Café Assistant at Carlton Marshes

Suffolk Wildlife Trust; Carlton Colville; On-site; GBP 13,000 - 16,000; Part time

Job summary

A leading conservation charity is seeking a part-time Café Assistant to provide excellent customer service at their Carlton Marshes Visitor Centre. The role involves food preparation, maintaining cleanliness, and contributing to the café's success. Ideal candidates should have hospitality experience, a friendly demeanor, and a passion for promoting the Trust's mission. Working hours will vary seasonally, and additional benefits include generous annual leave and employer pension contributions.

Benefits

Generous annual leave

Employer pension contribution

Employee Assistance Programme

Discounts at retail stores

Qualifications

• Experience in cafés, hospitality, or similar customer-facing roles.
• Confident engaging with visitors and handling payments.
• Basic understanding of food hygiene and health & safety.

Responsibilities

• Deliver warm and welcoming service to café visitors.
• Prepare and present food and beverages to high standards.
• Support the café's commercial success through financial procedures.
• Maintain cleanliness and hygiene in the café area.

Skills

Customer service

Food hygiene knowledge

Teamwork

Time management

Cash handling

Job description

Café Assistant at Carlton Marshes

Closing date: Monday 29 December 2025

Salary: The starting salary is £13,333.60 per annum (FTE £23,810.00)

Contract type: Permanent / Working hours: Part‑time (24 hours per week from April to October and 18 hours per week from November to March, over four days a week, including weekends and bank holidays)

Location: Carlton Marshes Nature Reserve & Visitor Centre, Carlton Marshes, Burnt Hill Lane, Lowestoft, Suffolk, NR3 8HU

We have an opportunity for a Café Assistant to join our Carlton Marshes Visitor Centre team. As a Café Assistant you will deliver warm & welcoming service to every visitor, helping to make their experience at Carlton Marshes enjoyable and memorable. You will be a friendly first point of contact, providing excellent customer care, answering queries, serving refreshments and helping to connect visitors with Suffolk Wildlife Trust’s mission by signposting membership, events, learning activities and opportunities.

You will be hands‑on in the day‑to‑day operation of the café, preparing and presenting hot & cold food and beverages to a high standard, keeping displays attractive and well stocked and maintaining excellent levels of cleanliness and food hygiene. You will support stock ordering and deliveries, follow HACCP procedures and ensure the café space always looks inviting, comfortable and well‑cared for as part of the wider visitor experience at Carlton Marshes.

Alongside this, you will contribute to the café’s commercial success by following financial procedures, using the till accurately, supporting upselling & donations and supporting income targets. Above all, you will use your skills and enthusiasm to support both the café and the Trust’s wider vision for a Wilder Suffolk.

The Café Assistant will be a friendly and customer‑focused person with experience in cafés, hospitality or similar customer‑facing roles. You’ll be confident engaging with visitors, working as part of a team including our wonderful volunteers, handling payments accurately and staying calm during busy periods. A basic understanding of food hygiene and health & safety, good time‑management and a tidy, well‑presented working style are important, along with enthusiasm, a can‑do attitude and a genuine interest in supporting the work of Suffolk Wildlife Trust.

This is a permanent role based at Carlton Marshes, near Lowestoft. The working hours are 24 hours per week from April to October and 18 hours per week from November to March (both over four days a week), with a working pattern of Sunday to Wednesday (including weekends and bank holidays). Occasional evening work may be required to support activities and events and the starting salary is £13,333.60 per annum (FTE £23,810.00).

To apply for this opportunity, please submit an application via our website by 9:00am on Monday 29 December 2025. The application process will include uploading a CV and optional cover letter.

Annual leave entitlement starts at 33 days per annum (including Bank Holidays), increasing annually to 38 days plus employees receive an extra day off for their birthday. We offer a 9% employer pension contribution with no employee contribution required, free 24‑hour Employee Assistance Programme, free life insurance from day one of employment, free access to a private GP and discounts at high street retailers. Staff can also enjoy a 10% discount in our visitor centre cafes, including retail.

Suffolk Wildlife Trust is committed to an inclusive and diverse workplace where everyone is welcome. As a conservation charity, we recognise the importance of diversity in both nature and our workforce of staff and volunteers. We strive to ensure that everyone feels valued and empowered to contribute to our vision of “A Wilder Suffolk where nature is thriving and abundant because everyone is doing more to help”.