**CLOSED** We are recruiting! | House of Books & Friends

Posted on: November 24, 2022

**NOW CLOSED**

We have 2 exciting opportunities to join our team at House of Books & Friends in Manchester city centre with immediate start

1 x Full Time Café Manager (35 hours rota)

1 x Part Time Bookseller and Barista. (8 hours rota – Monday 11-3pm, Saturday 11-3pm)

House of Books & Friends is a new independent bookshop opening in November this year. Our new shop will offer readers a range of captivating books, all curated and selected by our expert bookselling team.

The bookshop will be home to a café serving some of the best coffee and cake the city has to offer. Our vibrant events programme will represent our diverse local community, featuring everything from book clubs and author events to wine tastings and live music.

Formed as a Community Interest Company, we are focused on delivering social good and bringing the local community together, in the process combating loneliness. We will work closely with our partner organisations to make sure that the best interests of the local community are always paramount. House of Books & Friends is not just a bookshop, it’s a social movement.

As a House of Book & Friends Bookseller, you’ll be community minded and passionate about books and people, and have a wide range of reading interests. You’ll need to be outgoing and enjoy building relationships and chatting with all customers. You’ll be the face of our brand and our purpose, and you’ll need to help create a friendly, accepting, and safe space.

What you’ll be doing – Café Manager:

Our café, like our Bookshop is brand new so we need someone with experience and huge creativity – this is your chance to help shape our offering and how we offer it! Our Café Manager will report in to the Bookshop Manager and be responsible for, and should have previous experience with the following:

Menu development and sourcing responsible, ethical and local suppliers
Hygiene, Food Safety and Health and Safety requirements and documentation
Creating processes required for set up, clear down and a schedule
Stock ordering and management
Assisting, serving and making our customers a total priority and central to everything we do
Staff training to enable the team to deliver a personable and interactive service inline with all House of Books & Friends policies
Assist with social media creation and content
Ensure café and prep areas are squeaky clean and tidy
Responsibility for opening and closing shop
Assist with management information and sales reporting – tailoring suppliers and orders accordingly
Create and deliver menus for an active and developing events programme

What you’ll be doing – Bookseller:

Assist customers and answer their enquiries in person, online or over the phone.
Serve customers in the café
Approach customers to discuss and provide book recommendations
Ensure the bookshop is restocked and maintain high presentation throughout
Create and maintain displays
Operate tills and stock control systems
Process stock deliveries and returns
Identify industry trends and possible commercial opportunities
Develop, plan and lead events such as author events, children’s story times or book clubs
Assist with social media content creation

What we’re looking for:

Interest in books and a passion for food, hospitality and a desire to work somewhere with a different mission and ethos in all that we do (Café Manager)
Catering / Hospitality / Café Management experience essential (Café Manager)
Good level of book knowledge and curiosity about the industry (Bookseller)
Basic IT skills
Bookselling or other retail experience would be desirable but not essential
Able to work alone using own initiative
Friendly, kind and outgoing
Confident and able to remain professional under pressure
Excellent written and spoken English

Benefits