Job Introduction
We are Company of Cooks, and we believe brilliant food and drink starts with brilliant people. For over 25 years, we’ve been part of some of the UK’s most loved cultural destinations, from historic palaces and botanical gardens to buzzing galleries and performance spaces, running the cafés, restaurants, bars and events that bring these incredible places to life.
Our values - Craft, Creativity and Community - guide everything we do. They shape how we work together, how we support our partners, and how we make each guest feel welcome. If you care about food, people and doing things properly, you’ll feel right at home here.
Wherever we are, we do more than serve. We bring places to life through food, service and creativity and we’re looking for a Event Operations Manager to join our team in Southbank Centre.
Location: Southbank Centre, London
Salary: £40,000 per annum
Working Pattern: 40 hours per week, 5 days out of 7 (Core hours: 09:00 – 17:30 / 12:00 - 20:00 - flexible with weekends/evenings)
About the Role
We are looking for a hands-on Event Operations Manager to oversee and deliver our catering events across multiple venues. From small meetings for 10 guests to large-scale events for up to 2,000 guests, you will ensure every event is delivered smoothly, professionally and to the highest standards.
You will lead a team of supervisors and manage a flexible casual workforce, taking full ownership of operational delivery from planning through to live event execution.
Key responsibilities:
Lead and support supervisors and casual teams to deliver exceptional catering events
Plan and manage event operations across multiple spaces and off-site locations
Oversee events ranging from 10 to 2,000 covers
Ensure high standards of service, presentation and health & safety
Manage staffing levels and deployment in line with business needs
Act as the key operational contact during live events, solving issues calmly and efficiently
Build strong working relationships with venue teams and internal departments
What We’re Looking For:
Proven experience in event or catering operations management
Experience delivering large-scale or high-volume events
Strong leadership skills with the ability to manage supervisors and casual teams
Background in hotels, banqueting or large venue environments would be ideal
Flexible approach to working hours, including evenings and weekends
Calm under pressure with excellent organisational skills
What's in it for you?
Working with Company of Cooks has its perks! People are at the heart of everything we do, so we've developed a range of benefits to keep you happy.
- Personal Development and Training opportunities
- Life assurance scheme
- Pension scheme
- Holiday allowance
- Eye care
- A great wellbeing strategy – including access to our Employee Assistance Programme, salary finance
- Access to Healthcare Support App which includes Annual health check, Digital GP, Mental Health Consultations, Nutritional Consultations, Second Medical Opinion
- Family friendly support
- A holiday purchase scheme
- Regular social events and communication with our leaders
- Volunteering days
- Recognition schemes and people awards
- Long service awards
- Access to some great high street discount vouchers
Company of Cooks officially formed part of CH&CO Catering Group Ltd in 2020.
A Honest Approach, A Passionate Team, Quietly Confident
