Job Description
SET is looking for someone with experience running cultural venues, bars and/or other public spaces who is comfortable managing day-to-day operations, events delivery, bar and cafe operations, hospitality standards, staff management, scheduling, stock management, financing, licensing and safety.
The role is ideal for someone from the local, historic community of Peckham who has can bring a strong balance of creativity, organisation and attention to detail.
We’re looking for someone who has genuine interest in SET Social and its event programming and experience in the arts, community or charity sectors with a values-based approach to hospitality.
Role overview
The Venue Manager is responsible for the smooth, safe and successful daily running of SET Social Peckham. This includes oversight of day-to-day operations, events delivery, bar and café operations, hospitality standards, staff management, building safety and licensing, health and safety, compliance, reporting and staff planning and community access.
You will manage a team of Duty Managers and Bar Staff, ensuring consistent communication, strong leadership and a values-based approach to hospitality. Working closely with the Head of Venue Operations and the SET Social Assistant Venue Manager, you will implement operational systems, deliver an excellent guest experience and ensure full compliance with licensing and safety requirements.
For full responsibilities, person specification, staff benefits and information on how to apply please visit this link and download the job pack: https://setspace.uk/job-opportunity-venue-manager-set-social/
Application Deadline: 6 May 23:59
Salary Range
Founded in 2016, SET is an arts organisation and a cultural and social initiative that curates an expansive programme of arts, educational, and community projects and events, alongside genuinely affordable artists’ studios for a diverse range of arts practitioners.
We are committed to social justice within the arts and beyond, advocating for equality and the right to artistic expression. SET fosters experimental and radical approaches to creative production, community-building, and both day and night culture. With an inclusive ethos always, SET is a community.
SET’s year-round programme includes exhibitions, live music, performances, screenings, talks, workshops, meals, and much more. We celebrate the eclectic variety of art forms, ideas, projects, subcultures, and communities we programme, collaborate with, or support. SET currently operates one multi-purpose venue, SET Social which features a café and bar and social space and will be opening two other multi-purpose venues in 2026. These spaces host the majority of our public programme and serve as vibrant social hubs for our communities.
SET’s studios accommodate nearly 1,200 members across 14 centres. We support our members by providing access to multi-centre project spaces, workshop areas, social spaces, and by inviting them to contribute to our Members’ Programme—a public arts initiative led by our membership. Our studios are priced bottom-up and are among the most affordable in London.
Our mission is to nurture artists by offering the space, foundation, and support necessary to create bold, innovative, and exciting new works. We believe that the high cost of accessing space and community is one of the key challenges of our time, particularly in London. To address this, we aim to build large-scale cultural infrastructure that is genuinely affordable, quickly responds to the growing demand, and, importantly, is developed in collaboration with the people who use it.
SET grew from grassroots origins, founded by three friends in a single centre, and has since expanded into a 50-person team with 14 centres across London. As we continue to grow, we are committed to preserving our grassroots ethos and staying connected to the communities we serve.