The Castle Inn — Duty Manager
Castle Donington, Derbyshire | Full time | Pub & Restaurant |
About Us
Welcome to The Castle Inn! We're a lively, welcoming pub at the heart of Castle Donington — known for our brilliant atmosphere, perfectly poured pints, and an events calendar that keeps the place buzzing all year round.
Live gigs, bottomless brunches, weddings and private parties, race meetings at Donington Park, and of course Download Festival — when this town is busy, we're at the centre of it. There's rarely a quiet week, and that's exactly how we like it.
We're a small, independent, family-run pub company, and we believe a great pub is built on great people. We develop from within: our current team includes people who joined us behind the bar or in the kitchen and have since stepped up into senior roles. If you want a job that goes somewhere, you're in the right place.
The Role
We're looking for a hands-on, enthusiastic Duty Manager to join our team at The Castle Inn. If you know your way around a busy bar and a busy food service, thrive on a big event night, and love bringing out the best in a team, this is the role for you.
You'll be the person holding the shift together — opening up, closing down, keeping the bar flying when it's three deep, running a smooth service, and making sure every guest leaves already planning their next visit.
What You'll Be Doing
- Run the shift. Lead the bar and front of house team, keeping the energy up and the service quick, friendly and consistent.
- Deliver a slick food service. Work hand in glove with the kitchen on covers, timings and standards — from brunches and functions to a busy weekend service.
- Open and close the pub — tills, floats, cash handling, cashing up, banking, security checks and end-of-night reporting.
- Make the big days work. Set up and deliver gigs, bottomless brunches, weddings, private hires, race weekends and Download — briefing the team, working alongside our events crew, and keeping it all running when the place is at capacity.
- Look after the cellar and stock control. Line cleaning, beer quality, deliveries, stock rotation, wastage and ordering — so we never run dry on the essentials.
- Train and mentor new team members, showing them the ropes on service, standards and pub operations.
- Champion health and safety, food hygiene and licensing across the bar, floor, kitchen and outside areas — including Challenge 25 and our responsibilities under the premises licence.
- Be the welcoming face of the pub — chatting with the locals and handling any queries or niggles with charm and professionalism.
- Work with the management team on promotions, drinks ranges, event ideas and anything else that keeps The Castle ahead of the game.
- Cheerlead the team! Monitor performance, give constructive feedback, and keep morale high.
What We're Looking For
- Proven experience as a Duty Manager, Assistant Manager, Bar Manager, Restaurant Supervisor or similar in a busy pub, bar or restaurant.
- Restaurant and food service experience — running sections, managing covers and keeping front of house and kitchen singing from the same hymn sheet.
- A solid grasp of food safety and hygiene regulations (Level 2 or equivalent, or willingness to complete it).
- Natural leadership skills, with a knack for motivating a diverse team on a busy night.
- Confidence running a shift solo — opening, closing, cash handling and problem-solving on the spot.
- A cool head under pressure. When the pub's packed and the band's about to go on, you're in your element.
- Flexibility across evenings, weekends and our peak event periods — the busiest dates in the calendar are the ones that matter most.
- Cellar management experience is a big plus, as is a personal licence (or the appetite to get one — we'll support you).
- Brilliant communication skills — you can talk to regulars, suppliers, wedding parties, the kitchen and the door team with equal ease.
- A genuine passion for proper hospitality and making people happy.
Where This Could Take You
This isn't a dead-end shift-cover job. We're an independent, growing pub company with ambitions well beyond our current sites, and we'd far rather build our next General Manager than advertise for one.
For the right person, the path from here looks like:
Duty Manager → Assistant Manager → Deputy General Manager → General Manager
We'll invest in you along the way — personal licence, food safety, cellar and beer quality training, and real responsibility for stock, rotas, GP and event delivery, so you're genuinely ready when the next opportunity comes up rather than being thrown in at the deep end.
If you're ambitious and you show us what you can do, we'll back you.
What You'll Get
- A supportive, fun team that genuinely looks out for each other.
- Genuine progression in a growing independent business.
- Funded training and support — personal licence, food safety and beyond.
- Staff discount, tips, and a front-row seat to the best atmosphere in Castle Donington.
Join us at The Castle Inn and help us keep the good times rolling. We can't wait to welcome someone new who loves pub life as much as we do!
Job Type: Full-time
Pay: £12.71-£13.71 per hour
Benefits:
- Discounted or free food
- Employee discount
- Free parking
Experience:
- Supervising experience: 2 years (required)
- Restaurant management: 1 year (preferred)
- Hospitality: 2 years (required)
- Management: 1 year (preferred)
Licence/Certification:
- Driving Licence (preferred)
Work Location: In person
