Mess Manager

Location: Southwick Park, Portsmouth
Salary: Up to £32,000 per annum

Overview

We have an exciting opportunity for an experienced Mess Manager to lead the catering, hospitality, front of house, and soft FM services at Southwick Park.

This is a highly visible leadership role where delivering an exceptional customer experience is at the heart of everything you do. We are seeking a hospitality professional with a strong Front of House background, capable of creating a welcoming environment, leading customer-facing teams, and ensuring the highest standards of service across all Mess operations.

Working within a prestigious Defence environment, you will be responsible for the smooth day-to-day operation of the Mess, building strong client relationships and ensuring outstanding service delivery for military personnel, visitors, and special events.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead and manage all Mess operations, including catering, hospitality, and front of house services.
• Provide visible leadership to customer-facing teams, ensuring exceptional service standards and a first-class customer experience at all times.
• Oversee day-to-day soft FM service delivery, ensuring quality, efficiency, and customer satisfaction.
• Act as the primary point of contact for the client, building strong relationships and consistently exceeding expectations.
• Deliver exceptional front of house standards across daily Mess services, VIP visits, formal dining events, and special functions.
• Drive a culture of hospitality excellence through coaching, development, and performance management of the team.
• Manage and respond to client feedback and satisfaction surveys, implementing continuous improvement initiatives.
• Promote Mess facilities and services, creating a professional, welcoming, and engaging environment for all users.
• Identify opportunities to improve service delivery, enhance the customer journey, and maximise revenue opportunities.
• Take ownership of budget management, including cost control, sales performance, forecasting, and financial reporting.
• Plan staffing levels, rotas, and resources to meet operational and event requirements.
• Work collaboratively with internal stakeholders to ensure seamless event planning and delivery.
• Ensure full compliance with Health & Safety, Food Safety, and Defence sector standards and regulations.

About You

• Proven experience as a Mess Manager, Hospitality Manager, Front of House Manager, Catering Manager, Hotel Manager, or similar leadership role.
• Strong front of house and customer service background with a passion for delivering exceptional guest experiences.
• Experience within Defence, military, hospitality, catering, hotel, conferencing, or facilities management environments is highly desirable.
• Demonstrable experience leading customer-facing teams in a high-service environment.
• Commercially aware with experience managing budgets, controlling costs, and driving performance.
• A confident and inspiring leader with the ability to motivate, develop, and engage teams.
• Excellent communication and relationship-building skills with the ability to influence stakeholders at all levels.
• Highly organised with strong operational and administrative management capabilities.
• Comfortable using hospitality systems and Microsoft Office applications.
• Positive, proactive, and customer-focused, with exceptional attention to detail and presentation standards.

Why Southwick Park?

Located on the outskirts of Portsmouth, Southwick Park is a unique Defence establishment with a rich military heritage and a diverse customer base. The Mess plays a central role in supporting military personnel, Defence colleagues, visitors, and formal functions, making exceptional hospitality and customer service critical to the success of the operation.

This role offers an opportunity to make a visible impact within a respected Defence environment while leading a team committed to delivering outstanding service standards every day.

About Us

Part of Compass Group UK & Ireland, ESS supports over 250 military establishments, government sites, and secure environments across the UK. We pride ourselves on delivering outstanding service in critical environments where professionalism, reliability, and customer experience are paramount.

What We Offer

• Competitive salary up to £35,000 per annum
• Free meals on duty
• Free onsite parking
• Contributory pension scheme
• Career development through Career Pathways and MyLearning programmes
• Digital GP access and healthcare benefits
• Discounts across travel, retail, entertainment, and more
• Wellness, mindfulness, and fitness programmes
• Access to a wide range of employee rewards and recognition schemes

Join ESS at Southwick Park

If you're an experienced hospitality professional with a passion for Front of House leadership, customer service excellence, and creating memorable experiences, we'd love to hear from you. Join ESS at Southwick Park and play a key role in delivering exceptional hospitality within one of the UK's most prestigious Defence establishments.

Ideal backgrounds: Hospitality Manager, Hotel Operations Manager, Front of House Manager, Conference & Events Manager, Mess Manager, Catering Manager, Clubhouse Manager, F&B Manager, or Defence Hospitality professional seeking their next leadership opportunity.