Hospitality Manager in London

Why work at Howden? We have always been employee‑owned and driven by entrepreneurial spirit. Right from the beginning, we’ve focused on employing talented individuals and empowering them to make a real difference to the company, whilst building successful and fulfilling careers at the same time. Simply put, we hire talented specialists and give them what they need to make a difference for clients. Always have, always will.

People join Howden for many different reasons, but they stay for the same one: our culture. It’s what sets us apart, and the reason our employees have been turning down disappointed head‑hunters for years. Whatever your priorities – work/life balance, career progression, sustainability, volunteering – you’ll find like‑minded people driving change at Howden.

What is the role? The Hospitality Manager will oversee the day‑to‑day delivery of hospitality services across internal and executive floors, ensuring seamless operations, high service standards, and team coordination. This role is pivotal in maintaining Howden's reputation for excellence in client service and internal support. This is a great opportunity for an experienced support manager who thrives in a busy and developing environment. In this role, you will also be a strong support for the Head of Hospitality.

What will you be doing?

• Deputy to the Head of Hospitality, leading and supporting a team of Hospitality Assistants and Hospitality Coordinator
• Take the lead during Head of Hospitality's periods of absence
• Ensure all hospitality services are delivered in line with SOPs and Howden brand standards
• Manage the day‑to‑day performance and conduct of the Hospitality team, dealing quickly and professionally with any issues that arise
• Conduct monthly team meetings
• Conduct performance reviews and one‑to‑ones – ensuring constructive and timely feedback is provided to improve productivity
• Organise and supervise shifts, manage the staff rotas to ensure that staff are well supported whilst ensuring all client events are fully staffed
• Ensure employees are trained on appropriate customer service practices, uniformed, and briefed for each shift
• Support recruitment, onboarding, and development of team members
• First point of contact for absence reporting and responsible for reviewing and approving all team annual leave
• Ensure unplanned absences are reported to Head of Hospitality in a timely manner so adequate resourcing can be secured to meet business need
• Work with Head of Hospitality to ensure all SOPs are updated and amended accordingly
• Implement policies and protocols that will deliver high quality service levels
• Ensure the team offers all client guests refreshments and support for their meeting, regardless of which floor they are being served on
• Provide concierge‑level service for executive meetings and VIP guests
• Oversee fine dining service and manage last‑minute requests with discretion and efficiency
• Act as point of contact for client‑facing hospitality queries and feedback
• Maintain accurate records for training, appraisals, and operational reporting
• Work with Head of Hospitality to contribute to service improvement initiatives
• Ensure adherence to food safety, hygiene, and health & safety regulations
• Ensure that all policies and procedural requirements of both legislation and company are being adhered to, to always promote a professional and forward approach
• Work with the Hospitality Coordinator and Events team to ensure smooth running of events with the appropriate staff
• Liaise with Logistics manager regarding event set up and requirements
• Support the successful day‑to‑day operation of the Fine dining function, focusing on delivering exceptional customer service and maintaining high standards of quality and efficiency
• Ownership of making sure daily/weekly menus are printed and presented in the correct format, correctly showing allergenics and dietary requirements
• Work with Hospitality Coordinator to ensure all training is current and delivered in a professional timely manner
• Liaise with Boki staff regarding any requirements
• To carry out any other reasonable requests from management

You will be required to be flexible as to working early mornings, late evenings and occasional weekends to support a high‑quality service delivery, including fine dining and events as required by business need.

What are we looking for?

• 3 years minimum experience as a Hospitality Manager or similar within a corporate or fine dining environment
• Experience as a Fine dining manager with Maître de experience
• Understanding of industry best practices, regulations, and trends
• Proven track record of strong leadership, motivational and people skills
• Excellent attention to detail and customer service orientation
• Confident communicator with strong interpersonal skills
• Organised, proactive and self‑motivated
• Ability to work under pressure and manage multiple priorities, adapting quickly to changing requirements
• Knowledge of food hygiene regulations and hospitality compliance standards

What do we offer in return? A career that you define. Our business succeeds by allowing our people to make a mark in the areas they care about most: personal development, volunteering, and fundraising for charity, or creating new insurance products that address society's greatest challenges. And we know that separate home and work lives don’t really exist. If you’re happy and healthy at home, you’re more likely to be happy and fulfilled at work – and vice versa. That’s why we do our best to support our people in every aspect of their lives.

Diversity and Inclusion At Howden we value diversity – there is no one Howden 'personality type'. Instead, we’re looking for individuals who share the same values as us:

• Our successes have all come from someone brave enough to try something new
• We support each other, in the small everyday moments and the bigger challenges
• We are determined to make a positive difference, at work and beyond
• We consider our people our chief competitive advantage and as such we treat colleagues, candidates, clients, and business partners with equality, fairness, and respect – regardless of age, disability, race, religion or belief, gender, sexual orientation, marital status, or family circumstances.

Our sustainability promise We’re on a life‑long journey to become an ever‑more sustainable group. It’s a commitment to taking care of our people and the world we live in, to doing good business, and to making a positive impact wherever we can. Our governance processes, company policies, and review systems are all geared towards our goal of making a positive impact in the world.