Business Development and Operations Manager (Bristol)

About Migrateful

Migrateful is an award-winning, innovative social enterprise and registered charity founded in 2017. Migrateful s mission is to provide training, employment, and a supportive community for refugees and migrants ( our chefs ) facing multiple challenges in the UK.

Our chefs, often referred to us due to the struggles they face in adapting to UK society, come from diverse backgrounds shaped by experiences of modern-day slavery, gender-based violence, and fleeing war-torn countries.

We work holistically with our chefs, offering training to enable them to teach their own cookery classes and supporting them to find employment. After completing our training programme to become a Migrateful cookery class teacher, our chefs go on to lead cookery classes with members of the public and corporate groups.

The cookery classes not only provide ideal conditions for learning English and building confidence but also encourage interaction with the wider community and help dispel misconceptions about migrants. Our goal is to promote integration by enabling refugees and asylum seekers to become economically independent and engage meaningfully with their community.

Since it started in 2017, Migrateful has supported 110 migrants, refugees, and asylum seekers to teach over 5,000 cookery classes attended by more than 55,000 participants. This amounts to 30,000 hours of meaningful work experience provided to our chefs.

Migrateful in Bristol

Migrateful s founder, Jess Thompson, grew up in Bristol. The first Migrateful class with paying participants took place in 2017 at Bakesmiths on Whiteladies Road.

Jess s Argentinian friend, José, who was struggling with his immigration status at the time, taught the class, which was a great success. Jess then continued to develop the Migrateful model in London and was featured on the Forbes 30 Under 30 List and British Entrepreneur of the Year Award in recognition of her achievement in starting Migrateful.

In 2020, Migrateful partnered with Coexist Community Kitchen in Easton to deliver our chef training programme in Bristol, and Migrateful classes have been running in Bristol ever since. This is an especially exciting time to join the team and lead our Bristol branch as we enter the next stage of growth, with plans to open our very own cookery school in September. We are currently running an average of two cookery classes per week in Bristol, and when we open our cookery school in September, we plan to increase this to four cookery classes per week.

Role Overview

As the Business Development and Operations Manager (Bristol), you will spearhead the growth and day-to-day operations of Migrateful in the region. This entrepreneurial, multi-faceted role is ideal for a self-starter who thrives on strategic thinking, project management, and leading diverse teams.

You will be instrumental in delivering our theory of change and ensuring the financial sustainability and impact of our Bristol branch. This is a unique opportunity to expand Migrateful s impact in Bristol and enjoy some delicious food along the way!

With initiatives like this more vital than ever especially after last summer s unrest this is your chance to use your skills to support refugees and asylum seekers and promote peaceful community relations in Bristol.

Read more about our impact here.

Person Specification

Essential Criteria:

• Commitment to Migrateful s mission.

• Strong communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to engage empathetically with diverse, often marginalised, groups.

• Proven leadership and management experience, including team oversight, recruitment, and staff development.

• Experience in business development and partnership building, including corporate engagement or income generation.

• Excellent organisational and problem-solving skills, with the ability to manage multiple responsibilities and prioritise effectively.

• Experience in programme or project management, ideally in a social impact or community setting.

• Ability to foster strong relationships with the Bristol community and the HQ team in London.

• Knowledge of safeguarding, health & safety, and food hygiene compliance within a community or hospitality setting.

• Willingness to work flexibly, including occasional evenings and weekends when cookery classes are taking place.

Desirable Criteria:

• Experience in a social enterprise or charity sector, particularly in programme delivery, business development.

• Background in the food industry, either in a professional or community setting.

• Financial oversight experience, including budget management and financial reporting.

• Experience in fundraising, particularly in securing grants or corporate sponsorships.

• Experience in events management and/or volunteer coordination.

• Established links with Bristol refugee charities and networks.

• Experience designing and overseeing impact measurement processes for training or development programmes.

• Experience overseeing venue fit-outs or operational expansion projects.

• a strong understanding of the challenges faced by migrants and refugees, in particular through lived experience.

We welcome applications from underrepresented groups, whether related to ethnicity, gender identity, religion, physical ability, sexual orientation, or other.

Scope of Work

• Business Development: Collaborate with the marketing and corporate sales teams at HQ to develop and implement sales strategies and build partnerships with local stakeholders.

• Strategy / Finance: Lead on strategic planning, review financial performance against budget, manage the Bristol team (including recruitment), and support fundraising initiatives.

• Operations: Oversee day-to-day operations, ensuring compliance with health & safety, food hygiene, and safeguarding policies.

• Chef Development: Manage the Bristol Chef Development Programme, including chef recruitment, regular check-ins with chefs, community socials, and signposting chefs to local resources.

Responsibilities

Business Development:

• Develop and implement sales strategies in collaboration with the marketing and corporate sales teams at London HQ.

• Build and nurture partnerships with local stakeholders, media, voluntary sector organisations, referral organisations, corporate clients, and venue partners.

• Project manage new venue fit-out (in partnership with the Co-CEO).

Leadership / Strategy / Finance:

• Drive the strategic aims and financial sustainability of the Bristol branch.

• Regularly review financial performance against budget and report to the board.

• Manage and support the Bristol team, including recruitment and ongoing leadership.

• Assist the Co-CEOs with fundraising activities.

Operations:

• Ensure full compliance with operational policies, including Health & Safety, food hygiene, and safeguarding.

• Oversee the Bristol Operations Support Officer to ensure the seamless delivery of public and corporate cookery classes.

• Ensure sufficient staffing to meet operational goals, including the recruitment and onboarding of facilitators, chefs, and volunteers.

Chef Development:

• Manage the Bristol Chef Development Programme, offering support, regular 1:1 check-ins, and effective communication.

• Organise community socials and provide guidance to help chefs maximise their involvement in the programme.

• Develop and plan the Chef Training Programme, including establishing impact measurement protocols.

Staff Benefits

• 28 days of paid holiday plus 8 bank holidays (3 of these days must be taken between Christmas and New Year when our office is closed).

• Cycle to work scheme.

• Training budget per employee.

• Flexible working hours (core hours 10 am - 4 pm).

• Hybrid working.

• Team socials.

• Enhanced policies such as parental leave.

• Delicious free food at chef community socials and training sessions.