Do you have a passion for hospitality, leadership, and creating great food experiences in a truly unique environment? The Anderton Centre is looking for an enthusiastic and experienced Café & Catering Manager to lead our kitchen and café operation at the heart of our award-winning outdoor learning centre, located on the edge of the stunning Lower Rivington Reservoir. This is far more than a traditional kitchen role. You will help shape the food experience for school groups, residential visitors, corporate clients, outdoor adventurers, café guests, and the wider community, all within one of the region’s most distinctive outdoor education settings.
We are looking for someone who brings energy, creativity, resilience, and leadership to a busy and rewarding environment. You will lead the day-to-day operation of the kitchen and Wren Café, ensuring consistently high standards of food quality, hygiene, customer service, and team performance.
The role will involve menu planning, food preparation, stock control, café operations, compliance management, and supporting the development of a positive and motivated catering team.
This position would suit somebody who:
- Takes pride in delivering high-quality food and service
- Enjoys working in a fast-paced and varied environment
- Has experience supervising or managing catering teams
- Is calm under pressure and highly organised
- Brings creativity and fresh ideas to hospitality delivery
- Enjoys being part of a wider mission-driven organisation
Responsibilities will include, but are not limited to:
- Leading the daily operation of the kitchen and Wren Café
- Preparing and delivering high-quality meals across varied service requirements
- Supporting a wide range of dietary and allergen needs
- Maintaining excellent hygiene, cleanliness, and food safety standards
- Managing stock ordering, rotation, and inventory records
- Assisting with menu planning and seasonal food development
- Supporting and mentoring kitchen team members
- Ensuring compliance with food safety and operational procedures
- Working collaboratively with wider operational teams across the Centre
- Supporting café service and customer engagement
- Using ordering systems and basic IT systems effectively
We are looking for somebody with:
- Experience in a catering, hospitality, café, or kitchen leadership role
- Strong organisational and time management skills
- Excellent communication and relationship-building abilities
- A proactive and hands-on approach to leadership
- The ability to remain calm and effective during busy operational periods
- A passion for hospitality and guest experience
- Good awareness of food hygiene and kitchen safety practices
Qualifications & Experience
- Relevant catering or culinary qualifications are desirable
- Level 2 Food Hygiene qualification beneficial
- Experience managing or supervising small teams preferred
Additional Experience That Would Be Valuable
- Café or hospitality experience
- Barista or coffee-making knowledge
- Experience within visitor attractions, outdoor venues, education, or conferencing
- Awareness of sustainable or environmentally conscious catering practices
Why Join the Anderton Centre?
The Anderton Centre is an Outdoor Learning and Conferencing Centre delivering adventurous outdoor education, residential experiences, wellbeing programmes, and corporate development activities.
We are proud of the environment we have created, both for our visitors and for our staff. Located within stunning natural surroundings, our team plays a genuine role in helping people grow in confidence, resilience, and wellbeing every day.
We have been recognised through multiple industry awards, including winning the Most Treasured Team award at The Freshies Awards for two consecutive years.
This is an opportunity to join a supportive and ambitious team within an organisation that is continuing to grow and evolve alongside the wider University of Greater Manchester group.
What We Offer
- Supportive and welcoming team culture
- Ongoing training and development opportunities
- Opportunities for career progression
- Staff uniform provided
- Generous annual leave entitlement
- Bike to work scheme
- 50% discount on Adventure Club
- Free onsite parking
- Staff social events
- The opportunity to work in an exceptional outdoor environment
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