Venue Manager – pour.Ruddington, Nottinghamshire | £31,000–£33,000 per annum, depending on experience | Full-time, 40 hours per week
At pour., we’re more than just a wine bar. We’re an independent café, wine bar and craft beer venue built around great wine, craft beer, speciality coffee, good food and genuinely warm hospitality.
We’re proud of the community and team we’ve built and are looking for a hands-on Venue Manager who wants to become a big part of its future.
This is a working management role. You’ll be on the floor and behind the bar alongside the team, while taking real ownership of the day-to-day operation of the venue.
We’re hands-on owners and live locally, but we need someone we can trust to run pour. confidently and independently when we’re not there — including periods when we’re away. You’ll need to be comfortable being the responsible person on site, making decisions, handling issues and ensuring the venue runs smoothly without an owner present.
Regular Friday and Saturday evening availability is essential for this role.The Role
You’ll take ownership of the smooth day-to-day running of pour., including:
· Leading shifts and setting the standard for excellent, relaxed and knowledgeable customer service
· Managing and supporting our existing team, leading by example
· Taking responsibility for the venue when the owners are not present, including periods when we’re away
· Planning ahead to ensure staffing, stock, events and operational requirements are fully prepared
· Creating and managing staff rotas
· Acting as the first point of contact for day-to-day staffing matters, including sickness absence and arranging appropriate shift cover
· Making confident operational decisions and resolving customer, team or venue issues calmly and professionally
· Opening and closing the venue, including cash handling, cashing up and end-of-day checks
· Lone working when required
· Maintaining high standards of cleanliness, presentation, food safety, health & safety and compliance across the bar, café, tasting room and outside areas
· Carrying out stocktakes, managing stock levels and maintaining accurate stock records
· Placing supplier orders and receiving and checking deliveries
· Using our EPOS back office to maintain products, pricing and stock information and access reporting
· Managing our events diary and table booking systems
· Preparing and serving food, including our charcuterie and cheese boards
· Making and serving high-quality coffee
· Serving wine, craft beer and other drinks confidently
· Changing kegs, cleaning draught lines and maintaining bar and cellar equipment
· Managing online orders, collections and click-and-collect
· Working with the owners on the planning of tastings and events, then taking responsibility for their operational delivery — including staffing, stock, setup, timings and ensuring everything is ready for guests
· Creating and posting engaging social media content in the pour. tone of voice
· Continually looking for opportunities to improve the customer experience, team performance and operation of the venue
About You
You’re someone who enjoys being the person others rely on. You’re organised, calm under pressure and naturally think several steps ahead. You don’t wait to be told what needs doing — you notice it, take ownership and see it through.
You’ll ideally have:
· Previous management, assistant management or strong supervisory experience within a bar, café or similar hospitality environment
· Barista skills and confidence working a coffee machine during service
· Experience working behind a bar and with draught beer systems
· Experience changing kegs and cleaning draught lines
· Food service experience and good kitchen awareness
· Experience with stock control, stocktakes and ordering
· Experience opening, closing and cashing up
· Confidence using EPOS systems and associated back-office functions
· Good general IT skills and confidence learning and managing the systems we use
· Level 2 Food Hygiene desirable
· A love of wine or a keen interest in learning more
· An appreciation of great craft beer, coffee and independent producers
· Excellent organisational skills and attention to detail
· Confidence taking responsibility for the venue without an owner on site
· Good judgement and the ability to deal calmly with unexpected situations
· A proactive approach to problem solving and getting things done
· Comfortable creating and contributing to social media content
· A positive, collaborative and approachable leadership style
You don’t need formal wine qualifications or encyclopaedic wine knowledge. What matters to us is a genuine love of wine or a keen interest in developing your knowledge — and we’re very happy to help you do that.
We’ve worked hard to build a friendly, supportive team culture at pour. We’re looking for someone who wants to work with a great team, support and develop them and become a trusted part of the business — not simply turn up and manage a shift.
Hours & Availability
· This is a full-time salaried role working 40 hours per week across a mixture of daytime, evening and weekend shifts.
· Regular Friday and Saturday evening shifts are a standard requirement
· Regular weekend working is required
· Shifts may include starts from 8:30am and finishes up to approximately 10:30pm
· Flexibility will be required around events, holidays and the needs of the business
Salary & Benefits
· £31,000–£33,000 per annum, depending on experience
· Share of staff tips
· Workplace pension through auto-enrolment
· 10% staff discount on purchases
· Ongoing opportunities to develop your knowledge of wine, beer and coffee
· Opportunity to play a meaningful role in shaping and growing an ambitious independent business
· Supportive, hands-on owners who value ideas, initiative and high standards
· Friendly, established team and community-focused venue
Location: pour., Ruddington, Nottinghamshire
Reports to: Owners
How to Apply
Please email [email protected] with your CV and a few brief words on why you’d like to work at pour.
pour. is proud to be an inclusive employer. We welcome applications from people of all backgrounds and are committed to creating a workplace where everyone feels valued, respected and able to thrive.
Pay: £31,000.00-£33,000.00 per year
Benefits:
Work Location: In person
