At a Glance
- Tasks: Lead live-music venues, turning brand strategies into vibrant realities.
- Company: Dynamic entertainment company focused on innovation and guest experience.
- Benefits: Competitive salary, quarterly bonuses, private medical, and growth opportunities.
- Why this job: Shape the future of nightlife while fostering a culture of creativity and bold leadership.
- Qualifications: Experience in multi-site management and a passion for live music and entertainment.
- Other info: Join a team that values diversity and celebrates innovation in a lively environment.
The predicted salary is between 60000 - 84000 ÂŁ per year.
As Operations Manager, you’ll be the brand in motion; the person who turns strategy decks and brand ambitions into living, breathing, nightly reality. You’ll lead a portfolio of live-music and entertainment-led venues, championing operational performance, culture, and guest experience while also shaping how our brands evolve in the real world.
You’ll be a key architect in Nightcap’s growth story: brand flips, new site rollouts, investment projects, programming formats, and concept evolutions will all sit inside your orbit. You’ll collaborate with Brand Marketing on development work, not to own brand direction, but to ensure ideas are operationally executable, commercially intelligent, scalable, and thrilling to guests. You’ll become a custodian of brand standards, seeing them as a living document rather than a rulebook, and adapting them in partnership with central teams as we learn, grow, and try new things.
You’ll create the conditions for brave leadership: boldness without recklessness, experimentation with accountability, a willingness to try new things and a commitment to learning what worked (or didn’t). With you in the mix, our venues won’t just operate well… they’ll feel alive.
Responsibilities- Translate brand propositions into operational reality; ensure teams know not just what to do, but why it matters.
- Partner with Brand Marketing to test, refine and operationalise brand evolutions, campaigns, menus, identity pieces and in-venue activations.
- Own and evolve the Brand Standards Playbook, ensuring operational feasibility, consistent execution, and continual refresh as the brand matures.
- Act as an early voice of real-world feedback into brand decisions: what works in venues, what needs refinement, what could be next.
- Be a first mover on new brand formats and activations, piloting concepts, reviewing success, documenting learnings and scaling wins.
- Lead operations delivery for brand flips, refurbishments and new openings: systems live, brand training, standards adoption and commercial readiness on day one.
- Input operational architecture into design, layout, tech setup, programme flow and service models to ensure launch success.
- Build opening teams with confidence, capability and pride in the brand; support GMs to sustain momentum beyond the first 60 days.
- Curate guest experiences that feel energetic, seamless and unmistakably “us”; protect the feel of the brand, not just the mechanics.
- Champion live music programming/creative formats that elevate audience connection and commercial return.
- Drive experience consistency while empowering local teams to explore calibrated creativity that fits their city and crowd.
- Lead General Managers with clarity, direction and inspiration; make bold expectations feel exciting, not daunting.
- Foster a culture where innovation is celebrated, failures are debriefed not punished, and learning is the currency.
- Create confident leaders who can deliver the night without constant escalation.
- Discover trading opportunities by reading data like a compass: labour deployment, programming ROI, guest patterns, and audience segmentation.
- Align operational decisions to commercial outcomes; help teams understand how magic on the floor translates to the P&L.
- Work cross-functionally with Sales, Marketing, People, Compliance, Finance and Technical to remove barriers, not add process.
- This role is for someone who builds not just runs; you want to shape brands, not just protect them.
- Thinks like a creative operator: imaginative but grounded in reality.
- Sees the venue as a stage, a business, and a heartbeat - all at once.
- Enjoys trying before perfecting, iterating with purpose and courage.
- Knows when to take a swing and when to anchor in fundamentals.
- Values diversity of crowds, ideas, music and leadership styles.
- Is energised by culture, nightlife and the alchemy of great teams.
- Previous multi-site management experience in a late-night, live music, or entertainment-led bar/venue environment (essential).
- Demonstrable experience delivering commercial growth across multiple P&Ls.
- Experience supporting or leading venue openings, rebrands or investment projects (preferred).
- Strong remote leadership of General Managers and senior site leaders.
- Comfortable with data, reporting and KPI-driven performance management.
- Confident in licensing law, compliance, venue security frameworks and safe-guarding best practice.
- Commercially curious with a creative streak; spots opportunities others miss.
Operations Managers employer: Nightcap
Contact Detail:
Nightcap Recruiting Team
StudySmarter Expert Advice 🤫
We think this is how you could land Operations Managers
✨Tip Number 1
Network like a pro! Get out there and connect with people in the industry. Attend events, join relevant groups on social media, and don’t be shy to reach out to folks on LinkedIn. You never know who might have the inside scoop on your dream Operations Manager role!
✨Tip Number 2
Showcase your experience! When you get the chance to chat with potential employers, highlight your past successes in managing venues or leading teams. Use specific examples that demonstrate how you’ve driven growth and created memorable guest experiences.
✨Tip Number 3
Be ready to adapt! The live music and entertainment scene is always changing, so show that you can think on your feet. Share stories of how you’ve successfully navigated challenges or implemented new ideas in previous roles to keep things fresh and exciting.
✨Tip Number 4
Apply through our website! We love seeing candidates who are genuinely interested in our brand. Make sure to tailor your application to reflect how you can bring our vision to life as an Operations Manager. Let’s make some magic happen together!
We think you need these skills to ace Operations Managers
Some tips for your application 🫡
Show Your Passion for Live Music: When you're writing your application, let your love for live music and entertainment shine through. We want to see how you connect with the vibe of our venues and how you can bring that energy into your role as Operations Manager.
Be Specific About Your Experience: Don’t just list your previous roles; tell us about specific projects or challenges you've tackled in multi-site management. We’re keen to hear how you’ve driven growth and created memorable guest experiences in similar environments.
Highlight Your Leadership Style: We’re looking for someone who can inspire and lead teams with clarity. Share examples of how you've fostered a culture of innovation and accountability in your past roles. Show us how you can create confident leaders in our venues!
Tailor Your Application to Us: Make sure your application reflects our brand and values. Use our language and demonstrate how you can translate our brand ambitions into operational reality. Remember, applying through our website is the best way to get noticed!
How to prepare for a job interview at Nightcap
✨Know the Brand Inside Out
Before your interview, dive deep into the brand's identity and values. Understand their recent campaigns, venue concepts, and how they engage with guests. This knowledge will help you articulate how you can translate their brand propositions into operational reality.
✨Showcase Your Leadership Style
Be ready to discuss your approach to leadership and how you inspire teams. Share examples of how you've fostered a culture of innovation and accountability in previous roles. Highlighting your ability to lead General Managers and create confident leaders will resonate well.
✨Demonstrate Commercial Acumen
Prepare to discuss how you've driven commercial growth in past positions. Bring specific examples of how you've used data to inform decisions and improve performance. Showing that you can align operational decisions with commercial outcomes will set you apart.
✨Emphasise Adaptability and Creativity
This role requires someone who can think creatively while being grounded in reality. Be prepared to share instances where you've successfully piloted new concepts or adapted strategies based on real-world feedback. Your willingness to experiment and learn from failures will be key.