Visitor Experience & Café Manager

Hopefield Animal Sanctuary & Visitor Centre, Sawyers Hall Lane, Brentwood, Essex, CM15 9BZ

Website: www.hopefield.org.uk

Tel: 01277 201110

Email: office@hopefield.org.uk

Registered Charity Number: 1181186

“Saving Animals Together Since 1983”

Visitor Experience & Café Manager Job Description

Days/Hours: 5 days a week including weekends
Salary: £30,000 - £32,000 (incl. performance-related bonus £32,00-£35,200)
Location: Brentwood, Essex
Reports to: CEO / Head of Operations
Contract: Full-time (permanent)

Role Purpose

The Visitor Experience & Café Manager is responsible for delivering a welcoming, high-quality visitor
experience while overseeing the café and driving visitor-related income through admissions, café
sales, on-site retail, and events.

This hybrid role combines operations, team management, events planning, and income generation,
helping secure the sustainability of Hopefield’s work in animal welfare.

Key Responsibilities

Visitor Experience

•  Oversee daily visitor operations and front-of-house staff
•  Ensure high standards of customer service and visitor satisfaction
•  Manage volunteer rotas, training, and engagement
•  Monitor visitor flow, safety, and welfare throughout the site

Café Management

•

Lead day-to-day café operations, including staffing, rotas, hygiene, stock, and menu
standards

•  Work within agreed budgets and reporting procedures
•  Ensure café provides a high-quality experience for visitors

Income & Event Growth

•  Deliver visitor income targets (admissions, café, events, retail, donations) agreed annually

with CEO

•  Plan, develop, and deliver new events to attract visitors and increase dwell time
•  Collaborate with Marketing to promote events and seasonal campaigns
•  Track performance with simple quarterly dashboards

Team Leadership

•  Supervise front-of-house staff and volunteers
•  Provide training, support, and performance feedback
•  Foster a positive, values-led team culture

Reporting & Governance

•  Report quarterly on visitor income, footfall, events, and visitor satisfaction
•  Ensure compliance with safeguarding, food hygiene, and health & safety regulations
•  Work within the sanctuary’s ethical and charitable framework

Person Specification

Essential

•  Experience managing visitor-facing operations, hospitality, or events
•  Strong leadership and people management skills
•  Excellent customer service skills and attention to detail
•  Ability to plan, organise, and deliver events or activities
•  Basic financial literacy (budgets, income tracking)
•  Passion for animal welfare and working in a charity environment

Desirable

•  Experience in visitor attractions, zoos, or education centres
•  Experience managing volunteers
•  Event marketing experience
•  Food hygiene / catering experience

Income Targets & Bonus

Targets

•  Set annually with CEO, based on previous year’s visitor income
•
•  Broken down quarterly for monitoring

Includes admissions, café, on-site retail, and events

Bonus Structure

•  Max discretionary bonus: £2,500–£3,200 per year
•  Bonus split:

o  50% achievement of visitor income targets
o  30% visitor satisfaction & feedback
o  20% team performance and volunteer engagement
o  Paid annually after review by CEO

Why Join Hopefield?

Lead and grow experiences that support animal welfare

•
•  Develop creative events and visitor engagement
•  Senior operational responsibility in a values-led charity
•  Make a tangible impact on the sustainability of the sanctuary