Cafe Manager

Role: Cafe Manager
Salary: £33,000-£35,000
Location: Earth Trust Centre, Little Wittenham, Oxfordshire
Contract: Permanent, full-time
Reports to: Director of Operations
Deadline to apply: Sunday 14th June 2026
More information: Download the job pack and further details

 

Help us launch a café and shop at one of Oxfordshire’s most loved green spaces

Earth Trust is launching a new café and shop at the foot of the Wittenham Clumps in September 2026, and we’re looking for a practical, commercially minded and people-focused Café Manager to bring it to life.

This is a rare opportunity to shape a brand-new visitor offer from the ground up — creating a welcoming “grab-and-go” café and small shop that reflects Earth Trust’s values, celebrates local and sustainable products, and helps thousands of people enjoy their visit to this extraordinary landscape.

The café will be quick-service, offering fresh, locally sourced, pre-prepared food and drink for walkers, families, school groups, event visitors and people spending time in nature. It will open alongside the new track and car park being delivered as part of our Gateway to Nature project, supporting a growing visitor experience at the Earth Trust Centre.

This will be a hands-on leadership role, ideal for someone who enjoys running a great day-to-day operation while also spotting opportunities to grow income, improve the customer experience and build something with real purpose.

About the role

As Café Manager, you will lead the launch and daily management of the café, shop and visitor welcome offer. You’ll make sure the operation is welcoming, efficient, safe, commercially effective and aligned with the wider Earth Trust visitor experience.

The café is expected to serve around 30,000 customers a year as part of a 364-day visitor operation, with seasonal opening hours focused on daytime trade. You’ll plan around weekends, bank holidays, school holidays, events, group visits, busy seasonal peaks and quieter periods.

You’ll be responsible for the practical details that make a visitor café work well: opening and closing routines, food and drink service, stock control, cleanliness, food safety, customer care, staff deployment and strong daily standards.

You’ll also use EPOS and sales data to understand what’s working, monitor income, manage waste, improve product performance and help the café and shop contribute to Earth Trust’s long-term financial sustainability.

About you

We’re looking for someone who combines strong hospitality or retail experience with a love of people, place and purpose.

You may already be managing a café, catering outlet, visitor attraction café, events venue, retail team or similar customer-facing operation.

You’ll be confident working in a hands-on environment, leading a team, solving daily operational problems and keeping service standards high.

You’ll bring:

    • Experience in café, catering, hospitality, retail, visitor attraction or events operations.
    • Experience supervising or managing staff, including rotas, training and day-to-day support.
    • Good understanding of stock control, ordering, waste management and cleaning routines.
    • Confidence using tills, EPOS systems or sales reports.
    • Strong customer service skills and the ability to create a welcoming experience.
    • Commercial awareness, including income, average spend, cost control, waste and margin.
    • Good knowledge of food safety, hygiene, allergens and safe working practices.
    • The flexibility to work across a visitor operation that includes weekends, bank holidays and seasonal peaks.

Experience developing menus, working with local suppliers, supporting events or operating in the not-for-profit sector would be an advantage, but the most important thing is that you are practical, organised, values-led and excited by the opportunity to shape something new.

How to apply

Please send a CV and covering letter explaining why you are suitable and what attracts you to this role [email protected]. Further details in the pack here.  Closing Date is Sunday 14th June with interviews taking place on a rolling basis as suitable candidates apply. This does mean that the closing date may be brought forward if a suitable candidate is appointed.