Backstage Bar Staff – Rolling Advert

Please note that this is a rolling job posting and we may not have live roles available when you submit your application.

Department/Team
Backstage F&B

Contract
Permanent

Hours
Full Time or Part time contracts available, with a minimum of 4 days per week (although a job share may be considered). Hours scheduled on a shift basis across Monday-Sunday (Monday to Saturday initially, but we may open on Sundays as the operation develops), between the hours of 7.30am and 3am. Shift lengths will be between 5-8 hours.

Location
Backstage, The Old Vic, The Cut, London, SE1 8NB

Salary
£14.45 per hour, plus Tronc

Benefits
28 days holiday including bank holidays
Access to interest free travel schemes including Cycle 2 work and Season Ticket loans after your probation period
Free therapy from our therapy partner SelfSpace
Mental health support via our in house Mental Health Champions
Two complimentary tickets to a preview performance per production
Pension scheme with The People’s Pension
Enhanced sick pay
All staff social events
Staff discount in Backstage and The Old Vic bars as well as discounts in local bars and restaurants
Opportunities to get involved with staff clubs and working groups such as the Inclusion Working Group
Commitment to learning, education and development

The Team
The Backstage F&B team is responsible for all Food & Beverage related activity within Backstage and The Old Vic theatre itself. The team includes the Operations Director, Head of Food & Beverage Operations, Deputy Head of Food and Beverage Operations, Head Chef, Sous Chef, Chef de Parties, KPs, F&B Duty Managers, Front of House Crew (Bartenders, Baristas and Waiting staff).

Role summary
The Cocktail Bartender will provide exceptional bar service to customers of Backstage, including advance cocktail mixology as required.

Areas of responsibility

• Bartending
  Crafting memorable drinks with precision and creativity
  Upselling to customers when appropriate, including giving recommendation of wine and food pairings, and matching drinks to customer tastes
  Maintaining a high level of energy and enthusiasm at all times
  Supporting management in developing and creating our cocktail menu
  Maintaining cleanliness and organization of the bar area, including tools, glassware, and stock
  Handling cash and card transactions accurately using Point One
  Monitoring inventory levels and assist with restocking and ordering supplies
  Maintaining a high quality of beer service, including knowledge of cellar maintenance and keg changing, and quality control to reduce wastage
• Customer Service
  Acting as an ambassador for the Backstage
  Actively engaging our customers, and building rapport, to deliver quality experiences
  Always delivering the highest possible level of customer service, ensuring a friendly, safe and secure environment in which the public can enjoy their visit to Backstage
  Receiving all comments raised by the public and following them with immediate action or passing on to the Deputy Head of Food and Beverage Operations to investigate
• Teamwork
  Collaborating with team members to ensure smooth daily operations
  Acting as a welcoming and approachable point of contact for staff and customers
  Representing Backstage/The Old Vic values and mission to customers
  Liaising with Backstage and building management in the event of emergency and evacuation
  Ensuring all Health and Safety procedures are adhered to
  Ensuring the highest quality and consistency with all Food and Beverage processes, reporting any issues with delivering this immediately to senior management
  Assisting with bartending whenever required, and during busy periods in particular
• General
  Promoting and complying with current legislation and Backstage/The Old Vic policies on Diversity, Sustainability, Culture and Health & Safety - both in the delivery of services and the treatment of others
  Assisting the Backstage F&B team in relation to continuous improvement within the venue
  Undertaking any other reasonable duties, commensurate with the level of the post to ensure the smooth running of Backstage

This is not an exhaustive list of duties and Backstage management may, at any time, allocate other tasks which are of a similar nature or level.

PERSON SPECIFICATION

Essential

• Previous experience as chosen role
• A proven ability to provide a high level of customer service in an often fast-paced environment
• Excellent communication skills
• Ability to multitask effectively
• Flexibility to work mornings, evenings, weekends, and holidays as needed
• Ability to perform manual handling tasks (e.g. lifting trays, dishes, stock and other items as required)
• Knowledge of food hygiene and safety standards (e.g. allergen awareness and Food Safety Level 2)
• Highly motivated with a positive and flexible approach to work and ability to adapt quickly to new information and procedures
• A proven ability to work as both part of a team and independently
• Well organised

How to Apply
We understand that everyone is different and we want you to apply in whichever way you feel best shows your skills and experience. There are a range of ways that you can apply with us:

• Sending a short video file of yourself (no longer than two minutes in length), detailing your experience, why you are applying for the role and what about working at The Old Vic interests you.
• Sending a short audio file of yourself (no longer than two minutes in length), detailing your experience, why you are applying for the role and what about working at The Old Vic interests you.
• Completing our application form.
• Uploading your CV and covering letter, explaining why you are interested in the role and working at the Old Vic.

As a Disability Confident employer, The Old Vic has made a commitment that all applicants with disabilities who meet the essential criteria for this job will be invited to interview. However, in the event that we have a high volume of applications all of whom meet the criteria and identify as disabled, meaning it is not practicable to interview everyone, we may apply a weighting to the shortlisting criteria, or add an additional shortlisting stage before any interviews take place. In all cases we will take care to ensure that any criteria or weightings do not disadvantage disabled applicants. All appointments are made subject to satisfactory references and proof of eligibility to work in the UK.

Following your application
Applications are reviewed on a regular basis, and we will be in touch with you if we have a position available that we would like to interview you for. Where application numbers reach 500, we will pause accepting applications until all applications have been reviewed. This is so that we can ensure due time has been given to all applications. We may reopen the advert at a later date. Applications will be reviewed based on the gaps we have to fill in our rota. We will aim to review your application as soon as possible, with a maximum limit of 3 months.

Equal Opportunities
We actively support and encourage people from a variety of backgrounds, experiences and skill sets to join us and help shape what we do. We are particularly keen to receive applications from people of the global majority, LGBTQ+, neurodiverse and disabled candidates. We may take positive action, in cases where candidates are equally qualified, to increase the employment of under-represented groups at The Old Vic. In the event that we ask you to attend the theatre for a conversation and you are struggling financially, we may be able to reimburse you for any reasonable travel costs.