HR and Staffing Manager

Location: Newcastle upon Tyne

HR and Staffing Manager - Fixed Term Contract ending May 2027

Newcastle United Football Club, St James' Park, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE1 4ST

circa £35,000pa + excellent benefits

40hrs pw 5/7 Evening and weekend work required - required to work all NUFC home games and events

Free onsite parking

Job Introduction

At Sodexo Live!, we create exceptional experiences at some of the UK’s most iconic venues.

We are proud to deliver world-class hospitality at Newcastle United Football Club, St James’ Park, and we’re now looking for an experienced and proactive HR and Staffing Manager to lead our people operations across both Hospitality and Stadium Catering.

This is a high-impact, hands-on role, managing a large casual workforce in a fast-paced, event-driven environment.

If you thrive on operational challenge, love building and supporting teams, and are passionate about service excellence, this could be the role for you.

What You'll Do:

As HR and Staffing Manager, you’ll be responsible for the full end-to-end people and staffing lifecycle, supporting senior managers and operational teams to ensure we have the right people, in the right place, at the right time — for every matchday and event.

You’ll oversee staffing levels, compliance, training, payroll and HR activity across a 52,350-seat stadium, managing up to 2,000 casual workers and 90 contracted employees.

This is a highly visible role, working closely with site leadership, the wider Sodexo Live! team, and our client.

Key Responsibilities

Lead recruitment, onboarding and induction for all casual and contracted staff

Plan and manage staffing numbers in line with operational demand and budgets

Design and deliver training and induction programmes for casual teams and new starters

Support Heads of Department with workforce planning and skills development

Oversee weekly payroll, rate changes and matchday recharges

Ensure full compliance with Right to Work, safeguarding, training and company policies

Maintain accurate personnel files, training records and labour systems

Manage sickness, holidays, probation reviews and contractual changes

Reduce agency reliance through effective recruitment and retention strategies

Support matchday operations including staff check-in, incident management and escalations

Monitor labour costs, forecast demand and report against budget

Liaise with Sodexo Live! teams nationally to share best practice and implement change

Provide HR guidance and support to HODs and site leadership

Proactively plan staffing for fixtures and events 4–6 weeks in advance

Support recruitment events, seasonal campaigns and pre-season training programmes

For a full list of responsibilities please view the attached job description

What You Bring:

Proven experience in HR, staffing, people operations or workforce management

Experience managing large, high-volume work forces, ideally in stadiums, hospitality or contract catering

Strong administrative skills with excellent attention to detail

Experience of payroll processes and compliance requirements

Confident delivering training and group inductions

Ability to build strong relationships with senior stakeholders and operational teams

Graduate calibre or equivalent professional experience

CIPD and/or IOSH qualifications (or working towards) desirable

What we offer:

Working with Sodexo Live! is more than a job; it’s a chance to be part of something greater.

You’ll belong in a company and team that values you for you; you’ll act with purpose and have an impact through your everyday actions; and you’ll be able to thrive in your own  addition, we also offer a range of resources, rewards and benefits for our colleagues and their families:

Unlimited access to an online platform offering mental health and wellbeing support.

Employee Assistance Programme to help with everyday issues or larger problems where you may need additional support, including legal and financial advice, support with work related issues or personal issues such as bereavement.

Access to a free health and wellbeing app that provides rewards for maintaining a healthy lifestyle and includes access to a 24hr virtual GP and various other services.

The Sodexo Discounts Scheme, offering…