BAR MANAGER - XOYO Birmingham

Venue: XOYO Birmingham

Reports to: General Manager

Working hours: Full-time

Salary range: £30,000 to £32,000 per annum

Our venue XOYO Birmingham is one of the UK’s leading nightlife and live events venues, delivering high-volume club nights, live shows and premium events at serious scale. This role offers genuine ownership of bar performance within a fast-paced, commercially driven environment. You’ll have the autonomy to shape bar strategy, layouts, staffing models and product mix across a diverse events programme, working closely with promoters, brands and senior venue teams. Supported by an experienced management and head office structure, this is a rare opportunity to make a visible commercial impact and progress within a nationally recognised venue group.

The role The Bars Manager is a key member of the management team, working collaboratively with the rest of the venue management and head office teams, security, technical teams, promoters, suppliers and external contractors. The Bars Manager will lead, inspire and develop an exceptional bar management and front-of-house team.

About you

• Essential:
• Personal Licence Holder
• Proven experience as a Bars Manager or senior bar leader in high-volume hospitality, nightlife or live events
• Proven experience in stock control
• Strong financial acumen, including GP, labour control and stock analysis
• Cellar management knowledge
• Confident user of EPOS, reporting systems and Microsoft Office
• Strong understanding of licensing, health & safety and compliance
• Demonstrable success in driving bar sales, yield and profitability
• Duty management experience
• Qualifications in food hygiene
• Desirable:
• Experience in large events or venues
• Experience leading large, fast-paced teams
• Commercial mindset with evidence of innovation and growth

What we need

• Strong commercial ownership of bar performance, sales and profitability
• The ability to design smart, event-specific bar strategies, layouts and staffing models
• A confident, motivating leader with proven coaching and performance management skills
• Comfortable using data and reporting to inform decisions and drive improvement
• Highly organised, with strong communication skills and attention to detail
• Experience setting and managing effective stocking strategies and policies
• Flexible and resilient, with the ability to thrive in a demanding live events environment with irregular hours

What you’ll be doing

• Take full ownership of bar operations across live events, club nights, corporate, rooftop and pop-up events
• Lead, motivate and develop large bar, supervisor and front-of-house teams
• Drive bar performance, sales, yield and profitability across a diverse events programme
• Design efficient bar layouts, service flows and staffing models to maximise speed, safety and revenue
• Plan and deliver strong pre-event briefings, setting clear standards, targets and expectations
• Forecasting, rotas and labour control in line with budgets
• Manage cost of sales, GP%, yield, wastage and stock variance
• Produce clear monthly performance and financial reports
• Responsible for stock control, ordering, deliveries and weekly stocktakes
• Build strong relationships with suppliers, brands, promoters and internal teams
• Deliver a consistently high guest experience, including VIP and premium service
• Act as Duty Manager when required
• Oversee cellar operations, including line cleaning, gas safety and equipment maintenance
• Ensure bar systems and processes are accurate, robust and audit-ready
• Maintain the highest standards of cleanliness, presentation and hygiene
• Ensure full compliance with licensing law, Challenge 25, health & safety and initiatives such as Ask for Angela

Equal opportunities Propaganda Venues is committed to creating an inclusive workplace. We welcome applications from people of all backgrounds, regardless of gender, race, sexual orientation, religion, age, disability or caring responsibilities.

Reality check This is a demanding leadership role in a fast-paced live events environment, with long and unsociable hours. In return, you’ll have the opportunity to take real ownership of bar operations at a globally recognised venue, with visible commercial impact and clear progression potential.

Propaganda Independent Venues is a collection of iconic venues owned and run by music fans, for music fans. We’re the proud owners of XOYO Birmingham, Tramshed and The Globe in Cardiff, and London’s legendary Camden Assembly. Proudly independent, we’re dedicated to protecting and preserving grassroots venues and keeping live music thriving across the UK. We believe in the power of community, connecting fans, artists, and promoters through a shared love of music and we strive to deliver unforgettable experiences for everyone who walks through our doors. We’re passionate about supporting local artists and businesses, ensuring our venues remain creative cultural hubs at the heart of their communities. Guided by a fair, artist-first ethos, we operate a fairer ticketing model and never charge merch fees that benefits both artists and fans. We’re inclusive and want everyone to feel welcome in our venues. We want you to love them as much as we do and to create shared memories through the power of live music.