Assistant Bars Manager
Who are we?
We are Manchester Students’ Union, the biggest SU in the country, supporting over 48,000 students throughout their time at university. We help to make student life the best it can be by supporting students to campaign for change, creating opportunities to meet new people, providing employment opportunities, providing advice and support and being a safe place on campus.
We are a values-centred organisation that employs around 90 permanent, full-time members of staff. We recruit a wide range of roles throughout the year within all our departments from our Commercial team operating Manchester Academy Venues, 13 Media, Bar 532 & Kitchen and Corridor Coffee to our Student Activities, Student Engagement, Marketing and Communications, Finance, HR and Facilities teams. Our team of around 400 part-time, studying staff are instrumental in providing to support to all departments as well as leading major projects like Student Angels. When you join UMSU, you’ll be immersed in an environment that empowers staff to make great things happen and we're always on the lookout for innovative, passionate, and proactive people to join us.
Our values are really important to us and shape the work that we do every day. As part of our recruitment process, we want you to demonstrate how your experiences, behaviours and skills align with our values. You can find more detailed explanations of our values on our website.
About the role
The University of Manchester Students’ Union and Manchester Academy Venues form a unique organisation. We help people create memories that last a lifetime. With 48,000 students we’re one of the largest Students’ Unions in the country. We have a fantastic programme of events that attract over 350,000 people a year and we strive to create an incredible experience for every one of our visitors.
We’re looking for an Assistant Bars Manager who is passionate about delivering excellent day‑to‑day bar operations and leading teams in a fast‑paced, high‑energy hospitality environment. This role plays a key part in ensuring our venues run smoothly, safely and efficiently, while consistently delivering a great customer experience. You’ll work closely with experienced colleagues and be supported to build confidence in this area as part of your progression. You’ll play an important part in supporting sales and events at 532 Bar & Kitchen, contributing to the planning and delivery of activity that enhances the guest experience and drives venue performance. Alongside strong operational leadership, the role provides scope to grow confidence in commercial and event delivery, supported through collaborative working and on‑the‑job development.
You’ll help oversee high‑volume evening trading across our venues, support special events and pre‑bookings, and contribute ideas that improve how our spaces are used and experienced by students and visitors alike. This is a brilliant opportunity for someone who enjoys being hands‑on, thrives in live service environments, and wants to grow into broader commercial responsibilities.
We’re looking for someone who is proactive, organised and positive, with strong attention to detail and the ability to lead by example. You’ll support and motivate a diverse, enthusiastic team and play an active part in creating a welcoming workplace culture. If you’re ambitious to keep learning and improving, we’ll invest in your development throughout your career with us.
Please read the full role profile before applying, as well as our guide to recruitment.
Details
Salary: £27,013 - £30,237 per year
Contract: Permanent, full-time
Hours: 37.5 Hours per Week – annualised hours, predominantly evenings & weekends
Our Reward Package
You'll get access to our reward package which you can see here.
Recruitment Guide
We have a guide that explains our full recruitment process. We recommend reading through this before beginning an application.
If you are invited to interview with us, we will share our interview questions in advance so you can prepare your responses. We’re more interested in hearing about your experiences and ideas than in testing your memory, and so we want you to feel as prepared as possible.
AI Use
GenAI tools, like ChatGPT, are revolutionising how we approach a whole host of tasks at work. As a future-focused employer, we believe in embracing, not banning, these tools. However, as with all tech, some ways of using it are better than others. You can use GenAI to refine and articulate your ideas. It’s a tool to help structure your thoughts and improve clarity, not to replace your unique voice and experiences. Please don’t just copy and paste what AI tells you to write.
We recommend you read our guide on how to approach the use of AI within our recruitment process:
Inclusivity and Accessibility
We are committed to equality of opportunity, and we work hard to ensure we appoint based on skill and values.
We particularly encourage applications from Disabled or Black, Black British, Black Welsh, Caribbean or African candidates as these groups are currently underrepresented in our staff team.
If you have any accessibility requirements or require adjustments to support you to apply to work with us, please get in touch. We can offer reasonable adjustments at all stages of our recruitment process.
We are proud to be a Disability Confident employer. Under this scheme, we aim to offer an interview to candidates who declare a disability and meet the minimum essential criteria for the role. Minimum criteria are marked with an asterisk on the person specification. However, during periods of exceptionally high application volumes or peak recruitment times (i.e. July, August and September), it may not always be possible to guarantee an interview for every eligible candidate. In such cases, we will take steps to ensure that the process remains fair, consistent, and inclusive.
Recruitment Timeline
Applications opened: 29/04/2026
Applications close: 31/05/2026 23:59 pm
Interviews:10/06/26 & 12/06/26
Role Commencing: TBD
We may close applications early if we receive a high volume of applications. We recommend that you apply as soon as possible to avoid disappointment. Once the vacancy has closed, we’re unable to accept late applications to ensure a fair process for all candidates.
Contact
People Team:
You can contact the People Team with any questions regarding this vacancy or our recruitment process.
Email: jobs.su@manchester.ac.uk
Phone: 0161 306 3279
Hiring Manager: Harriet Wray
You can contact the hiring manager with any questions regarding this vacancy or our recruitment process.
Email: harriet.wray@manchester.ac.uk