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Join the revelry at Drifter Melbourne

Welcome to Drifter, Australia’s newest hospitality playground designed for free spirits and adventure seekers. We blend the boutique comfort of a hotel with the community-driven spirit of a modern hostel, creating vibrant spaces where travellers from around the world come together to connect, unwind, and explore.

We’re looking for an F&B Operations Manager to lead and evolve our Melbourne food and beverage offering — from Alfie’s through to Rambler Social, Rooftop and beyond. This is a role for someone who wants to build something, not just run it.

The Opportunity

This is a hands-on leadership role focused on growing the F&B experience into something that feels alive, social, energetic, and worth showing up for.

You’ll be on the floor leading service, building the team, and shaping the vibe day to day. At the same time, you’ll work behind the scenes on programming, events, and commercial performance to ensure the venues are not just busy, but successful.

A big part of this role is the evolution of Alfie’s into Rambler Social, a space designed to become a genuine meeting point for both guests and locals. This includes building out weekly programming, creating signature events, and working closely with the wider team to drive both in-house engagement and external trade.

You’ll collaborate closely with the Operations Manager, Director of Hospitality, and Sales team to turn ideas into revenue, from events and activations through to partnerships and group bookings.

Our venues operate across days, nights, and weekends, so flexibility is part of the role.

What We’re Looking For

You’re someone who thrives in a social, fast-paced environment and enjoys being at the centre of it. You lead from the floor, bring energy to a space, and know how to get a team moving in the same direction.

You’ll likely bring:

• 2 – 4 years’ experience in hospitality, ideally at an Assistant Manager level or higher
• Experience in bars, restaurants, events or social venues
• Confidence running service and managing busy shifts
• Exposure to rostering, staffing, or basic commercial metrics

And just as importantly:

• A natural presence – you’re visible, engaging, and people gravitate towards you
• A genuine interest in music, drinks, events, and social experiences
• A commercial mindset – you’re curious about what drives revenue and participation
• The ability to stay hands-on in service while also thinking strategically
• A willingness to get stuck in and build something from the ground up

What You Can Expect at Drifter

This role comes with real ownership of the F&B offering and the opportunity to shape how it grows — from daily service through to events, programming, and overall identity.

Alongside that, you’ll have:

• Career progression opportunities across Drifter properties
• Mate’s rates across our accommodation network for you, your family, and your travel crew
• Birthday leave for permanent team members
• Employee Assistance Program and free annual flu vax
• Access to online learning and development platform
• Discounts on everyday brands through our employee benefits program
• Opportunities to explore roles across Australia and New Zealand
• Future sponsorship pathway opportunities for exceptional team members

Drifter is collaborative, practical, and values-led. Professional but not stuffy, we’re a welcoming and inclusive workplace and proudly welcome team members from all races, places, gender expressions, and beliefs.

If this sounds like something you’d enjoy building, we’d love to hear from you.

• Lead and evolve the Melbourne food and beverage offering.
• Be on the floor leading service, building the team, and shaping the vibe day to day.
• Work behind the scenes on programming, events, and commercial performance.
• Evolve Alfie’s into Rambler Social, a space designed to become a genuine meeting point for both guests and locals.
• Build out weekly programming and create signature events for Rambler Social.
• Work closely with the wider team to drive both in-house engagement and external trade.
• Collaborate with the Operations Manager, Director of Hospitality, and Sales team to turn ideas into revenue.
• Manage operations across days, nights, and weekends.

• Leadership
• Team building
• Event planning and execution
• Commercial acumen
• Service management
• Rostering and staffing
• Strategic thinking
• Hands-on approach
• Strong presence and engaging personality
• Interest in music, drinks, events, and social experiences

• 2 – 4 years’ experience in hospitality, ideally at an Assistant Manager level or higher
• Experience in bars, restaurants, events or social venues
• Confidence running service and managing busy shifts
• Exposure to rostering, staffing, or basic commercial metrics