One Garden Brighton is seeking an experienced, confident and customer-focused Assistant Manager to support the leadership and day-to-day delivery of our retail and hospitality operations across this unique visitor destination. This is a hands-on leadership role within a fast-paced, high-footfall environment, ideal for someone with supervisory or assistant management experience in hospitality and/or retail who is passionate about exceptional service, people development and commercial performance. About the RoleAs Assistant Manager, you will play a key role in delivering an outstanding visitor experience across all the outlets within One Garden Brighton’s offer; One Café, One Market, our pop-up and visiting food and beverage provision and working closely with the team at the new Sussex Butterfly Gardens, opening 23rd May 2026. Reporting to and supporting the Retail and Hospitality Manager, you will help oversee daily operations, drive sales performance and maintain high standards of service, presentation and compliance. You will deputise for the Manager when required and act as a visible, supportive leader across front-of-house and retail environments. You will champion a culture of “exceptional service, every time, for everyone” while supporting One Garden Brighton’s ambition to be a leading destination for food, drink, retail and events. You will:Drive retail and hospitality sales through confident selling and excellent customer engagementMaintain high standards of visual merchandising, product presentation and stock controlSupport seasonal ranges, pop-ups and new product launchesDeputise for the Manager, overseeing daily front-of-house and retail operationsDeliver a consistently welcoming, knowledgeable and high-quality customer experienceHandle customer feedback and complaints professionallyOpen and close operations on a rota basis in line with proceduresSupervise, motivate and support retail and hospitality team membersLead daily briefings, allocate duties and support smooth service deliveryEnsure compliance with food safety, health & safety and licensing requirementsSupport EPOS use, cash handling, reporting and event deliveryWork collaboratively with kitchen, retail and wider College teams You will also contribute to maintaining the ethos, reputation and commercial success of One Garden Brighton as a high-quality visitor destination. About YouWe are looking for a motivated and professional leader who enjoys working in a customer-facing environment and takes pride in delivering high standards through their team. Essential:Supervisory experience within retail and/or hospitalityExperience supporting or supervising small to medium-sized events (e.g. weddings, corporate functions)Proven ability to drive retail sales and deliver excellent customer service in a high-footfall settingExcellent interpersonal and communication skillsStrong IT, literacy and numeracy skillsRelevant Food Hygiene / Food Safety qualification (Level 3)Positive work ethic with a flexible and proactive approachAbility to work under pressure and manage competing prioritiesWillingness to work evenings, weekends and bank holidays Desirable:Personal Licence to sell alcohol (or willingness to work towards this)First Aid qualificationFull UK driving licence You will be confident, adaptable and people-focused, with a strong commitment to service excellence, operational standards and team development. Working HoursThis role is 40 hours per week, worked across 5 out of 7 days. Hours are annualised, with increased hours during busier summer periods and reduced hours in quieter winter months. One Garden Brighton operates 08:00–18:00, seven days per week, all year round. Some flexibility is required to support evening functions, events and College promotional activities. Why Join Us?At Plumpton College, we live our values—Ambitious, Professional, Enterprising, Passionate, Supportive and Progressive—in everything we do. You’ll benefit from: A competitive salary22 days’ annual leave plus 8 bank holidays (with TOIL applied where bank holidays are worked)Automatic enrolment into the NEST Pension SchemeAccess to Continuous Professional Development opportunitiesFree onsite parkingA supportive team environment within a unique visitor attraction New colleagues benefit from a structured induction and ongoing support from their line manager, helping them to succeed and develop in their role.Equality, Diversity & SafeguardingPlumpton College is committed to the promotion of equal opportunities and is dedicated to eliminating unfair discrimination. We welcome applications from all sections of the community. Plumpton College is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of learners and expects all staff to share this commitment. This role involves regular work in an establishment mainly for children and therefore requires a Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check. We reserve the right to interview or close this vacancy early should we receive a high volume of applications. Early applications are encouraged.
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