Cafe & Gift Shop Assistant

Who we are

Fancy working somewhere a little different?

Did you know Welsh Water has its very own visitor attraction at Elan Valley? Open all year round, our Visitor Centre is home to a café, gift shop and activity centre offering both land and water-based activities. Join our friendly, enthusiastic team and enjoy working in one of the most beautiful settings in Powys.

Located in the heart of mid-Wales, Elan Valley is easily accessible from the nearby town of Rhayader and is just a couple of hours from Birmingham and Cardiff.

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Postcode: LD6 5HP

Getting here: Elan Valley is in a rural location with limited public transport, so you’ll need access to your own transport to get to and from site five days a week. There is no home working in this role.

Want a glimpse of where you could be working? Take a look around our beautiful Visitor Centre and see the setting for yourself: Watch our video!

Benefits

We have some great benefits, including:

• 26 days’ annual leave (pro rata) 

• TOIL


• Annual Living Wage increase


• 20% employee discount on Elan Valley activities for you and your family


• 20% employee discount across all our visitor attractions


• 22 hours of fully paid training upfront to help you get started


• Opportunities to learn, develop and progress your career


• Uniform provided


• Refreshments available


• A beautiful working location at Elan Valley


• Free on-site parking


• Free mortgage brokering services


• Contribution-based healthcare cashback scheme (Medicash)


• Enhanced family-friendly policies


• Bicycle purchase discount payment schemes (affordability permitting)


• Employee Assistance Programme for you and your immediate family

And as part of Welsh Water, you’ll be working for a not-for-profit company that truly cares about earning the trust of our customers and protecting our beautiful environment.

And that’s not all! You can find even more of our employee benefits on our website!

What you’ll be responsible for

What you’ll be doing

1. Prepare and serve food and beverages to customers in a friendly and professional manner.


2. Keep tables clean, tidy and ready for customers to use.


3. Support general cleaning within the kitchen and storage areas, helping to maintain a clean and welcoming environment.


4. Follow appropriate procedures to help maintain a safe and welcoming environment for everyone on site.


5. Provide a friendly and helpful information service, sharing information with visitors about local walking and cycling routes and other activities.


6. Complete daily reconciliation of income against till receipts.


7. Help keep the gift shop looking welcoming and well stocked, displaying items and replenishing stock as needed.


8. Engage with visitors and provide a positive experience as an ambassador for Welsh Water.

About you

Essential Experience

• Experience working with members of the public in a café, retail, reception, front-of-house or customer-facing environment.


• Experience providing helpful, professional customer service.

Essential Knowledge & Skills

• Enthusiastic about putting our customers first every day.


• Knowledge or experience of health and safety processes.


• Competent numeracy skills with Point of Sale systems (til) operating skills.


• Ability to make informed decisions and respond positively to different situations.


• Ability to manage tasks independently within agreed timescales, as well as work collaboratively as part of a team.


• Ability to communicate fluently in both verbal and written English.

Good to know

Working Pattern

• 37 hours over 5 days out of 7


• Annualised hours (usually more hours in summer and less in winter) 


• Rota scheduled every 6 weeks


• Shifts will include bank holidays, school holidays and every other weekend


• Typical shift patterns:  Monday - Sunday 8.30am-4.30pm or 10am-6.30pm (to cover an 8-hour working day)


• Weekends and school holidays are our busiest times where more hours will be available 

Recruitment process

Our recruitment process will include:

• Application: Submit your CV to Pauline Nineham at [email protected] or apply directly via the link in this advert. Either application method is accepted.


• Stage 1: Initial telephone conversation.


• Stage 2: Site visit and competency-based interview.

For more information on the role please contact [email protected].  

Please note, we may close this role sooner if required. We may also extend the original closing date depending on interest.

Due to the nature of the industry, we require satisfactory references, post offer medical clearance, and a criminal records Basic Disclosure check on all new employees joining the business. For some roles there may be additional checks and security clearance required, and this offer is subject all checks being satisfied. You will receive further information on how to complete these checks via email once you have accepted this offer.