Role profile

Job title	Hospitality Assistant
Reporting to	Café Lead/ Housekeeping Supervisor
Has reporting	N/A
Starting salary	£24,479 (FTE) per annum pro rota. £13.45 per hour.
Job type	Fixed Term – until 31st October 2026.
Location	Dundreggan Rewilding Centre
Additional requirements	None

Trees for Life

Trees for Life stands at the forefront of rewilding in the Scottish Highlands. Hopeful and bold, we are committed to creating nature-rich landscapes that include and support people. Working on a grand scale, we aim to close the gap between people and nature.

Focusing on Scotland’s spectacular Caledonian forest, we foster biodiversity and encourage natural processes essential to life. From the iconic red squirrel to the elusive lynx, we are working to bring more life back to our landscapes.

Rewilding is a shared journey. Together with communities, we are restoring Scotland’s natural and cultural heritage while supporting local livelihoods. Join us on this path of hope and positive action. Rewild the Scottish Highlands.

Dundreggan and the Rewilding Centre

Dundreggan is our 10,000-acre estate in Glenmoriston between Loch Ness and Skye. Since 2008, the estate has been transformed by Trees for Life and its volunteers into one of the best examples of forest restoration in Scotland. It includes a ground-breaking tree nursery and is where many volunteers come to take part in rewilding projects.

The Rewilding Centre opened in April 2023 and serves as a gateway to make Dundreggan, and the work being done here, more accessible to a broader audience. It operates under the Enterprises arm of Trees for Life and is a commercial, revenue-generating business.

The site includes an innovative visitor centre, a café, 40-bed accommodation, events and educational facilities. The Rewilding Centre welcomes visitors of all ages, interests and backgrounds to explore the natural, Gaelic and cultural heritage of the Highlands and be inspired by rewilding initiatives, including the restoration of the Caledonian forest.

Join the Trees for Life team!

Join our friendly, values-driven team, taking practical steps to rewild the Scottish Highlands. We offer competitive pay and benefits, flexibility, great working culture, and much more. We welcome applicants from all walks of life, with diverse backgrounds, cultures, perspectives, and experiences. If you require any adjustments during our recruitment process, that would enable you to do as well as possible in the process, please let us know.

Don’t meet every single requirement? That’s okay. We’re committed to building an inclusive team, and we know that skills and experience come in many forms. The right mindset, attitude, and potential to grow are just as important to us as ticking every box. If you’re excited about this role, meet the core criteria and feel you can make a meaningful contribution – please apply.

Our values

Our values are at the heart of our mission to rewild the Scottish Highlands, guiding us in everything from the daily rhythms of office life to the development of our landscape-scale initiatives.

We are Bold

We are an ambitious charity with a critical purpose. For us, being bold means thinking about landscape restoration on a grand scale, embracing innovative rewilding methods and challenging the status quo. This approach ensures that every step we take is a bold stride toward a revitalised, thriving natural landscape.

We are Collaborative

Our approach, deeply rooted in community and collaboration, involves working closely with local communities, conservation groups, landowners, and volunteers. Finding common ground and working together we will initiate positive solutions to the twin climate and biodiversity crises.

We are Pragmatic

We embrace pragmatic and sustainable solutions in everything we do. We are always mindful of our duty to our supporters, our volunteers, our staff and above all to Scotland’s wild forest. By adopting practical solutions, we safeguard our efforts and ensure a resilient future for our initiatives.

Overall purpose of the job

The hospitality assistant will support the running of cafe and accommodation block:

Accommodation Coordination: To provide a clean and safe environment for visitors to experience in all areas of the Rewilding Centre and Accommodation block.

And

Catering Assistant: To be part of a small team of catering staff working in the kitchen and cafe, responsible for preparing and serving all meals as part of the Rewilding Centre experience.

Key liaisons

Café Lead, Kitchen Lead, House Keeping Supervisor, Visitor Experience and Operations Supervisor, Rewilding Centre Director and wider Dundreggan Estate team, members of the public, visitors and groups

Key responsibilities

Accommodation Coordination duties:

Cleaning all areas of the Rewilding Centre and Accommodation block in line with housekeeping schedule (excluding Rewilding Centre main kitchen).

● Replenishing paper towels, toilet rolls, soap and sanitisers in all toilets.

● Emptying waste bins and ensuring they are disposed of correctly across the whole centre and in line with relevant legislation.

Cleaning all fixtures and fittings as per the housekeeping schedule.

