Youth Options - a children and young peoples charity - runs a community café at Mansell Park Pavilion Youth Centre, Millbrook, Southampton. The café is currently open 9am-4pm Tuesday to Saturday. Now entering its second year, the café has established itself as a warm, welcoming destination for the local community and a vital social enterprise providing real‑world training for young people not in education, employment or training (NEET).
We are now looking for an experienced and creative café manager to lead the café three days a week, including every Saturday. The remaining two days will be covered by a dedicated team of volunteers. This role requires someone who is comfortable lone working on‑site, skilled at setting up systems and routines that enable volunteers to run the café smoothly, and equally comfortable working closely with their line manager and the wider Youth Options team.
Contract type: Permanent, Part Time
Location: Millbrook, Southampton
Hours: 24 hours, 3 days a week, including Saturdays.
Reports to: Head of Targeted Support
Starting Salary:£26,910 to £27,300 pro rata
About you
You will have experience in:
* Managing a café or similar customer‑facing environment.
* Using POS systems and programming them.
* Lone working on‑site while operating within clear management structures and taking direction from a line manager.
* Strong organisational skills with the ability to set up systems and processes that volunteers can follow reliably.
* Recruiting, training, and supporting volunteers or a team.
* Creative and outward‑looking, with ideas for events and partnerships that grow the café’s reach and impact.
* Financial experience, including cash handling and budget management.
* Friendly, approachable and able to work with a wide range of people and organisations, with excellent customer service skills.
* Comfort and confidence working with young people who may have a criminal record, be NEET, or present with challenging needs and behaviours, providing patient, constructive training and mentoring in a supportive and non‑judgemental way.
* Affinity with the vision and mission of Youth Options to support children and young people to lead better lives.
* Availability to work every Saturday as part of a three‑day working week.
How to apply
Download the recruitment pack here and then complete the application form below. If you need any help with your application or have any questions, please contact admin@youthoptions.org.uk. We are committed to safeguarding and all posts are subject to an Enhanced DBS Check. Youth Options strives to be a diverse and inclusive organisation for our staff and those we support. If you require any adjustments at either application or interview, please contact us.
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