Reception & Café Assistant - Casual - Hailsham Leisure Centre

Freedom Leisure; Hailsham; On-site; GBP 11,000 - 17,000; Part time

Benefits offered by this job

Discounted Staff Membership (including

Employee Assistance Programme: 24/7

Financial advice

Flexible working hours

My Staff Shop employee benefits scheme

Paid annual leave

Potential permanent work opportunities

Various insurance and savings schemes

Job summary

Freedom Leisure is hiring a Reception & Café Assistant to join our front-of-house team across our centres. You’ll welcome visitors, handle enquiries and provide excellent service in our café, with a warm, professional approach.

In this casual role, you’ll operate till systems, take payments, prepare drinks (barista skills helpful), and help keep the reception and café area inviting. Training is provided, with learning opportunities and potential for permanent roles.

Qualifications

• Customer-facing experience in leisure, hospitality, or community settings.
• Barista experience is desirable but training can be provided.
• Able to multitask and stay calm in a busy environment.

Responsibilities

• Welcome all visitors with a smile in a friendly and professional manner.
• Handle enquiries, bookings and memberships face-to-face, online and by phone.
• Accurately operate booking, till and membership systems.
• Provide up-to-date information on centre facilities, classes and promotions.
• Maintain a tidy, inviting reception area and ensure high standards of presentation.

Skills

Customer service

Till systems

Barista training

Multitask

Team player

Tools

POS system

Job description

Join the Energy at Freedom Leisure – Do Good Feel Good!

At Freedom Leisure, we’re all about positive vibes, great people, and making a real impact. Yes, we run leisure and cultural facilities, gyms, and swimming pools—but at the heart of it all, it’s our people who make the difference.

As one of the UK’s leading charitable leisure trusts, we’re proud of our mission: Improving Lives Through Leisure. We’re here to help communities live healthier, happier lives by making our centres welcoming, inclusive, and accessible to everyone—because everyone deserves to feel good. We’re all about delivering amazing customer service with a smile—every single day. We create spaces where people feel at home, supported, and inspired. If you’re passionate about helping others and love creating great experiences, you’ll feel right at home with us.

You don’t need to be an expert to get started—we’ll give you all the training and support you need. With over 130 centres across England and Wales, there’s loads of room to grow. Many of our team have built amazing careers doing what they love, helping customers day-to-day and making people feel good - one smile at a time

We’re proud to be a workplace where everyone is welcome, valued, and supported to thrive—because when our team reflects the communities we serve, we all grow stronger together.

This is your place, this is where you matter.

About the Role

We are looking for an enthusiastic, approachable, and customer-focused Reception & Café Assistant to join our front-of-house team. In this dual role, you’ll be the first point of contact for our customers – providing a warm welcome at reception and delivering excellent service in our café. If you enjoy working with people and thrive in a fast-paced environment, we’d love to hear from you.

Key Responsibilities:

Customer Service & Reception

• Welcome all visitors with a smile in a friendly and professional manner.
• Handle enquiries, bookings and memberships face-to-face, online and by phone.
• Accurately operate booking, till and membership systems.
• Provide up-to-date information on centre facilities, classes and promotions.
• Maintain a tidy, inviting reception area and ensure high standards of presentation.

Café & Retail Service

• Prepare and serve hot and cold drinks, including barista-style coffee.
• Offer a range of light snacks and pre-packaged food items.
• Always ensure compliance with food hygiene and health & safety standards.
• Replenish café stock and vending machines as required.
• Keep café spaces clean, well-organised and customer friendly.

Teamwork & Operational Support

• Work as part of a collaborative, multi-skilled team.
• Support the delivery of events and activities within the centre.
• Follow Freedom Leisure’s policies on safeguarding, health & safety and customer care.
• Participate in relevant training and ongoing professional development.

Please note: If a high volume of suitable applications is received, we may close this vacancy earlier than advertised. Early applications are encouraged.

Hours: Casual hours, as and when required.

We’re looking for someone who is:

• Passionate about delivering outstanding customer service.
• Comfortable using till systems and handling cash/card payments.
• Barista experience is desirable but training can be provided.
• Able to multitask and remain calm in a busy environment.
• A proactive, flexible and reliable team player.

Desirable Skills & Experience:

• Previous experience in a customer-facing role in leisure, fitness or community service settings.
• Hospitality or Retail experience delivering customer excellence.

We want you to love coming to work, feeling healthy, happy and valued. That's why we've developed a benefits package with you in mind, so what can we offer you?

• Discounted Staff Membership (including family members)
• Employee Assistance Programme: 24/7 confidential, independent and professional counselling
• Financial advice
• Flexible working hours
• My Staff Shop employee benefits scheme, offering discounts on cinema tickets, travel, high street e-vouchers, gift cards, days out, leisure activities and everyday spending
• Paid annual leave
• Potential permanent work opportunities
• Various insurance and savings schemes

Closing Date: 16th October 2026

Salary: up to £12.71 per hour

At Freedom Leisure, we believe a diverse workforce strengthens our organisation and enhances the services we provide. We welcome applications from suitably qualified candidates regardless of age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, sex, or sexual orientation.