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Ink & Ember is an independent bookshop and café with locations in Stamford and Peterborough. We are now opening our third site in Nottingham - bringing all the signature Ink & Ember charm, alongside an exciting brand-new in-house bar.
We are looking for a dedicated Café & Bar Manager to lead our hospitality team from day one (and help shape the opening before launch). You’ll work in close partnership with our Bookshop Manager to deliver an exceptional, welcoming community space.
This is not a role for someone looking to simply clock in and clock out. We want someone who shares our passion for genuine hospitality - who takes pride in remembering regulars, curating outstanding drink and grazing options, and making Ink & Ember Nottingham the city's favourite spot to unwind with a book, a coffee, or a glass of wine.
Key Responsibilities
- Bar & Food Operations: Prepare and serve our curated drinks offering alongside artisanal charcuterie boards, gourmet cold sandwiches, and premium bar snacks, maintaining flawless presentation and food hygiene standards
- Licensing & Compliance: Act as a key Personal Licence holder, ensuring full adherence to all licensing objectives, age verification policies, and health & safety regulations
- Team Leadership: Recruit, train, mentor, and schedule a team of Bookseller-Barista/Bartenders, and knowing the standard they will perform at even when you're not there
- Daily Management: Lead front-of-house service, open and close procedures, health & safety, till reconciliations, and overall day-to-day operations of the café and bar space
- Stock & Suppliers: Oversee stock control, margin management, wastage minimisation, visual merchandising, and ordering through our local and specialist suppliers
- Events & Community: Ideate, organise, and execute vibrant evening events - from author talks and acoustic sets to wine tastings and book-and-bottle evenings
- Commercial Reporting: Manage your section's P&L targets and deliver weekly performance reporting to the Operations Manager
- Atmosphere: Keep your team motivated, the bar spotless, and every guest warmly welcomed
What We're Looking For
- A valid UK Personal Licence (essential)
- Proven hospitality management experience, ideally within an independent bar, café, or dining concept
- A deep love of hospitality and customer service, with natural warmth, high emotional intelligence, and an unflappable attitude during busy services
- Hands-on food and drink skills, comfortable crafting specialty hot drinks, serving quality wines/craft beers, and assembling charcuterie boards and fresh cold sandwiches
- Commercial acumen, including experience with stock audits, rota management, and controlling food/beverage margins
- Strong leadership, inspiring high standards and coaching team members with empathy and enthusiasm
- Flexibility to work shift patterns across our opening hours (tentatively set as):
- Monday to Thursday: 10am to 8pm
- Friday & Saturday: 10am to 10pm
- Sunday: 10am to 6pm
- A passion for books, culture, and independent retail is a huge plus
What We Offer
- Competitive starting salary, reviewed following probation
- Permanent, full-time role (37.5 hours per week) at the heart of an exciting new venue opening
- Generous staff discount across our books, café, and bar
- A creative, autonomous environment where your ideas will shape the venue
- Career growth opportunities as the Ink & Ember brand continues to expand
How to Apply
Send your CV and a short note detailing your relevant experience and why you’d love to join Ink & Ember to paige@inkandember.store.
- Application Deadline: Wednesday 28th October at 5pm
- Interview Notifications: If you have not heard from us by Sunday 1st November, your application has unfortunately been unsuccessful on this occasion
- Due to licensing requirements and the operational nature of this role, applicants must be at least 18 years old at the time of application