Venue General Manager

This is a rare opportunity for a General Manager to take ownership of a flagship venue and play a key role in shaping its next chapter!

• Lead a standout cultural venue
• Full operational & commercial ownership
• Collaborative, creative environment
• Long-term growth opportunity

Our client curate and produce events and venues across the UK and Europe. From greenfield festivals and large-scale concerts to immersive experiences and cutting-edge club spaces, they create unforgettable cultural moments that bring communities together.

This role sits within one of their venues - a venue built with purpose. A space that champions forward-thinking programming, high production standards and inclusive, modern club culture. It's not about nostalgia - it's about building something meaningful and lasting, raising standards and delivering experiences that make the city proud.

With a reputation for ambitious creative vision and operational excellence, the wider organisation offers strong central support while empowering venue leaders to take real ownership.

As General Manager, you will take full responsibility for the successful running of the venue, balancing customer experience, creative ambition, financial performance, safety, and legislative compliance.

Reporting to the Operations Director and leading the on site team, you will act as the central point of contact across all departments - ensuring seamless collaboration between internal teams, bookers, promoters, contractors and stakeholders.

This is a hands on leadership role requiring commercial acumen, operational rigour and a passion for live events and venue culture.

Key responsibilities of the General Manager include:

• Overseeing all aspects of venue operations, ensuring safe, compliant and high quality delivery
• Driving commercial viability and monitoring performance against forecasted event and overhead budgets
• Identifying efficiencies and continually improving standards across the venue
• Representing the venue in company wide budget and reporting meetings
• Recruiting, leading and developing the core venue team
• Embedding collaborative working practices and clear communication channels
• Building strong relationships with bookers, promoters and partners to ensure alignment and delivery excellence
• Planning and managing all event operations including ticketing, bar, security, welfare, medics, production, cleaning and contractors
• Acting as Key Holder / Duty Manager for the majority of events (evening and weekend work required)
• Ensuring compliance with licensing, legislation and industry best practice
• Leading on stakeholder management and maintaining clear, timely communication
• Maintaining and overseeing all venue documentation including H&S policies, risk assessments, EMPs, production packs and SOPs
• Negotiating supplier and client contracts and monitoring delivery
• Managing procurement, financial systems and company processes
• Overseeing facilities management and ensuring venue infrastructure is fit for purpose

The ideal General Manager candidate will have extensive experience managing venues, large scale events or complex projects, with a strong understanding of commercial performance and operational compliance.

Essential experience includes:

• Solid experience running venues, events or comparable operations
• Strong knowledge of licensing, venue legislation and security management
• Proven budget management experience
• Confident IT literacy including MS Office (particularly Excel) and Google platforms

The General Manager will be:

• A confident and effective communicator at all levels
• A proactive, hands on leader who motivates by example
• Highly organised, detail driven and commercially astute
• A creative problem solver who applies logic and knows when to escalates
• Passionate about live events, culture and delivering exceptional customer experiences

Desirable experience includes health & safety qualifications, first aid or emergency response training, up to date regulatory knowledge, and technical production expertise.

• The opportunity to lead a culturally significant venue
• A role with genuine autonomy and responsibility
• Competitive salary and auto enrolment pension
• Training opportunities and ongoing professional development
• The chance to be part of a growing, innovative organisation with shared knowledge across a network of event professionals

Live specialises in all disciplines (and at all levels) across events, experiential and exhibitions. If this position isn't quite what you're looking for please visit to view all of the opportunities we are recruiting.

Vacancy reference: MM17017

As a specialist events recruitment agency, we help our clients build the most talented and diverse teams in the UK. We actively encourage applications from candidates of all backgrounds and are committed to ensuring a supportive and accessible recruitment process. If you require any adjustments or accommodations, please do not hesitate to let us know.