Cafe Assistant Manager

Kent Students' Union; Canterbury; On-site; GBP 24,000 - 28,000; Full time

Job summary

Kent Students’ Union is seeking a Café Assistant Manager to oversee operations at The Library Café. This full-time role involves ensuring compliance with health and safety standards, leading staff, and fostering a customer-focused environment. Join a vibrant organization committed to enriching student experiences while driving service excellence.

Benefits

34 days’ annual leave

Flexible working policies

Training and development opportunities

Qualifications

• Self-motivated and diligent individual with experience in catering.
• Proven ability to lead and develop teams.
• Strong focus on customer satisfaction and service excellence.

Responsibilities

• Ensure compliance with health and safety standards and food hygiene legislation.
• Lead, mentor and manage café staff to deliver exceptional service.
• Support Cafe Manager in budget management and financial performance.

Skills

Customer Service

Staff Management

Health and Safety Compliance

Communication

Education

Experience in catering operations

Job description

Cafe Assistant Manager,

£24, 214 p.a (Grade 5.2), pending cost of living increase from August 2025

35 hours per week (full time position).

34 days’ annual leave (full-time equivalent).

Thank you for your interest in the position of Café Assistant Manager at Kent Students’ Union Trading Ltd (KUTL); KUTL is the commercial arm of Kent Students’ Union. We are a vibrant, student-led organisation with a bright future ahead of us. After a challenging few years, we are going from strength to strength with a renewed focus and energy to amplify the voice of our members and ensure they have a fantastic student experience. Our driving force is our new strategy, which sets out our priorities over the next two years. Students are the reason Kent Students’ Union exists.

We are there through their university journey. Our amazing staff and volunteers work towards improving their experience, whether it’s helping them with their studies, practicalities of life or to have fun.

Kent Students’ Union operate a range of services for students at the Canterbury Campus of The University of Kent Retail shops, a Bar, a Café, a Nightclub and a children’s nursery.

The Library Café is a bustling café based at the heart of the Templeman Library. The Library Café Assistant Manager will be a key member of the Catering and Licensed Trade Department reporting directly to the Library Café General Manager. It is an exciting and transformational time to join the team as we continue to develop and grow. In 2015, the Library Café was relocated and extended as part of the Templeman Library’s £18m extension.

The post-holder will be a self-motivated, diligent and flexible individual who works well both in a team and on their own. They will achieve outstanding levels of customer service through effective staff management and will have experience of working in a catering operation.

Duties and Responsibilities

Operational Duties

• To ensure the health and safety of staff, customers and suppliers, and specifically to undertake regular risk assessments and safety checks in line with the Union’s Health and Safety Policy.
• To be responsible for the Health and Safety and proper maintenance of equipment within the outlet, to the high standard expected by the Union and specific legislation.
• To ensure The Library Café’s compliance to Food Hygiene, Licensing and Health and Safety legislation.
• To create a culture of excellence in customer service, ensuring that customers’ expectations are exceeded whenever possible and that the Go the Extra Mile scheme is key to our service.
• To ensure optimum levels of staff are available to deliver consistently high levels of customer service.
• To ensure that the Union’s Health, Safety and Well-being Policy and appropriate Health and Safety legislation is always adhered to, and to provide leadership in health and safety management for staff and customers.
• To continuously engage with our customers, ensuring The Library Café stays on trend and continues to appeal to our diverse student market.
• Carry out other duties and activities as reasonable be required to support colleagues in achieving Kent Students’ Union’s Plan.

People Responsibilities

• To effectively communicate individual, team and organisational goals to all team members.
• To give regular and constructive feedback, and ask for feedback from the team on how you are leading, managing and developing staff and act on it to improve performance.
• To undertake performance reviews of direct reports, in line with Kent Students’ Union policy.
• To encourage open feedback and debate from team members.
• To effectively coach and mentor people to help achieve potential, and lead by example on continuous personal development.
• To co-ordinate the work and monitor the workloads of direct reports, ensuring that staff levels are adequate and efficient.
• To lead in the recruitment processes involved in employing new student staff.
• To assist in the development of direct reports by encouraging a learning and development culture.
• To support in continuously reviewing, planning and evaluating individual and department training needs.
• To provide leadership, direction and coaching for direct reports and to set an example of being results focused and aiming to achieve excellence.
• To ensure that Kent Students’ Union’s procedures on the employment and ongoing management of Tier 4 Student Staff is adhered to at all times.

Financial Responsibilities

• To Support the Cafe Manager in controlling The Library Cafe budget by maximising profit through increasing sales, controlling costs and maximising profit margins.
• To be responsible for the security and management of all resources including stock and cash, and to follow all Kent Students’ Union’s financial procedures.
• To ensure all budgets are managed effectively, ensuring full adherence to Kent Students’ Union’s financial reporting procedures.

Expected Behaviours

• To attend training sessions, and appropriate meetings as and when required by Kent Students’ Union.
• To contribute to the positive image of Kent Students’ Union with students, University and the local community.
• To lead by example and demonstrate a full understanding of the organisations democratic structures.
• To undertake other tasks and responsibilities compatible with the level and nature of the post as required by your manager from time to time.
• To ensure systems are in place to reduce Kent Students’ Unions’ impact on the environment.

This job description does not form part of the contract of employment. Please see our careers website for the full job spec and person spec.

Work-Life Balance

Kent Students’ Union is committed to facilitating a healthy work-life balance and has cutting edge flexible working policies.

Equity, Diversity & Inclusion

We have recently implemented our new EDI strategy 2023-28 the Strategy is here to ensure equity and inclusion are a priority for Kent Students’ Union. Please see the full document here Link

Annually we review racial diversity within our workforce and it is a key priority for us to improve racial and ethnic diversity amongst our workforce, and as such we particularly welcome applications from Racially and Ethnically Marginalised People (REMP) and have introduced a REMP Priority Interview Scheme.

Pre-employment checks

All job offers are conditional on the receipt of two satisfactory references.

We are also obliged to check your identity and obtain proof of your right to work in the UK, which you will be asked to provide at interview if you are successfully shortlisted.

Induction and training

All new staff benefit from an induction from the HR Team and their own team, as well as ongoing support and personal development.

How to apply

To apply please submit your application online at www.ksu.co.uk/careers; please ensure that you pay particular attention in your application to detailing how your experience meets the requirements of the person specification and why you are interested in the position.

Completed applications must be received by: 14/07/2025 23:59

Website

Kent Students’ Union’s website contains further background information about Kent Students’ Union to help potential applicants. Potential applicants are encouraged to look at the website prior to applying; the website address is www.ksu.co.uk.

Further Information and Questions:

If you require further information, please contact:

Trish Morris

Café General Manager

01227 824200

[e-mail]