Cafe Manager in Ipswich

Salary: £17.43 per hour

We also offer:

• 25 days annual leave (plus bank holidays) and a discretionary Christmas closure
• Benefits platform with discounts on retail, dining and days out
• Salary sacrifice schemes for gym, bicycles and nursery/childcare
• Enhanced maternity and paternity pay
• Access to a free Employee Assistance Scheme for support inside and outside of work

Location: x1 position based at Grosvenor Square (W1K 2DA), x1 position based at Walthamstow Wetlands (N17 9NH) with travel to other sites as required.

Role & Responsibilities

As our Café Manager, you'll oversee the day-to-day running of the café, leading and developing a team to deliver a smooth, efficient, and high-quality customer experience. You'll be responsible for operational performance, people management, stock and financial controls, and ensuring the café consistently meets the standards set by the Café Operations Manager. You'll also play a key role in supporting wider café operations, events delivery, and continuous improvements.

Responsibilities will include:

• Lead the day-to-day operation of the café, ensuring efficient service delivery and stepping into operational café duties when required.
• Line manage Café Assistants, Team Leaders and Supervisors, providing coaching, training, appraisals and performance management support.
• Create and manage fortnightly staff rotas, ensuring appropriate staffing levels and addressing absences, shortages and scheduling challenges.
• Support recruitment, induction and probation processes for café team members and supervisors.
• Oversee opening and closing procedures, ensuring all team members are fully trained and compliant with operational standards.
• Manage stock ordering, stock rotation and wastage controls, ensuring the café remains fully stocked while operating within budget.
• Complete and oversee financial administration, including weekly takings, stocktakes, petty cash reconciliation and reporting to Finance and the Café Operations Manager.
• Maintain food hygiene, health and safety and compliance records, acting as the main point of contact for inspections in the absence of the Café Operations Manager.
• Work closely with the Events Team and Duty Managers to deliver hospitality services and ensure seamless transitions between café and event operations.
• Take ownership of café facilities and equipment maintenance, coordinating contractors where required and promoting best practice across the team.
• Support wider café operations through auditing, reporting, stock monitoring and providing guidance to café leadership teams across sites.
• Help maintain high standards of customer service, identify opportunities to improve customer satisfaction, and support marketing activity and promotions.
• Deputise for the Café Operations Manager when required and support operations at other sites as business needs dictate.
• Act as a Site Key Holder and First Aider, supporting the opening and closing of the wider site when required.

Our ideal Café Manager:

• Proven experience in a café, catering or hospitality environment at Team Leader level or above
• Passionate about developing people, with experience providing training, coaching and constructive feedback
• Possess a strong understanding of food hygiene legislation, holding a Level 2 Food Hygiene qualification (or higher)
• Highly organised with the ability to manage multiple priorities, work independently, and collaborate effectively
• Strong communication skills, and a commitment to delivering excellent customer service

Closing Date: 9am 16th June 2026

Interviews: likely to take place week commencing 15th June, but interviews may be scheduled before the closing date for particularly strong candidates. This vacancy may close early as a result.

Does this sound like you? We'd love to hear from you!

Our vision is a London alive with nature, where everyone can experience and enjoy wildlife. In order to achieve our goal of engaging everyone in protecting London's wildlife for the future, we know that our staff team needs to better reflect and represent all of London's communities. Read more about London Wildlife Trust's commitment to Equality, Diversity and Inclusion on our website. We are also committed to ensuring the safety and wellbeing of children, young people and adults at risk is at the heart of our engagement with people, read more about London Wildlife Trust's commitment to Safeguarding on our website.