Job Description

CATERING & EVENTS ASSISTANT

About the Organisation

Shakespeare North Playhouse, 'Theatre Building of the year 2023' is a unique new arts venue, which opened in the summer of 2022. It presents a vibrant contemporary cultural and learning programme featuring home co-produced and visiting performances, as well as comedy, music, community work, hire and events and a range of education and training activities.

The Shakespeare North Trust (SNT) is the Charitable organisation which is the operator of Shakespeare North Playhouse. The Trust also has two wholly owned subsidiaries within the Group structure. The subsidiaries are limited companies.

Our Vision:

"Inspired by Shakespeare. Bringing Joy: Together, we tell stories that feel like our own, that change the way we see the world - opening doors, inviting debate, inspiring a love of learning, and bringing joy to this place; Our Shakespeare North Playhouse."

Our Mission - The Big Goal:

"We share world-class theatre, activities and conversations inspired by Shakespeare and relevant to all of us."

Our Promise:

At Shakespeare North Playhouse we commit to being 'Bold and Brave'. It is a promise we make to each other internally as a team, to our visitors, patrons, and partners, and to all our artists and makers as we all come together to create a wonderful place.

Our Values and Behaviours:

The organisational values define Shakespeare North Playhouse. They create a framework for the way in which the organisation wishes to achieve the vision and objectives. The team are firm in the belief that what is achieved is only half of the plan, as how success is attained is of equal importance. It is critical that there is a framework of how people will thrive together, as a team, with partners, visitors, and audience.

Innovative - Honest - Collaborative - Creative

Equal - Supportive - Accountable - Useful

The Role

We are looking to appoint a number of Catering & Events Assistants to join our Visitor Experience team.

Catering & Events Assistants will be the public face of the catering offer for the company and are responsible for ensuring that the audience and visitors are constantly placed at the heart of the building.

You will make and sell coffee, assist in food preparation, work on the theatre bar and assist with event set up and delivery. It's a hugely varied job with every day being different to the last.

Catering & Events is a customer facing role, and therefore Visitor Experience staff need to have excellent interpersonal and communication skills, with the ability to think on their feet and deal with difficult situations or customers.

You will report to the Catering & Events Manager and Head of Visitor Experience. When necessary, you will report to the Visitor Experience Managers.

Place of Work

The place of work will be Shakespeare North Playhouse in Prescot, Knowsley.

Pay and Hours of Work

The hourly pay rate 12.21.

You will have no guaranteed hours of work in any given week. Your actual hours to be worked each week will be as necessitated by the needs of the business and this may include evenings or weekend work.

Your actual working hours will be notified to you by your line manager at least two weeks, but usually four weeks, in advance. Payment will only be made for actual hours worked.

Shakespeare North believes in a healthy and happy workforce and recognises the importance of helping its employers balance their work and home lives by offering working hours that as far as possible enable them to balance their work commitments with other priorities.

Main Duties:

Food & Beverage:

To be competent in serving a variety of food and beverages, including barista coffee and draft beer.

To assist with small amounts of food preparation and serving.

To provide a high standard of customer service and ensure that charges are made and

correct payments received.

Clear tables in the cafe/bar/foh areas and ensure that glasswasher and dishes are always

done.

Ensure high standards of hygiene and cleaning.

Create pre-order and interval drinks within set time frames.

Up-sell on interval drinks and snacks.

Be proactive during busy service such as show interval.

To carry out any tasks required of you by your line manager

Visitor Experience

To be visitor focused at all times and act as the public face of Shakespeare North Playhouse.

To have good knowledge of the productions and activities taking place in the theatre

To work in the cafe, theatre bar or corporate events as needed.

To be friendly, inclusive and welcoming to all visitors.

To attend daily briefings to ensure you have the relevant information prior to each shift.

To be aware of and follow all Visitor Experience procedures.

To comply with conduct and uniform dress codes.

Health & Safety

To ensure operations are caried out within the relevant Health & Safety Legislation including food hygiene.

To be aware of and follow evacuation procedures, knowing fire exits and refuge points.

To assist in the safe evacuation of the building.

To assist in ensuring the safety of visitors and other staff.

To be aware of the building's counter terrorism policy.

Other duties

To make sure audiences are served in a prompt manner so that performances are not delayed.

To deal with customer enquiries and when necessary to deal with complaints in a professional and calm manner.

To have a friendly, enthusiastic and proactive attitude towards your duties.

To comply with Shakespeare North Playhouse customer care policy.

Person specification:

A passion for theatre and the arts.

Previous experience of food & beverage/customer service in a similar environment.

Approachable and the ability to communicate and advocate the work of the building.

Barista/bar/cocktail making experience or willing to learn.

Well organised and good time management skills.

Experience of cash handling/using an electronic till system.

Ability to remain calm whilst working under pressure.

A good team player.

How to Apply

If having reviewed the job description and information about the Shakespeare North Playhouse you consider yourself to be a good fit for this role, please email a CV, a cover letter of application and completed equal opportunities form to recruitment@shakespearenorthplayhouse.co.uk

The cover letter of application should be of no more than 2 sides of A4 addressing how your experience matches the role description, why you are interested in the role and why you think your skills and experience would make you a good candidate. Alternatively, you may submit a video/audio file of no more than 10 minutes in length. You can do this via WeTransfer or an alternative file transfer service.

Diverse representation

We encourage and welcome applications from people whose background and experience are under-represented in the cultural sector. We are committed to inclusive working practices and understand there may be barriers people face when considering an opportunity like this. If you are interested in applying for this role but feel there are things that may prevent you from getting involved, please get in touch and let us know how we can support you in making your application and throughout the selection process.

Equality Monitoring

Please provide equality monitoring information on the form provided so that we can monitor the Shakespeare North Trust's equality policy and practices. The information you provide will not impact on the consideration of your application and will be used solely for the purpose of monitoring.

Data Protection

Information provided by you as part of your application will be used in the recruitment process. Any data about you will be held securely with access restricted to those involved in dealing with your application in the recruitment process. Once the process is completed the data relating to unsuccessful applicants will be stored for a maximum of 6 months and then destroyed. If you are the successful candidate, your application will be retained and form the basis of your personnel record. By submitting your application, you are giving your consent to your data being stored and processed for the purpose of the recruitment process, equal opportunities monitoring and your personnel record if you are the successful candidate. In submitting your application, we will assume that consent by you is given. We refer you to Shakespeare North's job applicant privacy notice which you should read before applying for this role.

If you have any questions or would like to have an informal conversation about the role before applying, please contact us via email at recruitment@shakespearenorthplayhouse.co.uk

This job description is intended as a guide to the duties expected of the post-holder. These duties may be reviewed from time to time to meet the needs of the business.

This job description is not contractual.

Job Type: Zero hours contract

Pay: 12.21 per hour

Work Location: In person