Café and Retail Assistant

Royal Agricultural University, Cirencester

Salary: £22,768 per annum

Hours: Full time, average 35 hours per week, flexible rota normally Monday to Friday, with occasional weekends and evenings.

Contract: Permanent

Are you friendly, reliable, and passionate about great customer service? We are looking for a Café and Retail Assistant to join our Commercial Experience Directorate at the Royal Agricultural University.

This is a varied, hands-on role supporting our café, retail outlets, events, mobile catering, and bar services. You will play an important part in delivering high-quality food, beverage, and retail services to students, staff, visitors, and external customers.

The Role

Reporting to the Retail Manager, you will:

Deliver excellent customer service across café, retail, bar, and event settings
Prepare and serve food and beverages, including tea and coffee services
Support conferences, functions, and events
Work in retail outlets, mobile catering units, and wash-up areas
Maintain high standards of cleanliness, hygiene, and food safety
Demonstrate awareness of allergens and dietary requirements
Follow all University, departmental, and legal procedures (including Health & Safety, COSHH, and security)
Support sustainability through responsible waste management and resource use
Work flexibly as part of a supportive team

What We’re Looking For

The successful candidate will have a good standard of education (GCSE or equivalent), excellent customer care skills, and the flexibility to work on a rota that includes occasional evenings and weekends, particularly to support our mobile catering and retail units. The role also requires the ability to lift and move items weighing up to 25kg. Desirable attributes include strong interpersonal and communication skills, a Basic Food Hygiene Certificate, and basic IT skills. Full training will be provided.

Occasional travel to other University sites in Cirencester, including the Alliston Centre, may also be required.

Why Join Us?

At the Royal Agricultural University, our values underpin everything we do. We are collaborative, open-minded, resourceful, responsible, and inclusive, and we are proud of our welcoming campus community. The University is committed to equality, inclusion, safeguarding, data protection, and the. We offer a generous holiday entitlement, an Employee Assistance Programme, Occupational Health, a subsides gym and ongoing learning and development of its staff

To Apply

If you feel you are a suitable candidate and would like to work for RAU, please proceed through the following link to be redirected to our website to complete your application.

https://www.rau.ac.uk/about-us/jobs

Closing date: 18 January 2026

Interviews 29/30 January.

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Café and Retail Assistant