● Cleaning all rooms, including shower rooms, toilets, bedroom areas after use and ready for the next group as per timetabled activities.

Communicating to the House Keeping Supervisor when cleaning consumables are to be reordered to ensure supplies are constant.

Reporting maintenance work to the appropriate post.

Supporting the guest experience from pre-arrival until checkout

● Communicating with admin re. Bookings schedule, room turnovers each day.

Ensuring rooms are prepared for arrival.

Assisting with guests’ requests/concerns during their stay

Catering Assistant duties:

● Assisting with the preparation and serving of all meals and beverages to customers.

● Supporting the kitchen team as necessary

● Liaising with the Cafe & Kitchen Leads to make sure there is an adequate choice of menu items throughout the day.

Knowing what is on the menu and what it contains.

● Making sure allergy and dietary information is clearly displayed for all food/drink.

● Ensuring that the service areas are clean and tidy at all times and food hygiene/health and safety regulations are followed.

Maintaining outstanding levels of customer service, processing sales quickly, accurately and efficient use of till operations.

● Assist with the cleaning of all crockery, cutlery and service utensils within the Centre.

Ensure the café and surrounding areas are clean, including and not limited to café toilets, walkways, seating areas inside and outside.

Contribute towards the delivery of hospitality and events around the Centre including the set-up, service and clear down as required.

At times this role may require you to support with other areas of the business, depending on the different events and projects planned in. This would be authorised by your line manager in advance.

Person specification

The successful candidate for this role will be:

● Hardworking with a high level of accuracy and attention to detail which is constant.

● Able to work alone, unsupervised and with minimal inconvenience to customers.

● Excellent in time management skills and have the ability to organise and prioritise tasks.

Versatile in their approach to problem solving.

● Friendly, honest and approachable in their outlook with excellent customer service skills

● Able to accurately process customer orders through the till system with a good standard of numeracy.

● Flexible and be able to adhere to working patterns as needed

● Excellent in communication skills to enable effective dialogue with visitors and colleagues.

● Able to perform well and remain professional whilst under pressure.

● Able to display a smart and professional appearance, representing the Rewilding Centre in a positive manner.

Enthusiastic, with an eagerness to learn new skills and a commitment to personal continuous development

Knowledge and experience

Essential:

GCSE or equivalent in Mathematics and English

IT literate or have experience of EPOS systems

● Willing to work towards RSPH Level 1 or 2 in Food Safety and Hygiene

Desirable:

• Experience in handling chemicals, and/or in other housekeeping roles (full training will be provided).

• Relevant experience in the tourism, hospitality and catering sector.

• Performing routine and maintenance inspections in accordance with regulations.

• RSPH Level 1 or 2 Award in Food Safety and Hygiene - gained within last 3 years.

• Experience of Health & Safety systems such as Risk Assessment and COSHH.

Personal attributes

● Must be committed to the ethos and values of Trees for Life

Ability to work with complete discretion.

A reasonable level of physical fitness is required.

● Team player with the willingness to contribute to the success of Trees for Life and our aims.

Enthusiasm to develop your skills and knowledge.

● Adaptability to change and willingness to embrace new ideas and processes.

Skills and competencies

Maintains consistently high standards of cleanliness, hygiene and presentation across guest rooms, communal areas, kitchens and café spaces, ensuring all areas are safe, tidy and welcoming for customers and visitors.

Provides friendly, professional and helpful customer service, responding to customer requests appropriately while communicating clearly and respectfully with colleagues, supervisors and members of the public.

Assists with the preparation and serving of food and beverages, following food hygiene, health and safety procedures, while keeping kitchen equipment, work surfaces, dining areas and service areas clean and organised.

Demonstrates excellent attention to detail and strong organisational skills, managing multiple cleaning, housekeeping and café duties efficiently while prioritising tasks and completing work to a high standard within required timeframes.

Works effectively both independently and as part of a team, supporting colleagues during busy periods, following instructions carefully and contributing to a positive, professional and well-organised working environment.

Reliable, punctual, hardworking and flexible, with a positive attitude and willingness to take on a wide range of duties, including cleaning, restocking supplies, washing dishes, maintaining hygiene standards and assisting with general café and housekeeping operations.

Working conditions and special demands

• The role will require rota working along with weekends and bank holidays.

• Due to the location of the Centre, a full and valid driving licence is essential.

• The role requires you to work onsite, remote working is not available for this position.