Café Manager Job Description (Job Share)
Are you an experienced vegetarian cook, passionate about good food and creating a friendly, welcoming and inclusive community Café? If so, Malvern Cube has an exciting opportunity for you
We're on the lookout for an enthusiastic and creative Café Manager to join our team in a job share role, working alongside our current Café Manager to run a welcoming, community-focused café that's both vibrant and financially sustainable. Located at the heart of our busy community centre, this is a fantastic opportunity to make a real difference through great food, friendly service, and fresh ideas and perfect for someone looking for flexibility while still making a meaningful impact.
What You'll Do:
· Oversee day-to-day café operations with a hands-on approach on Thursdays, Fridays, and one Saturday a month at the Repair Café, with potential for additional evening and weekend shifts based on event requests.
· To cover the co-Café Manager during periods of sickness and leave.
· Lead a small friendly and committed team including volunteers to deliver an outstanding customer experience.
· Contribute creative, cost-effective menu ideas that minimise food waste.
· Maintain high standards of hygiene and ensure all necessary documentation including checklists and health & safety records are up to date
· Manage stock, suppliers and ordering
· Be able to undertake both back of house (meal prepping / cooking) and front of house (barista service / till) duties as required
What We're Looking For:
· Someone who has a love for food, coffee and connecting with people from all walks of life in a community environment
· Proven experience in café/restaurant management
· Strong leadership, organisation and communication skills
· Ability to thrive in a dynamic environment and stay productive during quieter times
Why Join Us?
· Meaningful work to make a difference to a community focused local charity
· Opportunity to create small, budget-friendly foodie events that build community and support the café's financial sustainability
· Friendly, supportive team
· Meal provided on shift
To apply, visit for the job description and person specification. Please send your CV and a covering letter explaining why you're interested in the role, what you would bring to it, and how you meet each point in the person specification, to Michelle Newell at
Application deadline: 9am on Friday 26 September 2025
Interviews: Wednesday 8 October 2025. To start ASAP.
Job Description
Garden Café Manager, Malvern Cube
Job Title: Garden Cafe Manager (Job Share)
Location: Malvern Cube, WR14 2YF. The Garden Café is a community café at Malvern Cube Community & Arts Centre, open to the public from 9.30am - 3pm during the week, including a licensed bar and catering for evening and weekend events.
Reports to: Centre Manager
Hours:
* 13 hours per week (9.10am to 4pm, Thursday and Friday, including 20 min unpaid break; plus 4.5hrs once a month (9.30am to 2pm) at the Saturday monthly Repair Café.
* 92.6 hours leave p.a. (including bank holidays), an agreed portion of which to be taken during Malvern Cube annual closure periods
* Additional hours for events and cover by agreement
Purpose of Job: In this job share role, on your set days (Thursday, Friday and one Saturday in the month) or if covering co-Café Manager during sickness or leave:
· You will be responsible for managing the day-to-day café operations, creating a warm and welcoming atmosphere for all community members while delivering professional, consistent, and friendly service.
· You will oversee staffing needs, including coordinating with volunteers—some of whom may have additional support requirements.
· Your role includes preparing predominately plant-based healthy, delicious snacks, meals, and baked goods on site, as well as sourcing suitable products to purchase as needed.
· You will ensure full compliance with Safer Food Better Business regulations, meeting all allergen, dietary, and cultural requirements, and consistently uphold licensing laws.
· Liaise with the Café Manager when meal planning to ensure stock is ordered
· Be prepared to carry out front-of-house duties, including making barista-style coffee, serving at the till, and providing excellent customer service as and when necessary
Salary: £25, Please note: the salary advertised is the full-time rate and will be paid PRO RATA for a 14.04 hours week. This equates to £13.26 per hour)
Key Responsibilities and accountabilities:
1. Service Delivery
* To ensure a warm, welcoming, clean and safe environment at all times for all customers, volunteers and staff
* To maintain a high level of friendly and efficient service to customers
* To maintain agreed opening times
* To take an imaginative approach to the creation of appropriate seasonal food and drink menus and sourcing of food for our Community Café, including maximising on herbs, vegetables and fruits from the Cube Garden
* To take overall responsibility for preparing, cooking and serving the daily menu, supporting other cafe staff to carry out these tasks
* To ensure complete and constant compliance with Safer Food Better Business and be knowledgeable about current Food legislation and Health and Safety issues.
