Temporary Food & Beverage Events Assistant

Chester-Zoo; Chester; On-site; GBP 35,818,000 - 41,328,000; Part time

Benefits offered by this job

Staff pass

Complimentary zoo tickets for friends

Free bus travel (X1) from Chester

Staff discount in restaurants/retail

Subsidised staff canteen

Online Discount/Cashback scheme

Free entry to affiliated zoos through

Job summary

Chester Zoo is seeking Events Team Members to join our Food & Beverage team. You’ll support weddings, parties, conferences and other events at The Square and The Oakfield pub, delivering a world‑class guest experience.

You’ll handle front‑of‑house duties, assist with event setups, welcome guests, serve meals and drinks, manage small conferences, build client relationships, and collaborate with colleagues to ensure seamless events.

Qualifications

• Excellent customer service skills, ideally gained in a similar environment such as an event space or hospitality venue.
• Excellent communication skills and teamwork.
• A good level of numeracy and literacy, to help with taking orders, reading menus and processing payments.
• Cash handling experience.
• Ability to think on your feet and adapt to a multitude of different scenarios.
• A keen eye for detail and passion for high standards.
• Due to licencing requirements, you must be aged 18 or older.
• Bar and/or barista experience would be desirable.

Responsibilities

• Assisting with event setups and pack downs, ensuring spaces look their best
• Welcoming and serving guests with a friendly, professional manner
• Supporting food and beverage service, including serving meals, drinks, and clearing tables
• Leading the delivery of small conferences, liaising with clients and ensuring their requirements are met
• Building and maintaining strong client relationships to support repeat business and positive feedback
• Supporting front‑of‑house Food & Beverage operations within the pub and other F&B outlets when required
• Maintaining cleanliness and presentation across event spaces and F&B areas
• Working with colleagues and managers to deliver seamless events from start to finish

Job description

We’re looking for Events Team Members to join our Food & Beverage team at the UK’s number 1 zoo!

The Role

As an Events Team Member, you’ll support the smooth running of weddings, parties, conferences, and other exciting events at the zoo, across our stunning events space, The Square, and our award‑winning British gastro‑pub, The Oakfield. With exciting plans for 2026 and beyond, there’s never been a better time to join us! Your role will be hands‑on, varied, and focused on ensuring every guest enjoys a world‑class experience. In addition to event delivery, you will also support Food & Beverage front‑of‑house duties within the pub and other F&B units as required. You will also take the lead on small conferences, building positive relationships with clients and acting as a key point of contact on the day.

Duties include:

• Assisting with event setups and pack downs, ensuring spaces look their best
• Welcoming and serving guests with a friendly, professional manner
• Supporting food and beverage service, including serving meals, drinks, and clearing tables
• Leading the delivery of small conferences, liaising with clients and ensuring their requirements are met
• Building and maintaining strong client relationships to support repeat business and positive feedback
• Supporting front‑of‑house Food & Beverage operations within the pub and other F&B outlets when required
• Maintaining cleanliness and presentation across event spaces and F&B areas
• Working with colleagues and managers to deliver seamless events from start to finish

The Package

You’ll be working a variety of shifts, including weekdays, weekends’ and evenings, for events such as weddings, private parties and corporate functions, Christmas parties. Contracted hours are a minimum of 8 hours per week, with additional hours available during peak periods.

• Temporary contract, until 31st December
• Rate of pay of £12.71 per hour regardless of age
• Working on a rota basis with a minimum of 8 hours per week up to a maximum of 40 hours per week. Hours will vary and can be significantly more during busy periods. This includes weekends, bank holidays and evenings.
• Annual leave which accrues based on hours of work.
• Staff pass so you can visit the zoo during your time off, plus complimentary tickets for your friends and family.
• Free bus travel available on the X1 from Chester and Ellesmere Port train stations
• Staff discount in our restaurants and retail outlets
• Subsidised staff canteen
• Online Discount/Cashback scheme
• Free entry to affiliated zoo’s and collections through BIAZA including Blue Planet Aquarium

Our Requirements

• Excellent customer service skills, ideally gained in a similar environment such as an event space or hospitality venue
• Excellent communication skills and teamwork
• A good level of numeracy and literacy, to help with taking orders, reading menus and processing payments
• Cash handling experience
• Ability to think on your feet and adapt to a multitude of difference scenarios
• A keen eye for detail and passion for high standards
• Due to licencing requirements, you must be aged 18 or older
• Bar and/or barista experience would be desirable

What makes Chester Zoo a great place to work?

Well, where do we start? Here goes…

We’re a huge team of conservationists, scientists, educators, animal welfare experts, marketeers, visitor experience professionals, environmental policy influencers; the list goes on. Each and every one of us is on a mission to make Chester Zoo the best in the world, and our planet a better place.

As the UK’s biggest and best zoo, we have ambitious goals, exciting plans, and there’s always lots going on here. We’re an inclusive and diverse organisation, made up of over 600 permanent and up to 500 temporary team members, and we know how important it is to invest in our colleagues to help boost their career development. We have ambitious goals, and we want you to be with us for the long term on our exciting journey.

Our working environment could not be more different from a typical place of work – where else can you see critically endangered orangutans, rare giraffes and tigers on your lunch break?