Venue Operations & Business Development Manager

KERB

Manchester

On-site

GBP 40,000 - 45,000

Full time

14 days+

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Benefits offered by this job

Competitive salary up to £45K

Bonus

25 days holiday

Health Cash Plan

Personal Wellbeing Allowance

CODE App Membership

Private Medical Insurance

Employee Assistance Program

Cycle To Work

Season ticket loan

Enhanced parental leave

London Living Wage

Best Companies accredited employer

Job summary

KERB is seeking a Venue Operations & Business Development Manager to lead the Manchester United Fan Zone and drive its commercial growth. You will oversee day-to-day operations, ensure exceptional fan experiences, and collaborate with traders and partners to expand KERB's presence within the club.

This role requires energy, hospitality expertise, and a proactive approach to delivering live events on matchdays, with opportunities to develop new activations and events that keep the Fan Zone

Qualifications

Experience leading operations within hospitality, events, venues, food & drink, or similar fast-paced environments.
Strong organisational skills with the ability to balance multiple priorities.
Excellent relationship-building with clients, traders, suppliers and partners at all levels.
Understanding of food and drink operations, including bar and beverage service.
Willingness to work matchdays, evenings and weekends at the Manchester United Fan Zone.
Experience with independent food traders or street food is a plus.
Experience delivering live events is a plus.
Familiarity with EPOS systems, especially Good Till is beneficial.

Responsibilities

Lead the day-to-day operation of the Manchester United Fan Zone, delivering exceptional experiences for fans, traders and partners.
Own matchday and event delivery, ensuring smooth operations, safety, and high standards.
Build strong relationships with stakeholders, traders, suppliers and partners across the venue.
Collaborate with Business Director to identify opportunities to grow revenue and enhance customer experience.
Develop activations and experiences to keep the Fan Zone fresh and commercially successful.
Use feedback and trends to continually improve delivery and growth of the business.

Skills

Operations leadership

Hospitality experience

Relationship-building

Problem-solving

Organisational skills

Customer-focused

Flexibility

Team coordination

Tools

Good Till

Job description

Application Deadline: 31 August 2026

Department: Operations

Location: Manchester, Greater Manchester

Compensation: £40,000 - £45,000 / year

Description

At KERB, we believe great food and drink bring people together. Whether it's a market, event or fan zone, we're passionate about creating experiences that people genuinely enjoy being part of.

As we continue our expansion into major sporting venues, we're looking for a Venue Operations & Business Development Manager to lead the Manchester United Fan Zone. You'll help create an incredible environment for supporters while driving the venue's commercial success and future growth.

Working closely with traders, operational teams and Manchester United stakeholders, you'll have the opportunity to influence everything from the matchday experience to long-term business development. It's a role for someone who enjoys ownership, values great hospitality and wants to play a meaningful part in building something special.

If you're as passionate about brilliant experiences as you are about making things happen, we'd love to hear from you.

What you'll be doing

Leading the day-to-day operation of the Manchester United Fan Zone, delivering exceptional experiences for fans, traders and partners.
Taking ownership of matchday and event delivery, ensuring everything runs smoothly, safely and to the high standards KERB is known for.
Building strong relationships with Manchester United stakeholders, traders, suppliers and operational partners, becoming a trusted point of contact across the venue.
Working closely with the Business Director to identify opportunities to grow revenue, improve the customer experience and expand KERB's presence within the club.
Developing new ideas for activations, food and drink experiences, and events that keep the Fan Zone fresh, relevant and commercially successful.
Using customer feedback, operational insight and industry trends to continually improve how we deliver and grow the business.

What you'll bring to KERB

Experience leading operations within hospitality, events, venues, food & drink, or similarly fast-paced customer-focused environments.
A confident and proactive approach to problem-solving, with the ability to stay calm and make good decisions when things get busy.
Strong organisational skills and the ability to balance multiple priorities without losing sight of the detail.
Excellent relationship-building skills, with the confidence to work with clients, traders, suppliers and partners at all levels.
An understanding of food and drink operations, including bar and beverage service.
A genuine passion for creating exceptional customer experiences and delivering events that people want to come back to.
Curiosity, commercial awareness and a desire to continuously improve how things are done.
Flexibility to work matchdays, evenings and weekends, and to be based regularly at the Manchester United Fan Zone.

Nice to have, but not essential

Experience working with independent food traders or street food businesses.
Experience delivering a variety of live events, from sports and entertainment to exhibitions and large-scale public events.
Familiarity with EPOS systems, particularly Good Till.

What you'll get by joining KERB