The Commercial Operations & Compliance Manager is a key leadership role within Commercial Services, responsible for the day-to-day operational management of the Students' Union's commercial portfolio.
Reporting to the Head of Commercial Services, you will provide leadership across hospitality operations, ensuring services are delivered safely, efficiently, and in compliance with all relevant legislation, policies, and procedures.
You will
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lead on operational compliance, including Health & Safety, Food Safety, Licensing, and operational assurance, whilst supporting the delivery of financial and operational objectives.
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be responsible for maintaining high operational standards, developing teams, managing risk, and ensuring an excellent customer experience across the commercial operation.
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provide line management and support to the Licensed Trade Manager and work closely with colleagues across the Students' Union and University to support the successful delivery of Commercial Services.
This role plays a critical part in ensuring the Students' Union's commercial operations remain compliant, financially sustainable, and well-positioned to support future growth and development.
We are looking for an experienced operational leader who can balance strong compliance oversight with a passion for delivering excellent customer experiences.
You will
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have a track record of successfully managing hospitality, catering, licensed trade, or customer-facing commercial operations and be comfortable leading teams in a fast-paced environment.
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be someone who enjoys improving standards, developing people, and creating efficient, well-run operations.
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be confident working across a broad range of responsibilities, from operational planning and financial performance through to Health & Safety, Food Safety, and Licensing compliance.
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have excellent organisational and communication skills and be able to build strong working relationships with colleagues, stakeholders, and external partners.
Most importantly, you will be a proactive problem-solver who takes ownership, leads by example, and is committed to continuous improvement.
This role would suit someone looking to take the next step in their operational leadership career, or an experienced manager seeking a broader role with responsibility for compliance, people management, and operational performance within a diverse commercial environment.
For an informal discussion about the role please contact Polly Hawker, Director of Student Life at [email protected].
We consider ourselves to be a university where difference is celebrated, respected and encouraged. We have an excellent international reputation with staff from over 60 different nations and have made a positive commitment towards gender equity and intersectionality receiving a Silver Athena SWAN award. We truly believe that diversity of experience, perspectives, and backgrounds will lead to a better environment for our employees and students and encourage applications from all genders, backgrounds, and communities, particularly from under-represented groups, and value the positive impact that will have on the university. We are committed to maintaining a safe and secure environment for our students, staff, and community by reinforcing our Safer Recruitment commitment.
We're very proud to be a signatory of the Armed Forces Covenant. an accredited Disability Confident Leader; autism friendly university, committed to building disability confidence and supporting disabled staff.
We're continually expanding our benefits package to better support you and enhance your experience with us and the below is just an example of some of the many great benefits we offer:
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Generous annual leave allowance with an additional 5 discretionary days so that you can enjoy a positive work life balance
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Generous employer contributory pension schemes
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Cycle to work scheme
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Electric vehicle salary sacrifice scheme
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Staff discount at Team Bath gym
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Staff benefits include discounted postgraduate tuition and language courses, alongside a wide range of personal and professional development opportunities such as apprenticeships, LinkedIn Learning, and more
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Local discounts, including free entry to the Holburne Museum in Bath
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A family-friendly workplace
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An excellent reward package that recognises the talents of our diverse workforce
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Relocation allowance
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Visa reimbursement and Interest-Free Loan to help with the cost of some immigration expenses
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Employee assistance services through Health Assured, including access to the Wisdom app
Find out more about our benefits hear from our staff about what makes the University of Bath a great place to work as well as following us X and LinkedIn.
We’re committed to creating a health-supporting working environment where everyone can thrive and be at their best. We offer a range of resources to enable you to do that from your first day here, including:
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Staff support groups and networks
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A network of Staff Wellbeing Champions
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A suite of tools, resources and frameworks that enable you to be at your best and thrive
Find out more about being at your best at Bath.
- Job Description & Person Specification
Right to Work in the UK: We do not assess immigration or right to work status until offer stage. Being invited to interview does not guarantee you are eligible for visa sponsorship and all offers are conditional on meeting right to work requirements. Further information is available on our application support webpage.
Anonymous shortlisting: We are constantly seeking to reduce the unconscious bias that enters any assessment process, with the goal of creating an inclusive and equal assessment process. To support this, personal details such as your name, may be removed from application forms at the initial shortlisting stage.
