Café Manager

Job Description

Job Type: Permanent, Job Location: Inverness, Job Hours: Full-time, Salary: £28,000 to £32,000

The Haven Centre is looking for a Café Manager to lead the day-to-day running of the Haven Café, a community café based within the centre in Inverness.

This role is central to ensuring the café operates as a welcoming, well-run space for families, visitors and the wider community, while also supporting its wider purpose as a training and development environment for volunteers, including young adults with learning disabilities and additional support needs.

Reporting directly to the CEO, the Café Manager will play an important role in developing the café as both a thriving community hub and a supportive, inclusive space for learning and growth.

What you will be doing

• Leading the day-to-day running and supervision of the Haven Café
• Welcoming customers and delivering excellent customer service
• Opening and closing the café, including the use and maintenance of barista equipment
• Supervising, mentoring and training volunteers, including young adults with learning disabilities and additional support needs
• Providing tailored support and guidance to help volunteers build confidence and skills
• Developing and maintaining café menus, including allergen and dietary information
• Building and maintaining supplier relationships, placing orders and overseeing deliveries
• Operating the EPOS system, handling financial reconciliation and keeping accurate records
• Carrying out monthly stock checks and maintaining equipment inventories
• Overseeing cleaning schedules, COSHH procedures and risk assessments
• Ensuring compliance with Food Safety, Environmental Health, Health & Safety, safeguarding and risk management requirements
• Supporting food preparation and cooking when required, including involving young adults in a safe and supported way
• Working with ENF management and Trustees to develop the café, increase profitability and explore new opportunities such as external catering and supplier partnerships
• Coordinating training and placement opportunities for young adults with disabilities and complex needs
• Implementing quality assurance processes to maintain high standards across all areas of café operations
• Helping promote the café locally and through ENF social media channels

What we are looking for

• Knowledge of Food Safety, Environmental Health and Health & Safety regulations
• Experience supervising, mentoring and training young people with learning disabilities or additional support needs
• Ability to operate a coffee machine and deliver high-quality barista service
• Confidence using an EPOS till and handling financial reconciliation
• Ability to develop menus with awareness of allergens and dietary requirements
• Strong organisational skills for stock management, inventory and supplier liaison
• Experience implementing cleaning schedules, COSHH procedures and risk assessments
• Excellent communication skills and the ability to work well with customers, volunteers, suppliers and Trustees
• Flexibility to support food preparation and cooking when required
• Patience, empathy and the ability to adapt tasks and training to individual needs
• Experience working with young people with disabilities or complex needs would be beneficial
• Experience in menu planning, external catering, budgeting, profitability or social media promotion would have advantages

Why work with us

The Haven Café is part of the Haven Centre, a unique community facility run by the Elsie Normington Foundation.

By joining the team, you will be helping shape a café that is not only a welcoming place for the public and centre users, but also an important space for inclusion, confidence-building and supported development for young adults with additional support needs.

This is an opportunity to lead a community café with real purpose, while supporting the wider mission of the foundation and helping create meaningful opportunities for young people and families across the Highlands.

How to apply

To apply, please email with your CV and covering letter, or call for more information.