Jobs

This is an exciting leadership role within the team that manages Brodie Castle. We want to give all of our visitors the best possible experience when they take the time to come and visit us. Excellent food, drink and customer service are vital to this. As Scotland’s largest conservation membership charity, every penny we make through our food and beverage offer supports our work protecting the nation’s natural and cultural heritage.

You will manage and develop the Castle Café, Playful Garden Café, two catering vans, at the beautiful Brodie Castle. You will also manage a growing weddings and functions offer. You will lead the catering team with menu design, food production, ordering, compliance and commercial performance, delivering a friendly, efficient service environment in line with the National Trust for Scotland’s policies, priorities, standards and targets. You will help make our places sustainable in every way.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES AND ACCOUNTABILITIES

Catering operation
• Lead menu development, preparation, cooking and presentation of a distinctive, high-quality, locally-sourced food and drink offering at two busy café outlets, plus complementary events and functions.
• Create a strong health & safety culture, ensuring compliance with food hygiene and environmental health standards, monitoring and record-keeping.
• Accountable for cost-effective stock sourcing, ordering, management and wastage control.
• Understand and adhere to the sale of alcohol legislation as a Premises Manager.
Visitor experience
• Develop innovative new food and drink products and projects to enhance visitor enjoyment, bring alive our stories and drive visitor numbers.
• Create a culture of exceptional service, every time, leading by example with the warm welcome you give.
• Regularly monitor customer feedback, mystery visitor and VisitScotland audits and develop suitable action plans based on their results.
• Provide inspirational content for social media and media promotion.
• Work with the Duty manager and other managers on a daily basis to ensure the safe and smooth visitor operations, taking an interest in the effective running of all aspects of the visitor experience.
People management
• Recruit, induct, develop and performance manage your team to ensure they are fully equipped and motivated to undertake their front and back-of-house duties.
• Ensure staffing numbers, catering rotas and holiday allocation meets business needs and budgets.
• Enable the team to operate within our ‘Safe System of Work’ to minimise the risk of incidents or accidents and ensure preparedness for emergencies.
• Work closely with property colleagues and specialist advisory staff like our regional Catering Development Manager to ensure our catering offer is closely aligned with wider strategic plans.
Finance performance
• Work closely with the Operations Manager to set, phase, monitor and report on budgets to deliver ambitious, sustainable commercial performance and cost control.
• Encourage a culture of up-selling and personal recommendations among staff to grow spend per visitor.
• Supervise safe and secure café till operations, perform end-of-day income reconciliation as a duty manager and conduct end of month and year financial procedures.
• Ensure the longevity of our equipment, buildings and fittings through appropriate maintenance and/or replacement regimes.

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS, SKILLS, EXPERIENCE & KNOWLEDGE

The above outlines the key skills the post-holder will need to possess and exercise. In addition, either knowledge of or experience in the following areas is sought:

• Catering management and hands-on service delivery in a fast-paced, high volume customer environment
• Budget delivery and financial management driven by commercial awareness and monitoring
• Managing, leading, coordinating and developing a team with varying remits and competences
• Developing projects for specific areas of work / improvement
• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills and confidence in dealing with a wide range of staff, visitors and other stakeholders, with a friendly, confident manner
• Ability to manage time efficiently and effectively in an environment of changing priorities
• Comfortable with flexible working patterns, including some weekends and occasional evenings
• Understanding of and passion for the mission of the work of the National Trust for Scotland
• Familiar with Microsoft Office applications: Excel, PowerPoint, Word and online finance, ordering or HR systems and tools
• Hold, or, have the ability and willingness to hold a Scottish Personal Licence and Premise License
• Full clean driving license valid for the UK
• First Aid certification (or willingness to train and use)

Application Deadline: Friday 03/02/2023