Job Description

Job Title: Café & Shop Assistant

Salary: £7/£7.20per hour

Term:2-3 days per week including Saturday and/or Sunday

Extra days during school holidays

12 months fixed term

Location: 42 Pembroke Street, Oxford OX1 1BP

Reporting to: Operations Manager

Working with:Front of House Managers, Café Cook, other café & shop assistants

Introduction to organisation

The Story Museum is a registered charity founded in 2003 with the aim of ‘providing learning opportunities and promoting literacy and creativity amongst children, young people and families’. From 2005 we ran pioneering outreach programmes and public events reaching up to 20,000 people a year, including some of Oxfordshire’s most deprived schools and communities. Outcomes of this work included improvements in literacy, language development, overall educational attainment and increased wellbeing.

In 2009, we acquired a 2,000 sqm derelict site in the centre of Oxford and began planning its transformation into a permanent home for a Museum of Story. From 2011-2013 we experimented with pop up exhibitions and events whilst raising funds and completing the first phase of redevelopment on our buildings. In April 2014 we opened to the public for a 6 day a week operation. In our first year of opening, the Story Museum welcomed around 35,000 visitors and delivered 583 different events and activities across a wide-ranging creative programme.

Our Mission is to harness the power of stories to inspire learning and improve wellbeing. We are creating a permanent Story Museum in Oxford as a base for our creative and learning activity, as a home for our collection of stories and story objects, and as a place to showcase great ways of engaging with great stories.

Background to post

The shop-caféis the museum’s shop window in every sense. It serves as a welcoming first point of contact for museum visitors and a first taste of what The Story Museum has to offer. Visitors include people buying tickets, books, gifts or refreshments, visiting exhibitions, requiring information, appearing at or attending events, coming to meetings or making deliveries. As such the space and the team working in it mustreflect The Story Museum’s distinctive character and values by offering a welcoming and efficient service, and an environment that appeals to the young and young-at-heart.

As well as enhancing the experience of visitors to the museum, the shop-café needs to attract visitors in its own right, particularly when the museum is closed. The shop stocks a small selection of children’s literature as well as books about stories and storytelling and titles that relate to the museum exhibitions and programme. We source story-related gifts and other merchandise, selecting for relevance, uniqueness, quality, profitability and visitor appeal.

The Story Museum café is a key part of the Museum experience and our income generation; all proceeds go towards supporting the work of the charity. The Café serves Museum visitors (majority families) and casual customers with a selection of hot drinks and fresh food, prepared on the premises in our own kitchen with seasonal ingredients sourced locally and sustainably wherever possible. It has 25 indoor covers and fair-weather seating for approximately 20 more in our courtyard. It offers hospitality and refreshments to support our programme of public and fundraising events, festivals and courses held throughout the building, courtyard and café itself.Some of these will take place in the evenings.

We are recruitinganenthusiasticCafé & Shop Assistant to join our existing team. As one of the first people to meet visiting members of the public the successful candidate will play a vital front of house role by providing excellent customer service to visitors of all ages. You will have previous experience in a front of house waiting/serving role and must be fast and efficient with a professional coffee machine.

This is a part time vacancy, for 2-3 days per week, including weekends and bank holidays. The successful candidate will be expected to work additional hours during the school holidays (when the museum is open 7 days a week) and the café is incrementally busier. The contract is for a period of 12 months only however there is the expectation that future plans will enable us to convert this to a permanent appointment.

Main purpose of job

The main purposes of the job are:

  • To be the welcoming first point of contact at The Story Museum.
  • To provide an efficient high quality food and drinks service in a friendly manner to members of the public and visitors to the Museum.
  • To provide a good-natured and informative front of house presence selling tickets, books and merchandise.

