Job Title: Cafe Assistant
Contract: Zero hour, anticipated as an average of one shift a week, plus ad hoc events
Salary: £12.71 per hour
Location: Newcastle upon Tyne
Reports to: Cafe Manager
Direct Reports: N/A
Key Internal Stakeholders: Operations team, Volunteers
Key External Stakeholders: Cafe customers
Budget Responsibility: No
Role Purpose:
The post’s primary purpose is to fulfil the vision, mission and charitable objects of Dance City by supporting the delivery of a high-quality café service, ensuring a warm welcome and excellent customer service is provided to Dance City’s community of dancers, artists, audiences and supporters.
Primary Duties:
- Prepare and serve a range of hot and cold drinks to a high standard
- Support the preparation of light food items (e.g. sandwiches, salads and cakes) in line with food hygiene requirements
- Follow all health & safety and food hygiene procedures to ensure a safe space for customers, volunteers, and staff
- Assist with opening and closing procedures as required
- Maintain a clean, safe, and well-organised café environment, including front-of-house and kitchen areas
- Operate the till and handle transactions accurately and responsibly
- Support day-to-day café operations, including restocking and maintaining supplies
- Work alongside and support volunteers from the West End Refugee Service, offering guidance and encouragement where appropriate
- Create a warm, welcoming, and inclusive environment where all customers and visitors feel valued
- Engage positively with people from all backgrounds, helping to build a strong sense of community within the café
- Contribute to a positive team culture, demonstrating flexibility and a willingness to help where needed
Person specification
Essential:
- Previous experience in a café or customer-facing hospitality role
- Barista trained and experience in preparing a range of hot beverages
- Experience of light food preparation (e.g. sandwiches, toasties, basic kitchen tasks)
- Knowledge of food hygiene and health & safety requirements
- Awareness of Health & Safety procedures (First Aid / Fire Warden trained or willingness to undertake training)
- Friendly, enthusiastic team player with a positive attitude
- Strong attention to detail and commitment to quality
- High level of self-motivation and reliability
- Ability to work flexibly in a busy and changing environment
- Strong interpersonal skills with the ability to build rapport with customers from all backgrounds, ages, and abilities
Desirable:
- Experience working with volunteers, particularly from diverse backgrounds
- Experience supporting or supervising volunteers in a café or community setting
- Level 2 Food Hygiene Certification
- A passion for dance, culture and performance
This job description is not intended to be exhaustive, and you may be required to undertake other duties reasonably requested in line with the needs of the business.
How to Apply:
Please send a CV to Becca Whitmore, Cafe Manager, at: [email protected]. Please note that this is a rolling recruitment process and we therefore advise early application. Shortlisted applicants will be invited to complete a paid trial shift at The Seven Bridges
Please note that any offers of employment are subject to two satisfactory references, of which one must be from a current or most recent employer. Evidence of right to work in the UK is also required.
If you require this information in a different format, or would rather submit a video or audio file, please let Kirsty Somerville, Interim General Manager, know and we can enable this to happen.
Dance City actively encourages applications from those with less visibility in the arts. We specifically welcome applications from women, disabled people and those from Black, Asian, ethnically diverse, LGBTQ+ and international backgrounds with the right to work in the UK.
Pay: £12.71 per hour
Work Location: In person
