Food and Beverage Assistant - Campus Services - 104607 - Grade 2

University of Birmingham; Birmingham; On-site; GBP 24,000 - 25,000; Part time

Benefits offered by this job

40 days paid holiday

Volunteer day

Pension scheme

3 nurseries

Job summary

University of Birmingham Campus Services is seeking a part-time Front of House/Customer Service role at Edgbaston, Birmingham. The post involves basic food preparation, high-quality retail service, cash handling, cleaning and stock control, with flexibility to work across the department as needed.

The role offers 0.51 FTE with a full-time equivalent salary range and a generous benefits package. Closing date for applications is 5 October 2026.

Qualifications

• Experience in a busy, customer-facing role is desirable.
• Experience with cash handling and EPOS systems is beneficial.
• Commitment to delivering high-quality customer service and adhering to health and safety practices.

Responsibilities

• Greet and serve customers in a professional, courteous manner.
• Keep stock levels rotated and manage housekeeping and cleanliness.
• Operate EPOS, handle cash, and balance at end of day.

Skills

Customer service

Cash handling

EPOS operation

Tools

EPOS system

Job description

Job Description

Position Details

Campus Services

Location: University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham UK

Full time starting salary is normally in the range £24,097 to £25,203

Grade: 2

Part Time, 0.51 FTE (936 annualised)

Permanent

Closing date: 5 th October 2026

Our offer to you

People are at the heart of what we are and do.

The University of Birmingham is proud to have been a part of the City of Birmingham and the wider region for over 100 years, and we are equally proud to be recognised as a leading global university. We want to attract talented people from across the city and beyond, support them to succeed, and celebrate their success.

We are committed to helping the people who work here to develop through our sector-leading Birmingham Professional programme which provides all professional services staff with development opportunities and the encouragement to reach their full potential. With almost 5,000 professional services jobs in a wide-range of functions in Edgbaston and in our campus in Dubai, there are plenty of opportunities for you to be able to develop your career at the University.

We believe there is no such thing as a typical member of staff and that diversity is a source of strength that underpins the exchange of ideas, innovation, and debate. We warmly welcome people from all backgrounds and are committed to fostering an inclusive environment where diversity is at the heart of who and what we are, and how we work.

Supporting our people to achieve a healthy work/life balance is important both to our employees and to the success of the University and, depending on the role, we offer a variety of flexible working arrangements. We therefore welcome discussions on all forms of flexible working. In addition, you will receive a generous package of benefits including 40 days paid holiday a year, one paid day a year for volunteering, occupational sick pay, and a pension scheme. We also have three high quality subsidised day nurseries.

The University is situated in leafy Edgbaston and there are excellent transport links to our beautiful campus, including main bus routes and a train station on site. On campus we have a state-of-the-art sports centre with pool, shops, places to eat and drink, our own art gallery, museum and botanical gardens.

Find out more about the benefits of working for the University of Birmingham

Background

The University of Birmingham is a global institution working within a diverse and vibrant City, offering an inspiring education to our students, and undertaking critically important research. We are a place of open, critical thinking, and the creation, sharing and dissemination of knowledge. Professional Services put students at the heart of all they do and enable an exceptional educational experience. They provide outstanding support to our researchers and help the University to grow its influence regionally, nationally, and globally. They ensure the University’s resources are used wisely, manage and improve the infrastructure which sits at the heart of the institution, and support decisions to be made quickly and based on sound evidence. Our Birmingham Professional programme operates across the University, supporting colleagues to network and collaborate, offering opportunities to learn and develop, contributing to the delivery of the University’s objectives, and helping everyone to understand the broader context within which we work.

Department Overview

Campus Services (CS) employs over 900 staff with a turnover exceeding £65m in the last financial year. CS plays a key role in the quality of the student, staff, and visitor experience, providing services across diverse areas such as the University’s sporting facilities, food and beverage, cleaning, conferencing, hotel operations, day nurseries, Portering, post, branded and own-brand retail outlets, visitor services and attractions (e.g., Winterbourne House & Gardens), student housing, transport, waste disposal and recycling. CS is a highly commercial organisation operating within the University context and has an ambitious strategic agenda, in terms of growing our service profile across both our Birmingham and Dubai campuses.

The Business and Operations department offers a variety of outlets to staff, students and visitors across campus and also in student accommodation from small coffee shops to large restaurants. We also provide hospitality services for conferences and events held on campus and further afield.

