Cafe Supervisor
Location: Harpenden, Hertfordshire
Contract: Permanent part-time role, 35 hours per week
Salary: £25,254 pro rata per annum
Are you looking for a customer-facing part-time role in hospitality?
Do you like interacting with people and providing exceptional customer service?
This could be your next opportunity.
We are looking for an enthusiastic and experienced Café Supervisor to take day-to-day responsibility for the operation of our busy Campus Café.
The Campus Café serves both the Rothamsted community and the wider public, providing high-quality coffee, breakfast, lunch and refreshments in a welcoming environment. Our culture is friendly, supportive, ambitious and customer-focused, with a strong commitment to learning, development and excellence in hospitality.
What you’ll do
Leading from the front, you will supervise café operations, deliver outstanding customer service, prepare exceptional coffee, support food service and ensure the café provides a clean, safe and welcoming environment for all customers.
You will motivate and support team members, coordinate daily service activities, maintain operational standards and help drive continuous improvement across the café.
Key Responsibilities
Customer Service and Operations
- Lead café service and supervise team members during daily operations.
- Prepare and serve high-quality espresso-based coffees, teas and specialty beverages.
- Maintain consistent standards of coffee preparation, milk texturing and presentation.
- Support food preparation and service while identifying opportunities to increase sales.
- Monitor customer flow and ensure efficient service during busy periods.
- Resolve customer queries and feedback professionally.
- Carry out opening and closing procedures, including cash handling and equipment checks.
- Maintain a clean, safe and welcoming café environment.
Food Safety and Compliance
- Ensure compliance with food hygiene, allergen legislation and health and safety requirements.
- Complete cleaning schedules, temperature checks and operational records.
- Report maintenance and equipment issues promptly.
Team Leadership
- Supervise, motivate and support café team members.
- Organise daily workloads and communicate service priorities.
- Support the induction and training of new staff.
- Work collaboratively with kitchen and hospitality colleagues.
Stock and Equipment
- Operate and support colleagues in the use of the EPOS system.
- Monitor stock levels and complete stock rotation and replenishment.
- Support stocktakes and inventory management.
- Ensure café equipment is cleaned, maintained and serviced appropriately.
About You
You will have previous experience working as a qualified senior Barista or Café supervisor within a busy café or hospitality environment with strong knowledge of espresso preparation.
Demonstrating a flexible approach to work, you will have strong communication and interpersonal skills. As a team player, you will have a friendly and approachable manner while also being capable of working independently and using your own initiative when required. A strong eye for detail and the ability to stay calm when the café is busy are very important in this role.
You will have a full and valid clean driving licence or have the ability to get to our Harpenden site.
What we are looking for
- Experienced, qualified senior Barista or Café Supervisor managing a small team.
- Excellent customer service and communication skills.
- Experience using EPOS/till systems and handling payments.
- Good understanding of food hygiene, allergen management and health and safety requirements.
- Ability to remain calm and organised during busy service periods.
- Positive, proactive and flexible approach to work.
- Level 2 Food Safety Certificate and willingness to work towards Level 3 Food Safety qualification.
Why Join Us?
You will be joining a friendly team at Rothamsted Enterprises, working in a unique environment based on a large campus. If you are passionate about coffee, hospitality and leading teams to deliver excellent customer experiences.
What We Offer
- Ongoing training and development opportunities
- A chance to contribute ideas and help shape the customer experience
- 25 days’ annual leave plus bank holidays
- Generous Pension scheme
- Employee Assistance Programme
- Free car parking
Ready to take your next step? Apply today.
Interviews commence from the 12th October 2026
Applications close on 23rd October 2026
We reserve the right to close the vacancy early if we receive sufficient applications for the role. Therefore, if you are interested, please submit your application as early as possible.
This vacancy does not meet the Home Office requirements; therefore, please ensure you are eligible or already hold the legal right to work in the UK.
Please appy by clicking the box on the right, this will direct you to the Rothamsted Research website who manage our online application system – don’t let this confuse you, this role is working for Rothamsted Enterprises.
