Food and Beverage Manager - Newport Wetlands

RSPB; Newport; On-site; GBP 27,000 - 29,000; Full time

Job summary

The RSPB is looking for a Food and Beverage Manager at Newport Wetlands. In this full-time role, you will oversee café operations, ensuring a welcoming atmosphere and meeting targets to support conservation work. Ideal candidates will have prior catering management experience and a passion for delivering excellent customer experiences.

Benefits

Pension Scheme

Life Assurance Scheme

26 days' Annual Leave

Qualifications

• Supervisory or management experience in a coffee shop environment.
• Understanding of systems and procedures for commercial catering.
• Experience managing targets and KPIs in a catering business.

Responsibilities

• Lead day-to-day management of the café and team.
• Ensure highest standard of customer care and achieve financial targets.
• Handle catering administration, food hygiene, and health and safety.

Skills

Customer Care

Problem Solving

Communication

Team Management

Catering Management

Education

Level 3 Food Safety

GCSE Maths and English, or equivalent

Job description

Food and Beverage Manager - Newport Wetlands
Reference: JUN20251201
Location: Newport Wetlands
Contract: Permanent
Hours: Full Time, 37.5 hours per week
Salary: £27,123.00 - £28,956.00 Per Annum
Benefits: Pension Scheme, Life Assurance Scheme, 26 days' Annual Leave

We are looking for an enthusiastic, confident and highly organised individual to utilise their catering experience and take on the role of Food and Beverage Manager for the café at the Newport Wetlands National Nature Reserve.

Newport Wetlands is a special area for wildlife, lying between the Severn estuary and the river Usk. It is one of the most important areas of wetland habitat in Wales, providing a haven for wildlife on the edge of the city and is a popular visitor attraction. The RSPB manage the visitor facilities which includes the café with lovely reserve views.

What's the role about?

As Food and Beverage Manager you will utilise your catering management or supervisory experience and be responsible for leading day-to-day management of the café. Working with team members, you will be providing a warm, welcoming atmosphere for our visitors to enjoy nature-friendly food and drink in an incredible setting. You will lead on performance of the café against targets, coach and inspire your team to generate income to support our important conservation work.

Typical opening hours are between 10 am and 4 pm. The role will offer a flexible shift pattern of 5 days over 7 on a 9 to 5 basis, with regular weekend and bank holiday working. If you are already in a management or supervisory position within catering and looking for a role that is different, then this role could be the one for you.

The Food and Beverage Manager will:

• Ensure the café is delivering the highest standard of customer care.
• Achieve financial targets and Key Performance Indicators (KPI) to deliver against catering goals.
• Ensure the café is commercially merchandised according to the agreed layout and stock levels are appropriate.
• Ensure all catering administration, operating processes, security, food hygiene and health and safety adhere to RSPB procedures.
• Ensure that all catering staff and volunteers are recruited trained and managed in accordance with RSPB guidelines and policy that results efficient team working.
• Be responsible for the planning and efficient day to day running of the café.

What we need from you

Essential skills, knowledge and experience:

• A positive outlook, can-do attitude and willing to develop new skills.
• A genuine desire to deliver amazing experiences for our visitors.
• A passion for good food and drink.
• Supervisory or management experience in a coffee shop environment.
• Computer literate.
• Sound understanding of systems and procedures necessary to run a commercial catering operation.
• Excellent verbal and written communications skills.
• Problem solving skills and ability to work on own initiative.
• Ability to manage and respond to customer needs and feedback.
• Able to build and maintain strong working relationships.
• Experience of managing and delivering targets and KPIs for a catering business.

Desirable skills, knowledge and experience:

• Experience of working at a visitor attraction.
• Level 3 Food Safety.
• Understanding of working EPOS systems.
• GCSE Maths and English, or equivalent.

Does this sound like you? If so, we’d love to hear from you.

Closing date:23:59, Sun, 6th Jul 2025

Please note that we are actively recruiting for this vacancy and reserve the right to close once sufficient applications have been received.

Interested?

If you would like to find out more, please click the apply button. You will be directed to our website to complete your application for this position.

We are committed to developing an inclusive and diverse RSPB, in which everyone feels supported, valued, and able to be their full selves. To achieve our vision of creating a world richer in nature, we need more people, and more diverse people, on nature’s side. People of colour and disabled people are currently underrepresented across the environment, climate, sustainability, and conservation sector. If you identify as a person of colour and/or disabled, we are particularly interested in receiving your application.

The RSPB is an equal opportunities employer. This role iscovered bythe Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974.

The RSPB is a licenced sponsor. This role isnoteligible for UK Visa Sponsorship - the successful applicant will need to have a pre-existing Right to Work in the UK in order to be offered an employment contract.

As part of this application process you will be asked to submit a CV and complete an application form including evidence on how you meet the skills, knowledge, and experience listed above. Contact us to discuss any additional support you may need to complete your application.

No agencies please.