Youth Options, a children and young people’s charity, runs a community café at Mansell Park Pavilion Youth Centre, Millbrook, Southampton, which is currently open 9am–4pm Tuesday to Saturday. Now in its second year, the café has the space, the menu and the mission in place. What it needs now is the right person to build it into a thriving community hub.
Footfall is currently growing, this is an opportunity for someone who wants to work with us to build something up, not someone who needs a ready-made buzz to work with. We’re looking for someone who looks at a quiet room and sees possibility; who will draw people in through warmth, creativity and genuine community relationships.
You’ll lead the café three days a week, including every Saturday. The remaining two days will be covered by a team of volunteers you’ll help to recruit and train. This means you’ll need to be someone who loves bringing people along with them, and who can build clear systems that let volunteers thrive independently.
The café operates a simple, accessible menu, baked cakes, jacket potatoes, paninis and great coffee. Beyond the day-to-day, we want this person to be a creative force: developing events, forging partnerships with local organisations, and finding imaginative ways to bring people through the door.
You’ll also play a meaningful role in supporting and developing young people, including those who may have faced barriers to employment or education. Many of the young people we work with bring diverse life experiences and, at times, complex needs. We’re looking for someone who is confident, patient and non-judgemental, with a genuine passion for mentoring and helping others build skills, confidence and a positive future.
We’re not looking for someone who has done it all before. We’re looking for someone with passion, creativity and the kind of warmth that makes people feel welcome before they’ve even ordered. If you look at a challenge and feel energised rather than daunted - this role could be brilliant for you.
Hours
24 hours per week across 3 days, including every Saturday. The specific weekday pattern is flexible and will be agreed with the successful candidate. This is transition into a new working model and there may be requirement for 5 days a week whilst the volunteers are recruited. The remaining two days of café operation will be managed by volunteers and bank staff. Some flexibility may be required for occasional events or cover.
Salary
£26,910 to £27,300 pro rata
Job Description
To lead and grow the café as a thriving community destination, supporting the charity’s programmes and providing meaningful training and work experience for young people.
Café & Menu Management
- Deliver a consistently excellent, welcoming café experience every day it is open, including days managed by volunteers.
- Prepare and serve the menu to a high standard, including barista-style hot drinks and light food.
- Develop and maintain a simple, high-quality menu focused on baked goods, cakes, jacket potatoes, paninis and barista-style drinks.
- Create clear systems, recipes and processes that volunteers can follow confidently and independently.
- Ensure efficient stock management to minimise waste, and manage ordering and stock-taking including at year end, liaising directly with suppliers.
Events, Partnerships & Community Engagement
- Develop a programme of events and activities that make the café a destination beyond its day-to-day offer - such as community breakfasts, craft mornings, pop-up markets or themed evenings.
- Actively seek and develop partnerships with local organisations, businesses, artists and groups to bring new audiences and energy into the café working with our fundraising team.
- Think creatively about how to attract people from beyond the immediate local community, growing the café’s reach and reputation across Southampton.
- Work with the Youth Options team to ensure the café can host charity programme activities and reflects the charity’s mission.
- Act as a key ambassador for the café, representing it positively within the community and at events.
Volunteer Management
- Recruit, induct and support a team of volunteers who will run the café two days per week.
- Provide thorough training so volunteers can operate the café confidently and independently, including opening and closing procedures, customer service, cash handling and food safety.
- Create clear rotas, task sheets and communication systems to support volunteer-led days.
- Maintain regular contact with volunteers, offering ongoing support, supervision and recognition.
- Monitor volunteer-led days and respond to any issues or feedback.
Supporting Young People
- Build genuine, positive and professional relationships with young people taking part in the café’s training programme.
- Deliver hands-on hospitality training in a patient, encouraging and non-judgemental way, working alongside youth support workers.
- Work sensitively and effectively with young people who may have a criminal record, be NEET, or present with challenging needs and behaviours, using trauma-informed and person-centred approaches.
- Contribute to young people’s progress reviews and liaise with the wider Youth Options team to ensure a joined-up approach to support.
Financial Management
- Develop and work to an agreed budget.
- Manage income and expenditure for the café.
- Ensure daily and weekly cashing up is accurate, including on volunteer-led days.
Lone Working & Working with Your Line Manager
- Be comfortable lone working on-site, managing the café day-to-day without a manager physically present, while operating within clear structures and reporting lines.
- Take responsibility for opening and closing procedures and managing day-to-day issues as they arise, escalating to the line manager when needed.
- Work in close partnership with the line manager, welcoming guidance, supervision and direction as part of a supportive working relationship.
Health and Safety
- Champion compliance with all food hygiene and health and safety standards, keeping accurate records.
- Ensure full understanding and management of food allergens across all menu items.
- Ensure volunteers are trained in and adhere to all relevant food safety requirements.
About You
You will have experience in –
- A builder’s mindset - you get energised by potential and are motivated by the challenge of growing something from the ground up.
- A genuine passion for people and community – you naturally build warm, lasting relationships with a wide range of people.
- Real creativity and initiative – you are full of ideas for events, activities and partnerships, and you make things happen.
- Experience in a café, hospitality, catering or food service environment.
- Strong organisational skills with the ability to set up systems and processes that others, including volunteers, can follow reliably.
- Friendly, approachable and able to work with a wide range of people and organisations, with excellent customer service skills.
- Financial awareness including experience in cash handling and a basic understanding of budgets.
- Comfortable lone working on-site while operating within clear management structures, and open to working closely with and taking direction from a line manager.
- A patient, non-judgemental approach to working with young people who may have a criminal record, be NEET, or present with challenging needs and behaviours.
- A genuine belief in the power of training and mentoring to help young people build confidence and a positive future.
- 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
Why work for Youth Options?
Our staff care passionately about supporting children and young people. We see the potential in our staff and support everyone through training to ensure they have the skills they need to help children and young people achieve.
91% of staff say we are living our charity’s values and behaviours.
- Generous annual leave (minimum of 32 days holiday a year, increasing with length of service)
- Additional time off at Christmas
- Fair rates of pay (starting salaries aligned to Living Wage Foundation)
- Company pension scheme
- Employee Assistant Programme
- Options for flexible working
- Annual staff away day
- Annual whole staff team building day
- Comprehensive and ongoing training
- Christmas Party and other socials
Equality and Inclusion
We are committed to making sure Youth Options is a safe place for all our staff. Diversity and inclusion are celebrated across the organisation. Our aim is for all staff and volunteers to bring their true self into the work place.
Safeguarding
Our work with children and young people and keeping them safe is the most important thing we do. We are committed to the safeguarding of children in all areas of our work. Successful applicants will be expected to be compliant and sign up to our Safeguarding policy.
A full Recruitment Pack is available from our website www.youthoptions.org.uk and please submit an application form which is also available on the website.
Start date is as soon as possible. Interviews will be planned for the 25th and 26th June.
There is an open-door policy to come and see the cafe on the 11th of June and the 18th between 9am and 2pm for visits to see the cafe.
As part of the recruitment process you will be required to do a short presentation
Job Types: Part-time, Permanent
Pay: £26,910.00-£27,300.00 per year
Benefits:
- Company pension
- Health & wellbeing programme
- On-site parking
- Referral programme
- Sick pay
Application question(s):
- The café is quiet right now and needs building. Tell us in a few sentences, what would you do in your first month to start bringing people through the door?
- Tell us about a time you helped someone learn something new or build their confidence, it doesn't have to be in a work setting.
Work Location: In person
