Job Description

About Arnos Vale Cemetery

Arnos Vale is a Victorian Garden Cemetery in the heart of Bristol. We're a special place, where communities come together. Our job is to ensure that Arnos Vale can be enjoyed now and saved for future generations, as a place of heritage, tranquillity, wellbeing, and wildlife.

We are a 45 acre green space in the heart of Bristol, founded 188 years ago. More than 300,000 people are buried or remembered here. Our heritage is nationally recognised with our chapels, lodges and numerous monuments Grade IIListed and our landscape listed as a Registered Park and Garden on the Historic England register. The cemetery is also a Conservation Area and Site of Nature Conservation Interest (SNCI).
Arnos Vale is an uplifting site of culture, history and nature, with 45 acres of green space within the heart of Bristol. We have a gift shop, venues for hire and cafe, hosting a range of events including weddings, wakes, film nights and theatre. As a charity, all our income is used to protect and enhance this special place. Arnos Vale is a beautiful place with community, conservation, compassion, collaboration at its core.

Vision and mission

Our vision is that Arnos Vale Cemetery evolves, staying relevant for Bristol's communities. Our mission is to share and enhance this special space for all.

Values

Compassion

We are kind, sensitive and understand that grief is unique for everyone. We lead with kindness in every interaction, no matter the reason for visiting, to create trust within the team, visitors and partners.

Community

We believe in the importance of communities and strive to improve access for all. We are professional in our approach and celebrate achievements, innovative engagement and meaningful relationships.

Conservation

Looking after Arnos Vale is core to our charity objectives. We appreciate and conserve heritage and nature equally, balancing our conservation management.

Collaboration

We work together embracing diverse perspectives and backgrounds. We are well organised, demonstrating integrity and accountability. The way in which we work with one another is of equal importance to the work itself.

About the role

This is an exciting opportunity to lead the team of cafe assistants to develop and expand our hospitality offer for our cafe and events. We are looking for a passionate and creative professional, with enthusiasm for all things food and community. We would especially like to hear from people with a passion for sustainability, with experience in leading a team to deliver a unique and exceptional hospitality offer.

This is a hands-on role, taking the lead on the cafe floor to supervise, support and mentor the team in delivering the day to day. You will be confident leading a team, with strong communication skills and lead by example to create a warm welcome for our community. You will be enthusiastic about contributing ideas to develop a menu offer that is in line with our values.

Our cafe opens 7 days a week, including weekends and bank holidays. The work pattern would include weekends and weekdays, on a rolling rota.

Who we're looking for

Someone who has a passion for delivering an exceptional hospitality offer With a drive for outstanding customer service An approachable person who enjoys working with people and a strong team leader Self- motivated, able to problem solve and take initiative Organised, efficient with good attention to detail A love of nature, conservation and history Committed to our values and happy to work in a cemetery

Responsibilities of the role

Supervise, motivate and support the cafe team day to day. Lead by example to provide exceptional customer service and create a welcoming for customers. Supervise the cafe assistants through daily Briefings and training as needed. Assist manager in developing and delivering a food offer that is in line with Arnos Vale's values. Assist manager with menu ideas, cost planning menus and developing systems for menu prep, including menus for events and functions. Maintain the food stores and chillers in a systemized, organised and safe way, assisting with monthly stock take and stock rotation. Support the manager to order ingredients or stock, process deliveries and update back-office program (Goodtill/ Sumup) Supervise food prep carried out by the cafe assistants, ensuring high standards of presentation. Support with maintaining health and safety documents, completing daily/weekly records for kitchen/ cafe. Demonstrate good kitchen working practice and ensure safety procedures are followed for a high standard of food hygiene and safety, ensuring checklists and cleaning duties are completed by the cafe assistants. Assist Manager with keeping allergen information up to date and briefing the team on any changes. Report health and safety issues and customer feedback, whilst ensuring any customer complaints are dealt with in an appropriate way. Plan and supervise our food and drink offer for events, weddings and functions. Assist Manager with cafe assistant rotas, liaise with team to ensure shifts are covered. Open & close the till and lockup buildings. Occasional bar supervising for events for both kiosk and main bar as needed (shifts agreed in advance).

Person Specification

Essential

Food Hygiene Certificate Level 1 or 2 Experience of working in a commercial kitchen Demonstrate knowledge of safe kitchen practices and food safety methods Experience of working in a busy cafe or similar environment Experienced in supervising and training a team Willingness to work weekends and occasional evening

Desirable

Barista qualification NVQ in Catering Management and/or Food Preparation Understanding of premises licensing, challenge 21 policy

The Benefits

We offer all our employees a wide range of benefits including:

A contributory pension scheme 25 days annual leave plus Bank Holidays pro rata (increasing year on year after 5 years' service up to 30 days) Opportunities for learning and development Confidential advice & counselling through the Employee Support Programme Workspace within walking distance of Bristol train station, free onsite parking 10% discount in the Arnos Vale shop and cafe Social events Free tours of the site and a whole lot more!

Deadline for applications: End of day Thursday 16th October

Please note, we may close this vacancy early if we receive sufficient applications for the role. Therefore, if you are interested, please submit your application as early as possible.

Job Type: Full-time

Pay: 25,000.00-26,000.00 per year

Benefits:

Company pension Employee discount On-site parking
Work Location: In person

Application deadline: 17/10/2025