Cafe manager

Sense; Birmingham; On-site; GBP 28,000 - 36,000; Full time

Job summary

Sense is seeking an enthusiastic Café Manager to lead the café at TouchBase Pears, Selly Oak, on a 12-month fixed-term contract. This hands-on role combines café management, food preparation, customer service and team leadership to ensure a warm, welcoming experience for visitors and building users.

You will oversee day-to-day operations, create menus and daily specials, prepare catering for meetings, maintain high food hygiene, and manage stock and till operations while leading a motivated team

Qualifications

• Experience in cafe/restaurant hospitality or catering environments.
• Demonstrable experience in food preparation.
• Experience supervising staff or managing day-to-day operations.
• Experience managing stock, ordering and cash handling.
• Strong customer service and people-focused approach.
• Strong leadership skills to motivate a team.
• Excellent numeracy and cash-handling skills.
• Ability to stay organized in a busy environment.
• Level 2–4 Food Hygiene certification.
• HACCP training and certification.

Responsibilities

• Oversee the day-to-day operation of the café, ensuring a welcoming and high-quality service.
• Create, prepare and serve a varied range of food, including lunchtime and 'grab and go' options.
• Develop menus and daily specials while making effective and economical use of ingredients.
• Prepare catering for meetings and events, from sandwich lunches and buffets through to waiter service.
• Maintain excellent food hygiene and safety standards and support the café in maintaining its 5-star Food Standards Agency rating.
• Manage stock levels, ordering and reconciliation.
• Operate till systems and ensure accurate cash handling and reconciliation.
• Lead, support and develop our team of Café Assistants.
• Recruit and train team members and coordinate rotas and staffing levels.
• Create a positive, supportive and inclusive working environment.
• Work closely with the wider Facilities team to meet the needs of building users, visitors and the local community.
• Look for opportunities to develop and improve the café offer and customer experience.

Skills

Hospitality management

Menu development

Food hygiene

Team leadership

Customer service

Cash handling

Stock management

Food preparation

Education

Level 2-4 Food Hygiene

HACCP training

Tools

POS till systems

Job description

We're looking for an enthusiastic and experienced Café Manager to lead the café at our TouchBase Pears centre in Selly Oak on a 12 month fixed term contract.

This is a hands-on role combining café management, food preparation, customer service and team leadership. You will take responsibility for the day-to-day running of the café, creating and preparing high-quality food while ensuring our customers, visitors and building users receive a warm and welcoming experience.

You'll also have the opportunity to help develop and grow our café offer, including creating a lunchtime menu that reflects the needs of our customers and wider community.

From developing menus and daily specials to leading your team and maintaining excellent food hygiene standards, you'll have real ownership of the café and the service we provide.

We're looking for an enthusiastic and experienced Café Manager to lead the café at our TouchBase Pears centre in Selly Oak on a 12 month fixed term contract.

This is a hands-on role combining café management, food preparation, customer service and team leadership. You will take responsibility for the day-to-day running of the café, creating and preparing high-quality food while ensuring our customers, visitors and building users receive a warm and welcoming experience.

You’ll also have the opportunity to help develop and grow our café offer, including creating a lunchtime menu that reflects the needs of our customers and wider community.

From developing menus and daily specials to leading your team and maintaining excellent food hygiene standards, you'll have real ownership of the café and the service we provide.

Key Responsibilities

• Oversee the day-to-day operation of the café, ensuring a welcoming and high-quality service.
• Create, prepare and serve a varied range of food, including lunchtime and 'grab and go' options.
• Develop menus and daily specials while making effective and economical use of ingredients.
• Prepare catering for meetings and events, from sandwich lunches and buffets through to waiter service.
• Maintain excellent food hygiene and safety standards and support the café in maintaining its 5-star Food Standards Agency rating.
• Manage stock levels, ordering and reconciliation.
• Operate till systems and ensure accurate cash handling and reconciliation.
• Lead, support and develop our team of Café Assistants.
• Recruit and train team members and coordinate rotas and staffing levels.
• Create a positive, supportive and inclusive working environment.
• Work closely with the wider Facilities team to ensure the café meets the needs of building users, visitors and the local community.
• Look for opportunities to develop and improve the café offer and customer experience.

About you

You will be someone who loves great food and great customer service, but who is equally comfortable taking responsibility for the smooth running of a busy café.

You will have:

• Experience working within a café, restaurant, hospitality or catering environment.
• Demonstrable experience working in a similar food preparation role.
• Experience preparing and cooking food within a commercial setting.
• Experience supervising staff or managing day-to-day operations.
• Experience managing stock, ordering and cash handling.
• Strong customer service skills and a welcoming, people-focused approach.
• Strong leadership skills with the ability to motivate and support a team.
• Excellent numeracy and cash-handling skills.
• The ability to remain organised and work effectively in a busy environment.
• Level 2–4 Food Hygiene certification.
• HACCP training and certification.

Barista skills, event catering experience and previous experience working alongside disabled people would be an advantage.

About Sense

Sense is here to break down barriers alongside disabled people with complex needs. That's why we're committed to increasing the number of disabled people working across our organisation and creating an environment where everyone can thrive.

We actively encourage disabled people to apply for our vacancies and believe that a diverse range of perspectives, experiences and talents makes us stronger.

We know there's always more we can do to become a truly inclusive employer, and we're working together to achieve that. Join us and help create the change thousands of disabled people with complex needs and families told us they want to see: a world without limits.

If you need us to adjust our recruitment process to help you access our vacancies, then please get in touch with a member of the talent acquisition team. We are a Disability Confident Leader and commit to interviewing disabled people who meet the minimum criteria for a role. More information on this can be found hereOur commitment as an employer | Sense Careers

Our Values

• We're creating change
• We're always learning
• We're better together

Sense is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of vulnerable children and adults and expects all employees to share this commitment. Therefore, all offers of employment, where appropriate, are subject to a DBS check; level dependent on the nature of the role.

For this role we particularly welcome applications from candidates from underrepresented ethnic minority backgrounds and candidates with disabilities. Sense is committed to equality of opportunity, and to promoting and celebrating the diversity of staff, volunteers and the people we work with. Everyone's contribution is valued and we ensure they're given the opportunity to realise their potential. We welcome applications from talented people from all sections of the community who share our values and belief that no one, no matter how complex their disabilities, should be isolated, left out, or unable to fulfil their potential. For more information please visit: https://www.sense.org.uk/about-us/equality-and-diversity/

No agency submissions please: any submissions without prior authorisation from the Sense Recruitment Team will be treated as our own and as such no fee will be payable.

Closing Date

20/09/2026