CAFÉ MANAGER
Job Specification
Located at Gallery Bouldering, Oxford. Permanent, 37 hours per week but a part-time (25 hours or more) pro-rated offer would be considered.
Salary: £31,940 p.a. and pro-rated, with free climbing for you and your immediate family.
About Gallery Bouldering
Gallery Bouldering is Oxford's dedicated bouldering centre, located at 54 Marston Street. Open 8am–10pm every day, we exist to make climbing accessible to everyone - from seasoned athletes to complete newcomers. Alongside 500+ square metres of varied bouldering terrain, we offer coaching, events, film nights and competitions that build a genuinely welcoming community around the sport.
The Clifftop Café is a key part of our centre. It is open to climbers and non-climbers alike, serving high quality coffee and food. The café is an essential part of what makes Gallery special: it's where the community gathers, where post-session coffees turn into conversations, and where first-timers get their first impression of who we are.
Purpose of the role
We are looking for an experienced, entrepreneurial, ambitious Café Manager to lead the Clifftop Café into its next chapter. This isn't a role for someone who wants to maintain the status quo. We want someone who will look at what we've built, see the opportunity, and drive the café forward in quality, profitability and reputation - all within the spirit and culture of the business.
You will own the café operation end-to-end: the product, the team, the standards and the commercial performance. You'll spend time on the floor leading by example, and time stepping back to think strategically about what the café can become. You'll have genuine autonomy to shape the role and make it your own. You'll work closely with the wider Gallery leadership team to ensure alignment of activities and offers and report directly to the Managing Director for the centre.
What success looks like
We are outcomes-focused. We trust the right person to find the best path to these results by outlining their ideas with clear business cases and driving through implementation when approved. The outcomes we are aligned to are:
Product & Menu:
- The café is known for exceptional coffee and food that stands out. It is not just a climbing gym café, but as a destination in its own right.
- The menu reflects the needs and tastes of our community, is regularly refreshed, and generates genuine excitement and profitability.
- Allergen information is thorough, accurate and always up to date. Every member of the team can answer allergen questions with complete confidence.
- The café is ready to support and complement events from competitions to film nights with appropriate food and drink offerings.
- In conjunction with the Centre Manager, a permanent alcohol licence is put in place to allow us to serve alcoholic drinks regularly and not just at special events.
Commercial Performance:
- Revenue and profitability are growing year on year, with all products priced at a healthy margin.
- A steady and constant review of ideas on design, menu, offering, cost to support growth and excitement.
- Cost management is proactive: waste is monitored and minimised, and supplier relationships deliver good value.
- Financial data is reviewed regularly, and decisions about the menu and operations are grounded in what the numbers show with clear reporting and insight provided to the Managing Director and Board of the centre.
Team & Standards:
- The café team is well-trained, motivated and proud of what they produce. Staff feel supported, know what is expected of them, and perform consistently.
- Recruitment and onboarding are handled efficiently in line with delegated authorities, so the team is always appropriately staffed.
- Health and safety compliance is exemplary. It is not just ticked-box exercise, but genuinely embedded in how the team works every day.
- The café is consistently clean, well-organised and running smoothly - whether it's a quiet Tuesday morning or a packed event night.
Equipment & Environment:
- All equipment and appliances are maintained to a high standard, serviced appropriately, and any issues are resolved promptly.
- The physical space (the front of house, back of house, and mezzanine) is laid out for excellent workflow, is safe, and is a pleasant environment for both customers and staff.
- Stock management is reliable: the café never runs short of essentials, ordering is timely, and invoices and supplier relationships are well managed including the management of ingredients, food production, and the bookkeeping elements.
Key responsibilities
Whilst the outcomes above define what we're aiming for, the areas below give a picture of the work involved in getting there.
- People Management: Lead, develop and support the café team. Handle recruitment, inductions, one-to-ones, training reviews and day-to-day performance. Liaise with the Centre Manager on the rota and manage any cover needed. Foster a culture where people enjoy their work and take pride in the product.
- Menu & Food Development: Own the menu from ideation to execution. Research new items, develop recipes, manage allergen documentation, and ensure consistent quality of production on every shift while ensuring robust business cases are put together for new ideas.
- Stock & Supplier Management: Manage all ordering and quality across food, drink, coffee, packaging and cleaning supplies. Build and maintain strong supplier relationships, ensure accurate allergen records, and keep the stock room in good order.
- Health & Safety: Ensure full compliance with food safety legislation, including HACCP documentation, allergen protocols, staff training records, and recording systems. This must be proactive, not reactive.
- Financial & Management Oversight: Monitor sales performance and product margins. Work with the wider team on pricing, cost control, waste reduction, and identifying revenue opportunities. Carry out all relevant reporting and insights with the Managing Director and Board of the centre. This includes ensuring the right feedback and continuous improvement systems are in place.
- Events Coordination: Liaise with the climbing and events team to ensure the café is ready for competitions, film nights and other centre events including appropriate staffing, stock, food preparation and new bespoke offerings.
- Equipment & Space: Take ownership of all café equipment including cleaning protocols, preventative maintenance, troubleshooting, and servicing. Keep the physical space organised, safe and welcoming.
- On-the-Floor Leadership: Be a visible, hands-on presence in the café. Lead by example in customer service, coffee quality and operational standards. As Café Manager, you set the tone.
Experience & Qualifications
Essential
- Proven, hands-on experience running a successful café or coffee shop. You will be able to demonstrate tangible improvements you've made to product, team or commercial performance
- Strong barista skills and a genuine passion for high quality coffee
- Experience managing a small team: hiring, training, motivating and holding people to high standards
- Sound knowledge of food safety legislation, allergen regulations, and other applicable requirements such as HACCP
- Demonstrated ability to manage stock, control costs, and think commercially about a hospitality offer
- The confidence and credibility to step into the role quickly, with a short handover period
Desirable
- Experience in developing or significantly evolving a café menu
- Experience in making high quality hand stretched pizza
- Familiarity with event catering or experience working in a multi-use venue
- Level 2 or 3 Food Safety & Hygiene qualification (or equivalent)
- An interest in climbing, sport or active lifestyle communities
How to Apply
Please send your CV and a short covering note telling us about a café or food & drink operation you've helped shape - what you did, what changed, and what you're most proud of.
Send applications to: applications@gallerybouldering.co.uk to arrive by Friday 15th May
Interviews: Thursday 21st May
Start date: flexible, ideally early June
Website: gallerybouldering.co.uk
Address: The Gallery, 54 Marston Street, Oxford, OX4 1LF