership

Commercial mindset

Job description

When a group of ten South Wales worthies gathered together in the early 1920s and formed a company to purchase Chepstow's picturesque Piercefield Park, little did they know just how successful their plan to build a racecourse in its 370 undulating acres would be. If you want to join in with our action packed schedule and be part of the magic we are the workplace for you.

About the role

We are looking for an experienced and organised Hospitality & Events Manager to join our catering team and take responsibility for the successful delivery of hospitality across both race days and non-race day events.

This is a hands-on role with responsibility for planning, coordinating and overseeing hospitality and event operations, ensuring our customers and clients receive a consistently high standard of service.

You will play a key role in driving sustainable growth by identifying commercial opportunities, maximising revenue, improving service delivery and managing costs effectively. Working closely with the Catering Operations Manager, Head Chef, Retail & Events Manager and wider team, you will help ensure every event is delivered smoothly, professionally and to a high standard.

About you

You will be an organised and commercially focused hospitality professional who enjoys working in a fast-paced environment and takes pride in delivering excellent customer service.

You will have:

• Excellent communication and organisational skills
• The ability to remain calm and work effectively under pressure
• A systematic and solutions-focused approach to problems
• A process-driven approach with strong attention to detail
• A positive, professional and proactive attitude
• Strong customer service and relationship-building skills
• The ability to lead, motivate and develop a casual hospitality and events team
• A strong understanding of hospitality and event operations
• A commercial mindset, with the ability to identify opportunities to increase revenue while controlling costs

Key responsibilities

As Hospitality & Events Manager, you will be responsible for:

• Planning staffing requirements for race days and non-race day events, including detailed race day hospitality management plans
• Planning and monitoring variable labour costs, ensuring hospitality provision remains within budget
• Working with the Catering Operations Manager and Head Chef to develop food and beverage offers and event themes while maintaining agreed cost of goods
• Managing allergen compliance and ensuring all allergen information is accurate and up to date
• Leading hospitality and events and supporting Business Coordinators with key client requirements from planning through to delivery
• Managing cutlery, crockery and light equipment inventories and maintaining agreed PAR levels
• Training and developing the casual Hospitality & Events team in core skills and service standards
• Working closely with the Retail & Events Manager to ensure a seamless customer experience across events and racedays
• Coordinating the set-up of furniture and event equipment across the racecourse
• Carrying out regular site inspections and using checklists to monitor and maintain operational standards
• Coordinating weekly linen orders and maintaining appropriate stock levels
• Coordinating the administration required for race day and non-race day events
• Briefing staff before events and ensuring all relevant paperwork is completed
• Dealing with customer complaints and enquiries professionally, escalating where appropriate
• Identifying opportunities to generate additional sales and bookings through proactive customer engagement
• Collating event feedback and ensuring effective event handovers
• Ensuring all team members are well presented and maintain professional standards
• Meeting and greeting clients and acting as an ambassador for the racecourse
• Completing event area close-down checks at the end of each event
• Ensuring company policies and procedures are consistently followed
• Supporting the company's environmental objectives by minimising waste, maintaining equipment appropriately, recycling effectively and reducing unnecessary energy consumption

Why join us?

This is an exciting opportunity for an experienced hospitality professional to take ownership of the delivery and development of hospitality and events within a unique racecourse environment.

You will have the opportunity to make a real impact by developing your team, enhancing the customer experience, identifying new commercial opportunities and helping us deliver memorable events for our customers and clients.

If you are organised, commercially minded and passionate about delivering excellent hospitality, we would love to hear from you.

At ARC, we believe that a diverse, equitable and inclusive workplace makes us a more relevant, more competitive, and more resilient company. We welcome people from all backgrounds, ethnicities, cultures, and experiences.We are an equal opportunities employer and do not discriminate on the grounds of gender, sexual orientation, marital or civil partner status, pregnancy or maternity, gender reassignment, race, colour, nationality, ethnic or national origin, religion or belief, disability or age. We also consider qualified applicants regardless of criminal histories, consistent with legal requirements.

If you have a disability that requires reasonable adjustments, please let us know; we will ensure that individuals with additional needs are provided reasonable adjustments to participate in the job application or interview process and to perform essential job functions.

We understand the value that diversity brings to our business and we are striving to create a working environment that is inclusive, psychologically and physically safe and ensures everyone can be heard and valued for their contributions. We are committed to making a consistent, top-down effort to be role models on what diversity, inclusion and belonging means in society.