Main responsibilities and duties

  1. Museum café
  • Produce high quality coffee products using the commercial coffee grinder and machine.
  • Produce other hot drinks such as teas and hot chocolates.
  • Serve other drinks, food products and freshly prepared food (dependent on training).
  • Clear the crockery to the kitchen, stack the dishwasher and put away clean crockery, cutlery and equipment.
  • Clean and shut down the coffee machine on a daily basis as instructed.
  • Display, or close down, the daily food offer as planned and as appropriate to the shifts worked.
  • Record the hot food orders and pass to the kitchen team.
  • Process sales through the till or tablet as necessary, taking money and issuing change.
  • Understand the need for, and help to maintain, excellent hygiene procedures. Ensure all food hygiene and health and safety procedures are followed.
  • Ensure that alcohol is sold according to the Licensing Act 2003 and uphold the Think 25 policy.
  • Work with the kitchen team to develop a good knowledge of the products on offer to guide customers and to issue allergen advice as necessary.
  • Ensure that alcohol is sold according to the Licensing Act 2003 and uphold the Think 25 policy.
  1. Museum shop, tickets and information
  • Respond to face-to-face and telephone enquiries.
  • Ensure that products are attractively displayed and the shop is kept clean, tidy and welcoming.
  • Assist others in ensuring the smooth running of the shop/café area and box office.
  • Keep up-to-date to with opening hours, exhibition content and scheduled events and activities.
  • Be prepared to answer questions about programme content and age suitability.
  • Take bookings for current and future events, as necessary.
  • Manage any unsold ticket allocations on the day of the event.
  • Receive deliveries on behalf of the organisation.
  • Welcome visitors booked to see other members of staff and notify the office of their arrival.
  1. General
  • Help all visitors to gain the most from their visit to The Story Museum.
  • Ensure the shop/café is welcoming, presentable and safe at all times.
  • Maintain personal knowledge by completing in-house training and workbooks.
  • Adhere to all company policies and procedures.
  • Act as a fire marshal ensuring correct safety procedures are followed.
  • Develop and maintain a good knowledge of The Story Museum, its ethos, history, plans for the future.
  • Maintain high levels of personal hygiene and a professional appearance.
  • Be proactive in all areas of the café and shop operations and contribute to meetings about the progress and development of the offer and customer service.
  • This job description is a guide to the nature of the work required and is not wholly comprehensive or restrictive.

Person specification

Essential

  • Previous experience of using a professional coffee machine/barista experience.
  • Experience of working in a front of house waiting/serving capacity.
  • Pleasant and confident customer service and communication skills.
  • Must be a team player and also be able to work independently without supervision.
  • Ability to be calm and positive during busy periods or when dealing with difficult situations.
  • Willingness to understand and engage with the public about the range of activities at The Story Museum.
  • Willingness to undertake appropriate training such as first aid or food hygiene.
  • Availability to work during school holidays and occasional evenings.

Desirable

  • Experience of preparing and presenting food.
  • Knowledge of food hygiene.
  • An interest/enthusiasm in stories or in the arts in general.
  • A knowledge of, or interest in,childrens books.

Statement of main terms of employment

Period of employment

This will be a 12 month fixed term appointment. A 4 week probationary period applies.

Place of Work

You will normally be required to work from Rochester House, 42 Pembroke Street, Oxon,

OX1 1BP.

Hours of work

Your normal working pattern will be 2 or 3 days a week, including weekends and Bank Holidays. During Oxfordshire school holidays atleast 4 shifts will be required with the opportunity for more. Your actual hours are those required to carry out your duties to the satisfaction of the Company and as necessitated by the needs of the business. Breaks are unpaid and in line with the working time regulations.

Remuneration

£7.00/£7.20 per hour depending on age.

Collective Agreements

No collective agreements directly affect your terms and conditions of employment.

Benefits

Your position has the benefit of an Employee Assistance Programme, details of which are shown separately.

Annual leave

The Story Museum offers 25 days annual leave to full time employees. You will receive a paid annual leave entitlement based on your average hours worked for the 12 weeks prior to your holiday. In addition to the annual holiday entitlement you are entitled to a pro-rata accrual for the 8 UK national bank holidays on the same basis. The holiday year runs from 1st September to 31st August and wherever possible, holiday must be taken during the holiday year it is earned. A maximum of 5 days may be carried over with prior agreement.

Sickness pay and conditions

There is no contractual sickness/injury payments scheme in addition to SSP.

Pension

If eligible, the company will auto-enrol you into a pension scheme, in accordance with its pension auto-enrolment obligations.

Capability and Disciplinary Procedures

The disciplinary rules that form part of your contract of employment and the procedures that will apply when dealing with capability or disciplinary issues are shown under the headings “Capability Procedures” and “Disciplinary Procedures” in the Employee Handbook to which you should refer.

Capability and Disciplinary Appeal Procedure

Should you be dissatisfied with any decision to take action or dismiss you on capability/disciplinary grounds, you should apply, either verbally or in writing, to the Director within five working days of the decision you are complaining against. Further information can be found in the Employee Handbook under the heading “Capability/Disciplinary Appeal Procedure” to which you should refer.

Grievance procedure

Should you feel aggrieved at any matter relating to your employment, you should raise the grievance with your Line Manager either verbally or in writing. Further information can be found in the Employee Handbook.

Notice of termination to be given by the employee or employer

Up to 4 weeks service 1 week

Over 4 weeks service 4 week’s notice

Payment in Lieu of Notice

We reserve the contractual right to give pay in lieu of all or any part of the above notice by either party.

The Story Museum, 42 Pembroke Street, Oxford OX1 1BP

Telephone: 01865 790050

Registered charity no. 1107809

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