Head of Hospitality

Head of Hospitality | The Sherborne

A defining leadership opportunity at a proven cultural institution.

'Everything seemed to go so smoothly from the initial welcome, throughout the meal service and the tours of the house and exhibition. The food was superb and served to us by such lovely staff.' Guest review

About The Sherborne

The Sherborne is a fully operational and thriving cultural institution housed within a Grade I listed building in the heart of Sherborne. Over the past two years it has established an energetic and respected cultural programme around a series of diverse events, built a loyal and growing visitor base and delivered successful restaurant and café operations. It has already positioned itself as an important cultural presence within the South West. This is not a start-up environment; it is an institution with momentum, reputation, and ambition.

With current annual hospitality revenues of £1.2m (FY2024/25) and significant capacity across multiple spaces, including a 72-cover restaurant, a dramatic pavilion-style café and events space seating 130, and further private rooms accommodating 18–200 guests, there is clear scope to grow revenue beyond £2m annually.

The Role

This appointment offers the opportunity to shape hospitality at the heart of a town and region on a clear upward cultural curve. It is about more than the quality of food and service; it is about the atmosphere, consistently excellent delivery and, above all, making every guest feel valued. You will play a central role in strengthening The Sherborne’s F&B offer in support of the Charity’s mission and vision as this major cultural venue continues to evolve.

This is a unique opportunity to build on a commercially successful, culturally integrated hospitality operation across:

• The Café
• The Restaurant
• Private and Cultural Events
• Community Programming

While ensuring:

• Full financial ownership and disciplined reporting
• Robust KPI frameworks
• Workforce training and development
• Clear alignment between F&B and cultural programming

The Head of Hospitality will work in close collaboration with the Head of Events and the Head Chef. The Events team will lead sales and new client approaches, while the Head of Hospitality, in collaboration with the Head Chef, will ensure operational excellence and financial performance across all hospitality delivery.

The Sherborne is a cultural institution first. Hospitality must reflect and reinforce its artistic and historical identity.

The Opportunity

The hospitality function is established and respected. The facilities are professionally equipped and capable of significant growth.

The opportunity now is to:

• Refine and elevate the café offer.
• Fully programme and maximise the dining room’s potential.
• Deepen the integration between exhibitions and dining experiences with imaginative events and attractions.
• Strengthen community links and regional partnerships.
• Deliver measurable revenue growth, improved gross margins and disciplined cost control, while increasing repeat visitation and strengthening event profitability.
• Position The Sherborne as a cultural dining destination within the region.

This is a leadership role focused on evolution, not inception.

Key Responsibilities

Operational Excellence and Guest Experience

• Lead front-of-house standards across the restaurant, café, and private dining.
• Ensure consistency, warmth and professionalism in every guest interaction.
• Work closely with the Head Chef to align menu development with commercial and cultural objectives.
• Maintain exceptional standards of service, compliance, and presentation.
• Protect brand reputation.

Strategic & Cultural Leadership

• Develop and implement a three-year hospitality growth strategy (2026–2029).
• Ensure all F&B offerings are contextually aligned with exhibitions, talks and performances.
• Create exhibition-linked menus and curated dining experiences.
• Build strategic partnerships across the South West region.
• Increase annual turnover materially through improved asset utilisation, event programming and average spend per head.

Full Financial Ownership

The Head of Hospitality will hold complete responsibility for the hospitality P&L. This includes:

• Annual budgeting and quarterly reforecasting.
• Monthly management accounts and variance analysis.
• Revenue forecasting by channel (café, restaurant, events).
• Labour cost management and optimisation.
• Supplier negotiation and margin protection.
• Cashflow forecasting and scenario planning.
• Monthly board-level reporting.
• Financial discipline, clarity and ownership are central to this role.

KPI & Performance Framework

The postholder will establish and monitor measurable KPIs including:

• Gross profit margins (food and beverage reported separately).
• Labour percentage of revenue.
• Average spend per head and number of covers.
• Event profitability.
• Visitor-to-café conversion rate.
• Staff retention and training metrics.
• Customer satisfaction benchmarks.

Café Development

• Refine menu structure and pricing strategy.
• Improve operational flow and service consistency.
• Increase repeat visitation and local engagement.
• Introduce seasonal and exhibition-linked programming.
• Drive incremental revenue through intelligent upselling and product mix.

Restaurant Programming

The restaurant is operational but under-leveraged. The opportunity is to:

• Introduce curated supper clubs and cultural dining evenings.
• Develop private dining and corporate bookings.
• Host patron dinners and fundraising events.
• Align menus and experiences with historical and artistic narratives.

Asset Utilisation and Revenue Growth

• Maximise use of all trading spaces across daytime, evening, and seasonal programming.
• Work in partnership with the Head of Events and Head Chef to ensure event catering is delivered to the highest standards and achieves agreed profitability targets.
• Drive higher average spend per guest.
• Identify new revenue streams aligned to brand and mission.
• Ensure optimal pricing strategy across all hospitality channels.

Community & Regional Engagement

• Build meaningful partnerships with local producers and artisans.
• Develop collaborative food-led cultural events.
• Position The Sherborne as the foremost community gathering space.
• Strengthen The Sherborne’s standing within the wider South West cultural landscape.

Workforce Leadership & Development

• Lead from the front, set the tone of welcome, warmth and professionalism across all hospitality spaces.
• Implement structured training programmes.
• Embed cultural literacy into service delivery.
• Introduce performance review systems aligned to KPIs.
• Develop clear progression pathways.
• Foster accountability, professionalism, and pride.

Person Specification

Essential

• Senior hospitality leadership experience.
• Demonstrable P&L ownership.
• Strong budgeting, forecasting, and reporting expertise.
• Experience leading hospitality operations with revenues of £1m+.
• Demonstrable experience driving turnover growth.
• Experience leading and developing teams.

Desirable

• Experience within cultural institutions or heritage venues.
• Experience refining and scaling established hospitality operations.
• Understanding of listed building operational requirements.
• Knowledge of the South West hospitality and cultural market.

Success by December 2027

• Measurable year-on-year revenue growth.
• Strong, stable gross profit margins.
• Fully embedded reporting and forecasting systems.
• Increased dining room utilisation.
• Recognised cultural dining reputation.
• Strengthened community and regional partnerships.
• High-performing, stable hospitality team.

This is a rare opportunity to lead a £1m+ hospitality operation within a nationally significant cultural venue and to realise its full commercial and reputational potential.

Hospitality operates through Sherborne House Enterprises Limited, the trading subsidiary of Sherborne House Trust (Charity No. 1179440) and plays a critical role in supporting the wider cultural mission.

Package & Benefits

• Generous salary dependent on experience
• Statutory Pension
• 20 days’ holiday per year plus Bank Holidays
• Training as required

Further Information and Application

Application

Please send your CV and covering letter to Katharine Landale, Bold New Recruitment katharine@boldnewrecruitment.co.uk, stating why you feel you should be considered for this role.

The Sherborne is committed to inclusive, respectful employment and welcomes applications from all suitably qualified candidates.

Further Information

• https://www.thesherborne.uk/
• https://www.instagram.com/thesherborne
• https://www.cntraveller.com/article/the-underrated-english-town-thats-becoming-our-favourite-artsy-staycation

Thank you for your interest.