* To ensure efficient stock control, (including evidence of wastage), sufficient to maintain the daily, seasonal menu
* To liaise with your co-café manager when ordering stock within budget limits, ensuring good quality and where possible, locally sourced, produce
* To ensure the kitchen and cafe areas are clean, hygienic and meet all health and safety requirements consistently throughout the day, including carrying out risk assessments as required
* To ensure all Environmental Health procedures are followed to a high standard and paperwork is effectively completed and filed for retrieval during any inspections.
* To ensure all licensing laws regarding the sale of alcohol are adhered to at all times
* To be responsible for ensuring that the cleaning and general maintenance of the facility and equipment are completed to a high standard including the launder of kitchen items.
* Work with the Centre Manager when responding to emails and attending meetings with external hirers as required regarding café related event requests
2. Staff and Volunteer Management
* To supervise and coordinate the work of paid staff and volunteers
* To cover the co-Café Manager during periods of sickness and holidays
* To organise and manage the staffing rota, ensuring cover for sickness and holidays
* To induct, supervise and support volunteers in appropriate tasks in the cafe environment, in liaison with others with responsibility for volunteers
* Daily handovers with the co-Café Manager will be documented in a written diary to ensure consistent communication between shifts.
* Attend a regular handover meeting with your co-café lead to share updates, discuss ideas, address any issues, and celebrate successes. These meetings are expected to take place monthly. If a meeting falls on your scheduled day off, you may take Time Off in Lieu (TOIL) on one of your working days.
* With Trustees and Centre Manager, contribute to relevant policies and ensure all cafe staff and volunteers work to policy and legislation at all times
* To ensure all staff and volunteers know, understand and work to the highest standards of cleanliness and hygiene practises at all times
* To ensure that the end of the day cleaning rota is adhered to at all times and ensure all staff and volunteers meet expectations.
3. Financial and Budgetary Responsibilities
* To manage and regularly monitor the Garden Café budget, alerting the Centre Manager to any likely variations between forecasted and actual spend and income
* To work with your co-Café Manager, Administrator and Centre Manager to develop, and work within, financial targets to ensure the financial viability of the cafe
* To ensure security measures are maintained robustly, especially regarding money handling
* To complete a daily cashing up sheet as required.
4. Business Development:
* To develop new ideas and initiatives for revenue generation and community involvement for the café,and consider their implementation in conjunction with the Centre Manager.
* To take a proactive and flexible approach to trialling new ways of operating the café to ensure its financial viability.
* To take an active role in decision making processes regarding the development of the café.
5. Other Duties:
* Attend staff meetings and play an active role in decisions relating to the running of the cafe
* To organise and attend any training as required
* Be aware of, and at all times act within, all policies and procedures for Malvern Cube, including our Covid Risk Assessment if applicable, Safeguarding Children and Vulnerable Adults, Health and Safety and Volunteer Policy.
Person Specification
Café Manager (Job Share)
Skills (Essential):
Excellent cooking and baking skills
Direct experience in preparing vegetarian dishes
Ability to work quickly, whilst remaining welcoming and friendly to customers
Ability to work independently and know when to involve others
Ability to spot issues and opportunities
Ability to motivate and coordinate a team, working collaboratively
Ability to ensure every customer feels welcome, including those who may have additional needs
Willingness to involve and support volunteers as appropriate
Knowledge (Essential):
Knowledge of Health and Safety, COSHH and RIDDOR legislation
Understanding of menu creation using seasonal produce
Business awareness, including working to a budget
Knowledge (Desirable):
Understanding of Safeguarding of children and vulnerable adults
Up to date First Aid qualification
Current Food Safety and Hygiene qualification, Level 2 or above
Experience (Essential):
Previous experience in hospitality or catering (minimum 2 years)
Supervisory experience
Experience (Desirable):
Track record of generating revenue and business development
Barista training and experience
Setting up the till at the start of the day and cashing up at end of the day
Previous experience within a job share role
Enhanced DBS check
Behaviours (Essential):
Passionate about good quality food and beverages
Person centred, with a warm and friendly disposition
Demonstrates trust, openness and respect when interacting with staff and members of the public
Flexible, can-do approach to tasks and workload
A commitment to and understanding of the aims and ethos of Malvern Cube
Job Type: Part-time
Pay: £25,857.00 per year
Expected hours: 14.04 per week
Benefits:
* Company pension
* Discounted or free food
* On-site parking
Ability to commute/relocate:
* Malvern WR14 2YF: reliably commute or plan to relocate before starting work (preferred)
Application question(s):
* Excellent cooking and baking skills with direct experience in preparing vegetarian dishes
Experience:
* Previous experience in hospitality or catering: 2 years (required)
Work Location: In person
Application deadline: 26/09/2025