ASSISTANT CATERING & EVENTS MANAGER

We are looking to appoint an Assistant Catering & Events Manager to join our Visitor Experience team.

About the Organisation 

Shakespeare North Playhouse, ‘Theatre Building of the year 2023’ is a unique new arts venue, which opened in the summer of 2022. It presents a vibrant contemporary cultural and learning programme featuring home co-produced and visiting performances, as well as comedy, music, community work, hire and events and a range of education and training activities. 

The Shakespeare North Trust (SNT) is the Charitable organisation which is the operator of Shakespeare North Playhouse. The Trust also has two wholly owned subsidiaries within the Group structure. The subsidiaries are limited companies. 

Our Vision: “Inspired by Shakespeare. Bringing Joy: Together, we tell stories that feel like our own, that change the way we see the world – opening doors, inviting debate, inspiring a love of learning, and bringing joy to this place; Our Shakespeare North Playhouse.” 

Our Mission – The Big Goal: “We share world-class theatre, activities and conversations inspired by Shakespeare and relevant to all of us.” 

Our Promise: At Shakespeare North Playhouse we commit to being ‘Bold and Brave’. It is a promise we make to each other internally as a team, to our visitors, patrons, and partners, and to all our artists and makers as we all come together to create a wonderful place. 

Our Values and Behaviours: The organisational values define Shakespeare North Playhouse. They create a framework for the way in which the organisation wishes to achieve the vision and objectives. The team are firm in the belief that what is achieved is only half of the plan, as how success is attained is of equal importance. It is critical that there is a framework of how people will thrive together, as a team, with partners, visitors, and audience. 

Innovative – Honest – Collaborative – Creative 

Equal – Supportive – Accountable – Useful 

Place of Work 

Shakespeare North Playhouse in Prescot, Knowsley. 

Role Overview 

The Assistant Catering & Events Manager plays a key role in delivering exceptional hospitality and events at Shakespeare North Playhouse. 

Working closely with the Visitor Experience Manager: Commercial and Head Chef, you will ensure smooth day-to-day operations of the Shakespeare North Bar & Kitchen and venue hires, maintaining high standards of service, efficiency, and customer care. 

This will be a hands-on role working within a small, collaborative team in a varied and fast-paced environment. 

Reporting relationships  

The Assistant Catering & Events Manager will report to Visitor Experience Manager: Commercial and be responsible for on-shift management of Catering & Events Assistants. They will work closely with the wider Visitor Experience Management team and the Head of Visitor Experience & Operations.  

Salary and Hours of Work  

The hours of work will be contracted as 24 hours per week, but the jobholder will be expected to exercise flexibility based on the needs of the venue. . It is likely that the hours will be spread across 3 working days. Availability to work evenings and weekends is essential.  

Salary will be circa £16,473 per annum (£27,455 full time equivalent), depending on skills and experience.  

Key responsibilities: 

Event Delivery 

• Work closely with the Visitor Experience Manager: Commercial and Events & Hires Manager to deliver an exceptionally high standard of events such as corporate functions, award ceremonies, weddings and conferences. 
• Provide friendly, professional and efficient customer service that embodies the values and behaviours of Shakespeare North Playhouse. 
• Take responsibility for allocated events, ensuring all aspects of the event are delivered to an outstanding standard. 
• Prepare and deliver thorough briefings for events teams. 

Catering & Hospitality 

• Supervise the Catering & Events Team to deliver a seamless experience across our bars, sales points and Shakespeare North Bar & Kitchen. 
• Lead pre-theatre dinner services, reviewing bookings and sales numbers and briefing teams. 
• Constantly strive to maximise income through creative food and drink management and the merchandising of products. 
• Monitor stock levels 
• Undertake the day-to-day administration of catering areas, such as cash reconciliation and completing event reports. 
• Ensure compliance with all food hygiene and other associated legislation. 
• Proactively anticipate issues and resolve complaints, escalating where necessary. 

Team Leadership 

• Train and motivate the Catering & Events Assistants to deliver an outstanding visitor experience. 
• Manage performance and address issues relating to conduct, attendance and punctuality, escalating to Visitor Experience Manager: Commercial where appropriate. 
• Allocate and distribute staffing resources effectively during shifts, ensuring all tasks are performed on time and to an exceptional standard. 
• Ensure team members on duty comply with company policies and procedures, particularly relating to cash handling and health and safety. 

General 

• Understand and be knowledgeable on the venue’s programme of activities and performances. 
• Support Visitor Experience Manager: Commercial with the monthly stocktaking procedures. 
• Along with the Visitor Experience Manager: Commercial, ensure that the EPOS system and linked stock control system are up to date and all deliveries are logged correctly. 
• Act as a key holder for the venue and act as Duty Manager/Incident Controller as required. 

This job description is intended as a guide to the duties expected of the post-holder. These duties may be reviewed from time to time to meet the needs of the business. 

 Skills and Experience 

• Proven track record at management or supervisory level in a successful restaurant, conferencing or events environment. 
• Experience managing event delivery (such as buffets, drink receptions etc). 
• Previous experience managing or supervising teams within a busy, high-profile environment to maximise sales and consistently achieve targets. 
• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills. 
• A strong understanding of food and beverage and the serving of alcohol. 
• Hold a minimum of Food Hygiene Level 2 certification. 
• Have a meticulous attention to detail to ensure consistent standards across the offer. 
• Excellent time management. 
• Creative problem solver and confident decision maker. 
• Ability to work flexibly, including evenings and weekends. 

How to Apply 

If having reviewed the job description and information about the Shakespeare North Playhouse you consider yourself to be a good fit for this role, please email a CV, a cover letter of application and completed equal opportunities form to [email protected] 

The cover letter of application should be of no more than 2 sides of A4 addressing how your experience matches the role description, why you are interested in the role and why you think your skills and experience would make you a good candidate. Alternatively, you may submit a video/audio file of no more than 10 minutes in length. You can do this via WeTransfer or an alternative file transfer service.  

The closing date for applications is Wednesday 14th January 2026. 

Diverse representation 

We encourage and welcome applications from people whose background and experience are under-represented in the cultural sector. We are committed to inclusive working practices and understand there may be barriers people face when considering an opportunity like this. If you are interested in applying for this role but feel there are things that may prevent you from getting involved, please get in touch and let us know how we can support you in making your application and throughout the selection process. 

Equality Monitoring 

As part of your application, please make sure to fill out the Equal Opportunities Monitoring Form . The information you provide will not impact on the consideration of your application and will be used solely for the purpose of monitoring. 

Data Protection 

Information provided by you as part of your application will be used in the recruitment process. Any data about you will be held securely with access restricted to those involved in dealing with your application in the recruitment process. Once the process is completed the data relating to unsuccessful applicants will be stored for a maximum of 6 months and then destroyed. If you are the successful candidate, your application will be retained and form the basis of your personnel record. By submitting your application, you are giving your consent to your data being stored and processed for the purpose of the recruitment process, equal opportunities monitoring and your personnel record if you are the successful candidate. In submitting your application, we will assume that consent by you is given. We refer you to Shakespeare North’s job applicant privacy notice which you should read before applying for this role. 

If you have any questions or would like to have an informal conversation about the role before applying, please contact us via email at [email protected] 

This job description is intended as a guide to the duties expected of the post-holder. These duties may be reviewed from time to time to meet the needs of the business. 

This job description is not contractual.