Ready to run F&B; at one of Adelaide’s best-loved venues?

The National Wine Centre of Australia (NWC) is turning 25 and celebrating being named South Australia’s Overall Caterer of the Year at the 2026 Restaurant & Catering Awards for Excellence. We also took out Events Caterer, Event/Convention Centre Caterer and Wedding Caterer. Now we’re looking for a Food & Beverage Operations Manager to help write our next chapter.

About us

Set in Adelaide’s East End beside the Botanic Garden and parklands, and close to the Lot Fourteen precinct, the NWC hosts more than 800 events a year: conferences, banquets, weddings, meetings and seminars for local, national and international guests. We also run Taikunthi Restaurant and Union House Events on the Adelaide University campus.

The role

Reporting to the Head of Operations, you’ll head up all front-of-house food and beverage operations across our events, Taikunthi Restaurant, Union House Events, off-site catering and pop-up venues. This role combines hands-on service leadership with the operational side of the business. You’ll be visible on the floor during events and service, while also handling a broad range of F&B; administration, bringing new ideas to life, developing your team and managing performance against budget.

This is a full-time role, with flexibility on the start date, either in 2026 or early in 2027. Events run seven days a week, including evenings and weekends, so you’ll need to be comfortable working a varied schedule.

What you’ll do

Your key responsibilities will include:

- Run front-of-house operations across our venues and events, with a visible presence on the floor
- Build a high-performing team; from recruitment and onboarding to training, development and succession planning
- Set service standards and turn guest feedback into real improvements
- Oversee day-to-day F&B; administration
- Drive commercial results by managing F&B; forecasting, labour costs and cost of goods
- Bring current food and beverage concepts and projects to life




- Partner with our Executive Chef, Head Sommelier and Events Planning team on menus, wine lists, product training and event handovers
- Contribute to budgets, reporting and planning as part of the management team
- Champion WHS and compliance in line with NWC and Adelaide University policies

About you

You love food and beverage, thrive under pressure and get a buzz from leading a great team. You’ll bring:

- A Bachelor’s degree in Hospitality Management or a related discipline is preferred.
- Minimum 3–5 years’ experience in a food and beverage management role within a high-volume or multi-outlet environment.
- Demonstrated leadership capability with the ability to build, motivate and manage high-performing teams.
- Highly developed communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to engage effectively across all levels of the organisation.
- Strong financial acumen, including experience in rostering, labour management, forecasting and cost control within approved budgets.
- Well-developed problem-solving skills, with the ability to identify operational issues and implement timely and practical solutions.

Why join us?

You’ll enjoy a market-competitive salary, a supportive team culture and a role where you can make your mark. Plus:

- ·On site car parking available while on shift.
- ·Preferential rates on food and beverage, wine sales and events held at the NWC.
- ·Access to wine education and training opportunities.
- ·Complimentary social committee events
- Networking opportunities across the wine and events industries

Apply now

If you’re an experienced hospitality professional looking for a role where you can lead a team and share your passion for food and beverage, we’d love to hear from you. Please address your application to Sophie Harper, Head of Operations via the Seek application process. Confidential enquires can be made via [email protected].

Applications close Friday 20th November 2026. Early applications are strongly recommended as candidates will be considered before the closing date.

📌 Food & Beverage Operations Manager (Adelaide)
🏢 National Wine Centre
📍 Adelaide