Food and Beverage Manager

Food and Beverage Manager
Location: RSPB Dearne Valley - Old Moor, S73
Contract: Permanent
Hours: Full time - 37.5 hours per week
Salary: £28,940.00 - £30,898.00 Per Annum
Benefits: Pension, Life Assurance, 26 days annual leave
We are looking for an enthusiastic, confident and highly organised individual to take on the role of Food and Beverage Manager at our Old Moor nature reserve in the Dearne Valley.
The café is located in our award-winning visitor centre, situated in a semi-rural landscape in South Yorkshire. The Dearne Valley is an excellent example of a formally industrialised landscape which is rich in cultural and natural heritage, evolving from a polluted industrial zone in the 1980’s to a green landscape featuring SSSI wetlands, grasslands and pockets of woodlands, on the doorstep of many local people.
RSPB Old Moor is a well visited nature reserve popular with the birding community and families alike. With a café, shop and thriving events programme supporting our visitors to connect with nature on our beautiful reserve.
About the Role
To lead the delivery of all food and beverage elements, creating an exemplar customer experience, with the aim to maximise the income and profit of the RSPB café.
Main Duties:(Non-Exhaustive)
* Lead, coach and develop a team of staff and volunteers to deliver excellent customer service.
* Oversee the day-to-day running of the café, ensuring a high-quality offer and smooth operation.
* Manage rotas and resources effectively to support team performance and service delivery.
* Deliver against financial targets by managing budgets, costs and commercial performance.
* Ensure effective merchandising and stock control to maximise income.
* Work collaboratively with the wider visitor operations and internal support teams.
* Ensure compliance with all relevant policies, including food hygiene, health and safety, and operational procedures.
What We Need From You
Essential skills, knowledge and experience:
* A natural leader who can influence, motivate and inspire people at all levels. You will have successful experience of leading and managing a diverse team.
* Customer focused with an ability to deliver exemplar customer service experience. Including the ability to manage and respond to customer needs and feedback.
* Sound understanding of systems and procedures necessary to run a commercial catering operation including stock management systems and analysing and interpreting financial data
* Knowledge of merchandising and selling principles i.e. upselling and add on sales.
* Ability to plan and prioritise workloads.
* Problem solving skills and ability to work on own initiative.
* Able to build and maintain strong working relationships.
* Experience of managing and delivering targets and KPIs for a catering business.
Desirable skills, knowledge and experience:
* Experience of working at a visitor attraction.
* Appropriate Catering Qualification e.g. NVQ Catering.
* Proven track record of managing a successful catering operation.
* Excellent verbal and written communications skills and computer literacy skills
* GCSE Maths and English or equivalent.
Additional Information
* This is a permanent/full time post working 37.5 hours per week.
* Please note that occasional Sunday working will be required.
Closing date: 23:59, Sunday 19th April 2026
We are aiming to conduct interviews for this position from 28 April; however, this may change depending on the number of applications received.
Please note we may begin interviewing sooner and reserve the right to close this vacancy early if sufficient applications are received.
Interested?
If you would like to apply and find out more about this position, please click the apply button to be directed to our website.
We are committed to developing an inclusive and diverse RSPB, in which everyone feels supported, valued, and able to be their full selves. To achieve our vision of creating a world richer in nature, we need more people, and more diverse people, on nature’s side. People of colour and disabled people are currently underrepresented across the environment, climate, sustainability, and conservation sector. If you identify as a person of colour and/or disabled, we are particularly interested in receiving your application.
The RSPB is an equal opportunities employer. This role is covered by the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974.
This role is not eligible for UK Visa Sponsorship - the successful applicant will need to have a pre-existing Right to Work in the UK in order to be offered an employment contract.
To apply, you will need to complete an application form, where you will have the opportunity to explain how you meet the criteria outlined above.
Contact us to discuss any additional support you may need to complete your application.
No agencies please