Senior Priory House Assistant

We’re now looking for a Senior Assistant to join our team at Priory House in Dunstable.

Your Rewards

• Competitive salary
• Local Government Pension Scheme
• Enhanced Staff Benefits including flexible access to your wages
• Generous annual leave entitlement

Your Role

Love great hospitality, exceptional customer service and creating memorable experiences?

We’re looking for an enthusiastic and experienced Priory House Senior Assistant to help lead our front-of-house team and deliver an exceptional experience for everyone who visits Priory House.

This is much more than serving food and drinks. You’ll be a key member of the Priory House team, helping to create the warm welcome our visitors remember, supporting and motivating staff, maintaining exceptional standards and ensuring every customer receives friendly, efficient and professional service.

From beautifully presented Afternoon Teas and speciality coffees to weddings, functions and special events, you’ll play an important role in making Priory House a fantastic place to eat, meet and visit.

What You’ll Be Doing

• Leading, motivating and supporting the Priory House team to deliver outstanding customer service.
• Managing staff rotas, cover, training and day-to-day supervision.
• Working closely with the Catering Manager to ensure food and drink are beautifully presented and service runs smoothly.
• Training and supporting staff to prepare and serve speciality teas, coffees and other beverages consistently and professionally.
• Delivering our Afternoon Tea experience with excellent product knowledge and exceptional attention to detail.
• Taking customer orders accurately and efficiently using the EPOS system and ensuring allergen requirements are correctly identified, recorded and communicated.
• Maintaining excellent standards of presentation, cleanliness, food hygiene and health & safety throughout Priory House.
• Ensuring food reaches customers promptly and that tables and customer areas are regularly checked and maintained.
• Setting up rooms and supporting the delivery of weddings, private functions, special events and other activities.
• Identifying opportunities to increase income through upselling, promotions, creative displays and excellent product knowledge.
• Leading by example and championing exceptional customer service at every opportunity.

About You

You’ll be someone who notices the little things.

From how a table is presented to how a customer is greeted when they arrive, you’ll understand that excellent hospitality is about creating an experience – not simply providing a service.

You’ll have considerable experience within hospitality or catering, ideally including experience in a supervisory position, and be confident supporting and leading a busy customer-facing team.

You’ll be calm and adaptable under pressure, organised, reliable and able to use your own initiative. Excellent communication and customer care skills are essential, along with a genuine passion for maintaining high standards.

You’ll also have:

• Strong leadership and team-working skills.
• Excellent attention to detail and high personal standards.
• Experience of cash handling and working accurately with money.
• An understanding of food hygiene and health & safety requirements.
• A current Food Hygiene Certificate, or willingness to obtain one immediately.
• Experience of hospitality sales, purchasing, budgets and maximising income.
• A positive, inclusive approach to customers and colleagues.
• The ability to work evenings and weekends as required.
• You must be aged 18 or over.

Experience of afternoon teas, weddings, events or functions, as well as a qualification or previous experience in staff supervision or management, would be advantageous.

A Role with Variety

No two days at Priory House will necessarily look the same.

One day you could be leading a busy lunchtime service, the next helping prepare for Afternoon Tea, supporting an event or transforming one of our spaces ready for a wedding or private function.

The role will include regular weekend and some evening working, particularly around weddings, functions and events.

Be Part of Something Special

Priory House is entering an exciting new chapter, and this is an opportunity to play an important part in shaping the experience we provide.

We want Priory House to be known for its warm welcome, outstanding customer service, fantastic food and drink and memorable experiences.

If you’re passionate about hospitality, love working with people and have the enthusiasm to lead and inspire others, we’d love to hear from you.

How to Apply:

 To apply for this position, please submit a covering statement clearly explaining how you meet the essential and desirable criteria in the job description and your CV.

Email your application to Info@dunstable.gov.uk

For further information please read the Recruitment Pack.

Nb: Applications received that do not include a full covering statement will not be considered

CLOSING DATE FOR RECEIPT OF APPLICATIONS – 9 am, Monday 21 September 2026

Please note interviews will take place on 5 October 2026