Salary: £28,378 per annum

Working pattern: 5 days per week (36.5hrs)

Closing Date: 9:00 am Friday 24 April 2026

Job ref: 1726

Leeds University Union (LUU) is a charity that helps over 38,000 students Love their time at Leeds. Located at the heart of campus, the Union is a space to meet people, make new friends and get involved.

Find out more about Leeds University Union at www.luu.ac.uk or follow us on X@LeedsUniUnion and Instagram.

About the role

We are looking for someone with a passion for Cafe’s, Coffee and Customer service. You’ll be ensuring that standards are maintained and financial targets achieved, whilst effectively leading and developing the team of staff that you work with. You’ll also be supporting the Head of hospitality in the development of a dynamic and stimulating experience as our team evolves and continues to grow.

Our ideal candidates will:

• Have proven experience leading a café, food service or hospitality operation, with responsibility for day‑to‑day performance
• Be a confident people manager who can motivate, develop and support teams to deliver their best
• Demonstrate strong customer‑focus, with a commitment to delivering consistently high standards of service and quality
• Be commercially minded, with experience managing sales, margins, stock, labour and budgets
• Have excellent organisational and planning skills, including rota management and menu or offer planning
• Be comfortable using EPOS, stock, cash handling and reporting systems
• Show strong communication and relationship‑building skills with colleagues, stakeholders and customers
• Have a solid understanding of food safety, health & safety, and licensing compliance
• Lead by example, creating a positive, inclusive, safe and engaging environment for staff and customers
  
  

What you get in return

The benefits you can enjoy include holiday pay, extensive opportunities for learning and further development, NUS TOTUM Card, onsite venue staff discounts, discounted travel card, and discounted gym membership.

The people and culture at LUU are often cited as the top reason why people enjoy working here. You will be part of an organisation that not only values but champions inclusion and diversity. 

Sounds good?

For further details, please download an application pack below. In your application, please explain how you meet the person specification and what you can bring to the team here at LUU. If you have any further questions please contact hr@luu.ac.uk.

Cafe Lead Application Pack

LUU highly values inclusivity and we welcome applications from all sections of the community.

Key Information:

Closing Date: 9:00 am Friday 24 April 2026

Interviews (In-person): Friday, 1 May 2026

Working in the UK: 

View/Download Working in the UK