Food & Beverage Assistant

English Heritage Ltd; Hexham; On-site; GBP 40,000 - 60,000; Part time

Job summary

A national heritage charity is seeking a part-time Food & Beverage Assistant at Chesters Roman Fort. The role offers £12.39 per hour for 16 hours work per week from April to October, shifting to a zero-hour contract in winter. Key responsibilities include preparing food and drink, ensuring high cleanliness standards, and delivering exceptional customer service. Ideal candidates will be enthusiastic team players committed to enhancing visitor experiences. Opportunities for career progression and benefits included.

Benefits

Career progression opportunities

Free access to all English Heritage sites

25% discount in shops and cafés

25 days holiday plus Bank Holidays

Matched pension contributions up to 10%

Qualifications

• Engage positively with customers from diverse backgrounds.
• Deliver excellent customer service to enhance visitor experience.
• Work collaboratively as part of a team.

Responsibilities

• Take and prepare food and drink orders.
• Assist with food preparation in the kitchen.
• Provide exceptional customer service.
• Ensure cleanliness and hygiene standards are met.

Skills

Customer service

Teamwork

Positive engagement

Job description

Food & Beverage Assistant

Title: Food & Beverage Assistant
Location: Chesters Roman Fort, Humshaugh, Hexham, Northumberland, NE46 4EU
Salary: £12.39 per hour / 16 hours per week (April to October), 0 hours (November to March) / Permanent.
*All salaries will increase following the NLW rise on 1st April 2026 to a minimum of £12.71 per hour*
Job type: Permanent
Ref 16286

Would you like to work for the charity that cares for hundreds of historic sites in every corner of England? We are looking for a Food and Beverage Assistant to join us at Chesters Roman Fort.

No history background? No problem. What is important to us is a passion for people and excellent customer service. You will enjoy working with others as part of a team and understand what makes excellent customer service to deliver great quality through our food and unique settings.

Heritage is for everybody, and we are here for heritage. Heritage lives in places and people, memories and stories, artefacts and traditions. It can connect us all to the past, and to each other. It can make us happier, strengthen every community, and help shape society for the better. Everybody should be able to enjoy the benefits it brings. That's why, as a charity, we care for over a million objects and hundreds of historic sites in every part of England, from international icons to local treasures. And it's why we open them up, share their stories and find new ways for everybody to enjoy, learn, play and create.

This is a part-time role working 8‑16 hours per week from April to October, and then switching to a zero‑hour contract from November to March.

Responsibilities

• Taking and preparing food and drink orders
• Assisting with food preparation in our kitchen
• Providing exceptional customer service
• Ensuring a perfect standard of cleanliness and hygiene throughout

About You

To be a Food and Beverage Assistant, you will:

• Understand what makes excellent customer service and enjoy delivering this to our customers
• Be able to engage in a positive way with people from all backgrounds
• Enjoy working as a team

Experience of working in a food and beverage role and an awareness of food safety and allergens would help but it isn't essential as full training will be provided. For us, it's more important that you have bags of enthusiasm and a willingness to get involved.

The Benefits

• Salary of £12.39 per hour
• The opportunity to progress your career within the heritage sector, in retail, food and beverage or general management
• Opportunities to go to some of our great live music or history events
• Free access to all English Heritage sites for you and up to six friends/family members
• 25% discount in our shops and cafés
• Enhanced maternity/paternity/shared parental leave
• 25 days’ holiday plus Bank Holidays pro rata rising to 28 days after 3 years
• Options to buy additional leave
• Matched pension contributions up to 10%

Additional Information

To find out more about us and what we do, please register via one of the links below or join us at one of our webinars.

Friday 23rd January 2026 11.30am‑12.30pm
https://events.teams.microsoft.com/event/3ac4acf3-1db2-40d8-a81b-5c178615e5e6@30116e44-4d79-44c0-a8c1-ebc0707da3c9

Wednesday 4th February 2026 6‑7pm
https://events.teams.microsoft.com/event/ea661ca0-f117-46dd-8c83-af63e055008a@30116e44-4d79-44c0-a8c1-ebc0707da3c9

Everybody's welcome at English Heritage

Forget the stereotypes. It takes thousands of people from every background to care for England's heritage and open it up for everybody to enjoy. We are looking for every type of person with every kind of skill and experience, and we're committed to making sure that English Heritage is an equitable, diverse and inclusive place to work. You can connect with others through our EDI networks as a member or ally. These include Ethnic Diversity, Faith & Belief, Social Equity, LGBTQ+, Neurodivergence, Age, Disability and Gender Health and Wellbeing.

We take wellbeing seriously. We are committed to ensuring everyone feels safe at work and can carry out their role. To support this, we have a network of Mental Health First aiders, regular information and awareness events, unlimited access to an Employee Assistance Programme and work with our people to implement reasonable adjustments.

If you would like to talk to us e.g. about workplace adjustments or working patterns, please contact Karen Kindred, Food & Beverage Manager, on [e-mail] or 07990 392679. No agencies please.

You can also find out about what we do: https://www.english-heritage.org.uk/about/ and meet some of our people and hear about why they enjoy working with us: https://www.english-heritage.org.uk/about/our-people/careers-with-us/

You will need to refer to the following documents when completing your application.