Purley Chase Centre is a unique and peaceful retreat centre nestled in beautiful countryside in the heart of rural Warwickshire. Our mission is to provide a welcoming and nurturing environment for spiritual reflection, personal growth, quiet contemplation, educational events and community gatherings. We offer comfortable accommodation, delicious food, beautiful grounds and various programmes and events throughout the year.
Overall job purpose:
We are seeking an organised, versatile and proactive Assistant Manager to support the Senior Manager in the operational management and smooth running of the centre. This varied, hands-on role is vital to ensuring a welcoming, safe and efficient environment for our guests.
The Assistant Manager will:
- Help in the day-to-day operations of the centre, ensuring all services and activities run efficiently.
- Help in managing booking processes ensuring accurate guest information, payment tracking, and room allocation.
- Help the Manager in leading, motivating and managing a diverse team of staff.
- Ensure effective communication and information flow within the centre team.
- Ensure the accurate recording of payments, including increasing the number of card payments.
- Act as the deputy safeguarding contact, ensuring that all safeguarding policies and procedures are rigorously adhered to by staff and visitors.
- Contribute to the strategic planning and development of the centre, including providing reports to the Purley Management Team
- Foster a warm, supportive and peaceful atmosphere for all guests, groups and day visitors.
- Stay on site when guests are staying at the centre, sharing overnight duties with the Senior Manager on a rota basis to ensure 24/7 guest support and safety.
- Help ensure the centre complies with all regulatory and statutory standards, including health and safety, fire regulations and building checks.
- Ensure strict adherence to Food Safety and Environmental Health standards within the kitchen and dining areas.
Please note: This job description is not exhaustive and the duties and responsibilities may evolve over time to reflect the organisation's needs.
Key skills & experience:
Essential:
- The candidate must demonstrate:
- Proven catering experience with the ability to cook confidently when required.
- Proven supervisory or management experience, ideally within the hospitality, retreat, leisure or charity sectors.
- An understanding of operational compliance, risk assessments, and health and safety regulations.
- Good financial literacy with experience handling transactions and payment systems.
- Good English literacy for communications via telephone, email or post.
- Excellent interpersonal, communication and problem-solving skills.
- Strong IT proficiency, including Microsoft Office (Excel, Word) and email systems
Desirable:
- The ideal candidate would have:
- Experience within a faith-based or charitable organisation.
- Ideally holds a recognised NVQ in professional cookery or kitchen management (or equivalent).
Personal Attributes:
We are seeking a person with:
- A high level of integrity and empathy and a commitment to the centre's values.
- An ability to remain calm and effective under pressure.
- A high standard of organisational skill with excellent attention to detail.
- A flexible and adaptable approach to working hours, including a requirement to work evenings, weekends and overnight stays as dictated by guest bookings.
Working Hours: Full-time, 40 hours per week, with flexibility required for operational needs including evenings, weekends and overnight stays when required.
Training and development: We inspire and develop our team through in-house training and provide access to our online learning platform
Safeguarding statement: The Purley Chase Centre is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults. The successful applicant will be required to undertake an enhanced DBS check.
- 30 days holiday and 8 Bank Holidays (pro rata) per annum.
- On-site accommodation is available for overnight duties, with the possibility of living on-site full-time for the right candidate.
- Pension scheme.
- Death in service policy.
- Continuous professional growth supported by in-house training and access to our comprehensive online learning platform.
Application Process
To apply, please submit your CV and a covering letter outlining your suitability for the role and how your experience aligns with the key responsibilities, to the Manager, Amanda Phillips, email: [email protected]
Pay: £30,000.00-£35,000.00 per year
Benefits:
- Company pension
- Free parking
- On-site parking
Work Location: In person
