Reception & Café Assistant - Part Time - Hailsham Leisure Centre

Freedom Leisure; Hailsham; On-site; GBP 15,000 - 18,000; Part time

Benefits offered by this job

Company pension

Cycle-to-work scheme

Staff membership discounts

Employee Assistance Programme (EAP)

Financial advice

Annual leave entitlement

My Staff Shop discounts

Fully funded training and development

Job summary

Freedom Leisure is hiring a Reception & Café Assistant to join the front-of-house team. You will greet customers, handle bookings and payments, and serve drinks in a busy café environment. The role combines reception and café work with training provided where needed.

This part-time position offers a supportive team, flexible rota across 7 days, and benefits including pension, staff discounts and wellbeing resources.

Qualifications

• Customer-facing experience preferred.
• Barista training/experience desirable; training provided.

Responsibilities

• Welcome visitors in a friendly, 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 with high presentation standards.
• Prepare and serve hot and cold drinks, including barista-style coffee.
• Ensure compliance with food hygiene and safety standards.
• Replenish café stock and vending machines; keep spaces clean and customer-friendly.
• Work as part of a collaborative team; support events and activities.
• Follow safeguarding, health & safety and customer care policies.

Skills

Customer service

Cash handling

Barista experience

Tools

Till systems

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 of 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.

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.

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.

Hours: 14 hours per week, Monday - Sunday (rota basis)

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?

• Company pension
• Cycle-to-work and car leasing tax-efficient schemes
• Discounted staff membership (including family members)
• Employee Assistance Programme: 24/7 confidential, independent and professional counselling
• Financial advice
• Incremental annual leave entitlement
• 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
• Fully funded training and development, with career progression 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.