Closing date: Tuesday 15 July 2025
Salary: Up to £26,000.00 Per Annum DOE, Plus Desirable Benefits
Full Time, Permanent Position
Are you wild about creating memorable experiences?
Do you want to work in a place where you can hear calls from troops of howler monkeys, or the roars from a pride of lions?
Our Catering Outlets Pinewood Café, Basecamp Café and The Lookout Café & BBQ allow our customers to relax and refuel whilst surrounded by wildlife and amazing views.
As our Assistant Catering Manager, you’ll play a key leadership role - supporting and deputising for the Group Catering Manager while taking ownership of all food outlets within your area of the park. You’ll ensure every outlet runs to the highest professional standards, delivering exceptional service and strong commercial performance in line with budgets and expectations.
You’ll lead by example, ensuring your team is well-trained, motivated, and consistently delivering outstanding customer experiences. From daily operations and team supervision to planning catering activities and supporting events, you'll be at the heart of a dynamic, guest-focused environment - keeping everything running smoothly, efficiently, and with real attention to detail.
Who we are looking for:
A driven and passionate Assistant Catering Manager to help lead our catering team in delivering exceptional food and service. You’ll have a strong background in hospitality or catering, with at least one year’s experience supervising a large team. A passion for food and drink, combined with commercial awareness and a creative eye for trends, is essential. You’ll need to hold a full, valid UK driving licence as travel around the park and between locations may be required.
You’ll be a confident leader with excellent communication skills, able to motivate teams, manage budgets, and solve problems effectively. Calm under pressure, you’ll deliver high standards in both service and appearance, and expect the same from your team. Flexibility is key - you’ll work across a 7-day operation including weekends, bank holidays, and school holidays. You’ll also be experienced in stock control, EPOS, HR processes, and health and safety procedures. It’s a bonus if you have barista experience, a supervisory qualification, or an interest in wildlife that can enhance the guest experience. If you’re ready to bring energy, expertise and high standards to a truly unique setting - we’d love to hear from you.
Contract details:
This is a full-time, permanent position working a minimum of 40 hours a week, five days out of seven. You will need to have availability early mornings, weekends, bank holidays and school holidays. This role is based at Port Lympne Hotel & Reserve near Folkestone and reports directly to the Group Catering Manager. All applicants must have the right to work in the UK. A reliable mode of transport is recommended due to our remote location.
The location:
Port Lympne Hotel & Reserve is a world-renowned wild animal park set within 600 acres of Kentish savannah. The Reserve is home to some of the world’s most rare and endangered animals and offers luxury short breaks accommodation, free roaming animal safaris, once-in-a-lifetime animal encounters and exquisite dining experiences. Most importantly, every one of our employees is part of real conservation in action and their efforts have contributed to animals such as black rhino and western lowland gorillas being returned to their natural habitats in collaboration with our partners at The Aspinall Foundation.
Why you should join us:
We’re on a mission to create memorable experiences that matter, and our Core Values ‘One Team’, Customer’ and ‘Pride’ are what drive us each day to become part of something extraordinary. As well as walking to work surrounded by the calls of Howler monkeys and the roars from our pride of Lions, you will join a supportive team who are passionate about their place of work. Be part of the Port Lympne and Howletts family and join our pride.
You can also expect a host of other roarsome benefits including:
- 28 days of annual leave pro rata to start date and working hours, inclusive of bank holidays (rising with length of service)
- Comprehensive training and development opportunities, including workshops and e-learning.
- Enhanced Sickness, Maternity and Paternity Policies.
- Unlimited free entry for you and a person of your choice into both of our parks as well as friends and family tickets.
- Exceptional discounts on food, retail and accommodation at our parks.
- Numerous retail discounts and access to a 24-hour counselling line through our Healthy Extras Scheme.
- Company Pension
- And many more length or service-related rewards and Benefits.
A full job description is available on request.
Your adventure awaits
#joinourpride
To apply: If you want to work in an exciting and unique environment where no two days are the same, email your C.V. and covering letter to craigb@portlympne.com
