Venue Leadership | Full-time | Reporting to the Head of Operations
Big Penny Ltd, London, E17

A you a natural leader who thrives in a big, fast-paced venue where no two days are the same?
Passionate about food, drink and delivering a genuinely great guest experience?
Ready to take the reins at one of East London’s most-loved community venues?

Big Penny Social is unlike any other venue in London. Part pub, part arts centre, part town square  - it’s a huge, independent community space in Walthamstow built around great food, great drink and the belief that hospitality can bring people together. From everyday dining and private hire events to live music, comedy nights and large-scale community gatherings, no two shifts look the same.

We’re looking for a General Manager to lead Big Penny Social - owning the day-to-day operation, developing the team and ensuring every guest leaves having had a brilliant time. This is a role for someone who leads from the front, sets high standards and genuinely loves what they do.

If you thrive in high-volume, community-rooted hospitality and want a venue that reflects your ambition  - this is for you.

About the venue

We’re an independent, community-rooted space built for connection, celebration and everyday moments. We do relaxed dining, private hires, live events, sports screenings and large-scale gatherings all happening under one roof - sometimes all at once. At our core, we exist to bring people together, and our team creates the welcoming, energetic atmosphere that has made us a much-loved venue locally and for wider London.

Big Penny Social sits within the wider Big Penny group, which also includes Flukes - our old-school games hall, upstairs in the same building - and Big Penny Brews at London City Airport. The General Manager of Big Penny Social reports to the Head of Operations and plays a key role in the wider group’s success.

The role

As General Manager of Big Penny Social, you’ll be fully accountable for the day-to-day running of the venue - leading from the front, owning the guest experience, managing and developing your team and hitting your commercial targets.

You’ll directly line manage the AGM, Bar Manager and Food Service Manager, as well as the 40+ team that work in the venue. 

You’ll also working closely with the Head of Operations and the wider Big Penny team.

This is a hands-on leadership role - you’ll need to be visible on the floor, energise your team, solve problems quickly and keep standards high across a venue that never sits still.

What you’ll be doing

✦Managing Big Penny Social all year round
✦Leading our venue team: running daily briefings, regular 1-2-1s, six-monthly reviews and ensuring the venue is always correctly staffed
✦Team Training & Development: Helping create and implement training programmes across all staff levels, overseeing onboarding and ensuring the team consistently delivers the Big Penny guest experience
✦Guest Experience: ensuring speedy, friendly and consistently high-quality service  - maintaining the right atmosphere, being present on the floor during peak times, and resolving any elevated complaints swiftly and well
✦P&L Ownership: responsible for the venue’s financial performance - ensuring the team hits targets around sales, GP, labour percentage and wastage, understanding the drivers behind each metric and acting quickly when things drift off track
✦Events: overseeing the operational delivery of private hire events and public programming - working with the sales and creative teams to ensure events run smoothly, are well staffed and deliver a great experience
✦Seasonal Menu Changes: working with the Head of Operations, Head Chef and the Food Service Manager to support the rollout of seasonal F&B menu changes twice a year - ensuring teams are trained and confident on new menus
✦Venue Management: overseeing maintenance in partnership with the Facilities team, managing security contracts, waste and recycling programmes, and ensuring in-venue marketing materials are up to date
✦Compliance: overseeing health and safety, licensing obligations and all relevant operational compliance across the venue

Success in this role looks like

✦The team loving their roles and guests having a great time
✦ Each site hitting their revenue targets across the year
✦ Cost control in line with budget expectations with particular focus on GP, labour as a percentage of sales and wastage
✦A well-trained, confident, high-morale team who understand and deliver the Big Penny guest experience
✦Strong and consistent guest feedback - more guests, visiting more regularly
✦Events and private hires delivered brilliantly and with operational confidence

Who we’re looking for

You’ll thrive in this role if you:
✦Have a strong track record as a General Manager in a large, busy venue
✦Are genuinely passionate about food, drink and people  - quality and guest experience matter deeply to you
✦Have experience leading and developing ops managers - you’re a natural coach who gets the best out of people
✦Are commercially confident - comfortable owning a P&L and understanding the levers behind sales, GP, labour and wastage
✦Have experience in event delivery - private hires, public programming, large-scale gatherings - and knowhow to make them run smoothly
✦Thrive in independent, community-rooted hospitality - and understand why that’s different to working in a chain
✦Are a natural leader with strong communication skills - you earn trust quickly and lead with integrity
✦Are organised, calm under pressure and a tactical thinker who knows when to roll their sleeves up
✦Can travel easily to Walthamstow

The details

✦Competitive salary - to be discussed
✦45 hours per week, five days across seven
✦Based at Big Penny Social, Walthamstow (E17)

Perks & benefits

✦£200 monthly food and drink credit to enjoy in Big Penny Social 
✦Discount code for friends and family
✦Complimentary tickets to Big Penny events
✦TOIL for additional hours worked
✦Regular staff social events
✦A fun, friendly workplace where community and connection sit at the heart of what we do

Send your CV to nicole@bigpenny.co.uk