Role Summary

You will be responsible for providing excellent customer service in any one of those retail areas/outlets. This post will involve basic food preparation, the provision of a high quality retail service, cash handling, cleaning and stock control, together with any other duties required to ensure the smooth running of the business and operations service we offer to our diverse range of customers. In order to flexibly use resource you may be required to work elsewhere in the department or wider University.

Main Duties

Customer Service

• Greet and serve customers in a professional, responsive courteous, friendly manner, including answering queries and dealing with situations that arise, to deliver the highest level of customer service.
• Building rapport with customers whenever possible and encouraging customer feedback.
• Maintain a professional working relationship with all colleagues.

Business Requirements

• Undertake basic retail preparation and standards to deliver quality products to the customer.
• Ensure a correct standard of stock rotation is followed whilst maintaining adequate stock levels, adjusting orders as required and making sure that retail products are used prior to the best before date. Ensuring merchandising standards are met.
• Report any equipment failures and hazards to either the Supervisor/Manager/Supplier in a timely manner.
• Ensure all merchandising standards are adhered to as directed by the Supervisor/Manager and in line with Operations Manuals.
• Maintain control on all retail wastage and record as required.
• Ensure that all Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP) hygiene and allergen recording systems and retail receipt procedures are carried out and correctly recorded.
• Conform and adhere to all Health and Safety Codes of Practice and Control of Substances Hazardous to Health (COSHH) regulations at all times.
• Assist with the transportation of stock and equipment from one location to another as required, following hygiene and health and safety protocols.
• Operate electronic point of sale (EPOS) terminals and handle cash effectively, including opening and end of day procedures, cashing up and ensuring the security of all monies; if required in secure areas.
• Perform cleaning tasks to a high standard at all times, following standard operating procedures, ensuring the regularly removal of rubbish as necessary and ensuring a clean environment.
• Ensure the thorough cleaning of all equipment, retail fixtures and fittings, walls, fridges, tables and accompaniments and all work areas and surfaces and to ensure they are sanitised before the end of each shift.
• On occasion, you may be required to place orders for food and stock, and/or undertake stock takes as directed by your manager.
• If serving restricted items, ensure compliance with the relevant licensing laws.

Team Work

• Actively seek opportunities to increase sales by upselling products and make recommendations as directed by your manager.
• Participate in any training and development activities as required.
• Be supportive to colleagues.
• Attend all team briefs/training and departmental meetings as required.
• Be actively involved in an annual personal development review with your line manager/supervisor.
• Undertake any other reasonable duties or requests (other than those stated in the job description) as requested by a senior member of staff including driving UoB vehicles when required (if you hold a clean driving license).
• Treats everyone with dignity and respect, supporting equality and valuing diversity.

Operational Requirements

• Contracts are annualised and based on 35 hours per week (or pro rata) inclusive of weekdays, weekends, bank holidays and closed days on a rota basis, including evening work activities. Operational windows will vary by business unit/activity. Hours will be defined in your contract of employment.
• The postholder will primarily focus on one area – front of house, back of house or logistics. The postholder may be required to work in other areas of the business occasionally subject to business need.
• To undertake works activities across all UoB campuses as requested that are commensurate with the grade and role activities to support the Division and wider UoB activities.
• Promotes equality and values diversity, acting as a role model and fostering an inclusive working culture.
• Supports the University’s sustainability agenda through resource efficient working

Required Knowledge, Skills, Qualifications, Experience

• Experience and knowledge of working in a busy, customer facing role, with previous experience of working in a retail environment being an advantage
• A Retail training certificate is desirable – although full training will be provided
• A commitment to providing a quality service
• Positive communication and interpersonal skills
• Ability to work on own initiative or as part of a team
• Ability to maintain a high standard of personal appearance.Some parts of a uniform is provided for this purpose.
• Work patterns may vary so a flexible approach to working hours and days is essential
• Ability to learn and understand how diversity considerations affect own area (e.g. Customer preferences/dress code)
• Full clean driving license desirable

Informal enquiries to Anton Lilov, email: [e-mail]

View our staff values and behaviours here

We believe there is no such thing as a 'typical' member of University of Birmingham staff and that diversity in its many forms is a strength that underpins the exchange of ideas, innovation and debate at the heart of University life. We are committed to proactively addressing the barriers experienced by some groups in our community and are proud to hold Athena SWAN, Race Equality Charter and Disability Confident accreditations. We have an Equality Diversity and Inclusion Centre that focuses on continuously improving the University as a fair and inclusive place to work where everyone has the opportunity to succeed. We are also committed to sustainability, which is a key part of our strategy. You can find out more about our work to create a fairer university for everyone on our website.