JO Recruitment • Chatham, Kent

Cafe Assistant

About this role

We are looking for a friendly, organised and customer‑focused temporary Café Assistant to run the Innovation Centre Café for approximately 10–13 weeks, from around 20 May to mid‑July (or possibly longer), to cover an unexpected period of staff sickness.

The role is based at Innovation Centre Medway, which is well served by public transport and located on the Maidstone Road bus route from Chatham bus station.

Fixed working hours

8.30am – 2.30pm Monday to Friday

This is a physically demanding role, involving standing for most of the working day and working independently.

The role

The postholder will have sole responsibility for the café, including

Preparing barista‑style coffee and hot drinks

Taking customer orders and preparing sandwiches

Preparing and serving buffets

Serving cakes, snacks and cold drinks

Operating the till and taking card payments

Maintaining high standards of hygiene, cleaning and food safety

Delivering friendly and professional customer service to tenants and visitors

Experience & Skills

Level 2 Food Safety & Hygiene qualification (or willingness to obtain promptly).

Previous experience working in a café, food service, or similar customer‑facing environment.

Experience safely preparing hot drinks and simple cold food (e.g. sandwiches, salads).

Understanding of health & safety requirements in a food or public‑facing setting.

Experience working independently or as a sole worker, with good personal safety awareness.

Basic cash handling and till experience.

Good customer service skills with the confidence to deal with the public independently.