Cafe jobs in Manchester M3

Catering Assistant

Catering Assistant
Wythenshawe Lifestyle Centre
Permanent
Part Time – 16 Hours a week
Pay Scale - £11,646.91
Exempt from Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (RoA) - No
Barring Checks - Adult & Child
Line Manager - Catering Supervisor

Role Purpose
To assist in the day-to-day operation of the Lifestyle Centre's community café and associated catering areas, preparing and serving food in accordance with operational, statutory and food safety requirements, while delivering an excellent customer experience and maintaining high levels of customer and staff satisfaction.

Key Responsibilities

Food Preparation & Customer Service

• Support the day-to-day operation of the community café by preparing, cooking and serving high-quality food and beverages.
• Deliver excellent customer service standards and ensure high levels of customer satisfaction.

Café Operations & Event Support

• Set up and maintain dining and function areas.
• Assist with events, functions and private hire activities.
• Supervise and support volunteers involved in café operations.

Stock Control & Financial Procedures

• Manage stock control processes, including ordering supplies, stock rotation, stock taking and portion control.
• Ensure value for money through effective stock management.
• Operate till systems and process customer transactions in line with cash handling procedures.

Health, Safety & Regulatory Compliance

• Ensure compliance with Food Safety, Food Hygiene, Health & Safety and COSHH regulations.
• Maintain safe working practices, accurate records and appropriate equipment maintenance procedures.

Service Development & Continuous Improvement

• Contribute to menu planning and development.
• Support continuous improvement initiatives to enhance service quality, operational efficiency and customer experience.

Training, Flexibility & Team Contribution

• Attend training sessions, team meetings and organisational initiatives.
• Maintain a flexible approach to working across different sites, evenings, weekends and special events as required.

Skills and Abilities

Food Preparation & Catering Skills

• Strong food preparation, cooking and food presentation skills.
• Excellent knowledge of food hygiene, food safety and health and safety practices.

Stock Control & Cash Handling

• Ability to manage stock levels, place orders and monitor portion control.
• Competent in cash handling and operating electronic till systems.

Customer Service & Communication

• Excellent customer service skills with the ability to communicate effectively with customers, colleagues and stakeholders.

Teamwork & Volunteer Support

• Ability to supervise, support and motivate volunteers.
• Works effectively as part of a team to achieve service objectives.

Organisation & Time Management

• Strong organisational and time management skills.
• Ability to prioritise workloads and manage multiple tasks effectively.

Problem Solving & Initiative

• Ability to work independently and use initiative.
• Capable of resolving routine operational issues in a timely and effective manner.

Professional Standards

• Maintains high standards of personal presentation, cleanliness and professionalism.

Flexibility & Adaptability

• Flexible and adaptable approach to working hours, locations and changing business needs.

Experience and qualifications

Essential

• Previous experience working in a catering, café, hospitality or food service environment.
• Experience preparing and serving food to customers.
• Experience delivering high standards of customer service.
• Experience following food hygiene and health and safety procedures.
• Experience handling cash and using till systems.
• Level 2 Food Hygiene qualification or equivalent

Desirable

• First Aid/Fire Safety Awareness/Health & Safety/Safeguarding trained
• Experience supervising volunteers or supporting team members.
• Experience assisting with stock control, procurement and stock takes.
• Experience supporting functions, events or buffet services.
• Knowledge of COSHH requirements and catering compliance standards.

Behaviours and Attitudes

Empathy & Respect

• Demonstrates compassion, understanding, and respect towards colleagues, customers, and community members, particularly during periods of change.
• Promotes an inclusive, welcoming environment where people feel valued, listened to, and supported.

Integrity & Honesty

• Acts with professionalism, openness, and honesty, taking accountability for decisions and actions.
• Upholds organisational policies, standards, and confidentiality, building confidence through ethical conduct.

Resilience & Commitment

• Remains positive, adaptable, and solution-focused when facing challenges or changing priorities.
• Demonstrates commitment to delivering high-quality services and supporting the successful operation of the centre.

Trust & Authenticity

• Builds strong relationships through reliability, consistency, and genuine engagement with others.
• Leads by example, creating a culture of openness, collaboration, and mutual trust.

Declarations
We aim to create and maintain a safe environment and community where all young people and adults feel safe, secure and valued. We work hard to create strong relationships and show a commitment to safeguarding all young people.
Our work is classified as Regulated Activity as defined in the Safeguarding Vulnerable Groups Act 2006 (SVGA). This role will include regular contact with Children 121 or group setting. This includes those that could be classified as vulnerable and both an understanding of and experience in adhering to UK safeguarding legislation is required.
Further information relating to our Safeguarding, Child Protection, Ex-offender or Safer Recruitment policies are available upon request.
All applications are assessed on an individual basis in relation to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (ROA) 1974.

This post will require the successful candidate to complete our Disclosure Barring Service, Vulnerable Child and Adult register checks as well as reference checks. We may also carry out additional online searches such as social media as part of the selection process.

Salary

11646 - 11646 GBP (yearly)