Shift Leader Catering, Events & Retail

Were looking to welcome two experienced Catering Events & Retail Shift Leaders to join our team at Theatre Royal Plymouth and our Production & Learning Centre TR2. These roles are key to helping us deliver a high-quality welcoming and efficient food beverage events and retail offer for our audiences visiting companies staff and cast.

As a Shift Leader youll be at the heart of the action leading by example to create a positive inclusive and customer-focused environment. Youll support the sale of refreshments and merchandise while working collaboratively with colleagues across Box Office Housekeeping Stage Door Technical and Visitor Experience to ensure every performance and event runs smoothly. During your shifts youll oversee a team of up to 14 Hospitality Assistants with guidance and support from the Catering Events & Retail Manager.

Youll need to be 18 and able to work during our busiest and most exciting periods including Summer Christmas and New Year.

This is a brilliant opportunity to develop your leadership skills within a vibrant cultural organisation. Youll gain valuable insight into how a large-scale theatre operates behind the scenes perfect for anyone looking to grow a career in catering hospitality or event management while contributing to the creativity collaboration and quality that define TRP.

Successful candidates will work on a rota basis 5 days out of 7 across our operational hours of 8:30am 11:30pm. Shifts are 5 hours in length with the majority taking place in the evening (typically 5:00pm 11:00pm) to support performances. There will also be daytime shifts for matinees and weekend working is an essential part of the role.

The contract is for 25 hours per week with opportunities for overtime during particularly busy periods. Were ideally looking for someone who can start from week commencing 30 March 2026.

Rotas are prepared one month in advance to help support a positive worklife balance while ensuring we can deliver the high-quality experience our audiences expect.

The Role of a Catering Events & Retail Shift Leader

When you join TRP youll be introduced to our core values Quality Creativity Collaboration and Diversity and how they shape the way we deliver exceptional experiences for everyone who walks through our doors. Youll receive full training to ensure you have a strong working knowledge of health & safety food hygiene safeguarding security licensing regulations and emergency evacuation procedures.

As a Shift Leader youll be confident leading a full show service across our hospitality and retail operation including two bars two cafés our VIP lounge events spaces merchandise points and the staff Green Room.

Below is an overview of the key areas of responsibility:

Customer Service

• Ensure all hospitality and retail outlets are safe welcoming presentable and secure at all times.

• Use Box Office systems to check hospitality bookings and performance attendance.

• Act as a First Aider (full training provided).

• Monitor and maintain equipment including fridges freezers EPOS systems and card machines reporting any faults promptly.

• Liaise with external suppliers to coordinate deliveries and storage in line with food hygiene regulations (in the absence of the Stores Operative).

• Support the safe evacuation of the building in the event of an emergency.

Team Supervision

• Supervise hospitality outlets during service supporting the Head of CER and CER Managers.

• Lead by example in presentation and standards ensuring the team are well-presented and proud in their uniforms.

• Attend pre-performance briefings and communicate key show information to Hospitality Assistants.

• Act as the first point of contact for the hospitality team during your shift.

• Support job allocation and provide feedback on performance and standards.

• Contribute to the induction training and development of team members across food & beverage service barista skills customer service and events delivery.

• Fully understand and support fire evacuation procedures drills and training.

Hospitality Operations

• Prepare all hospitality outlets ahead of service to ensure were ready to welcome patrons.

• Float in and reconcile EPOS systems accurately reporting discrepancies where necessary.

• Lead on event set-ups refreshment requests and clear-downs.

• Carry out regular floor walks to maintain cleanliness and presentation liaising with Housekeeping where required.

• Set up and manage additional sales points including ice cream sales.

• Accept check record and store deliveries of food beverage merchandise and programmes (in the absence of the Stores Operative).

• Ensure invoices are recorded and stored correctly.

• Monitor queues and pinch points including back-of-house areas such as the Green Room stepping in where needed to enhance the customer experience.

• Monitor and reconcile stock and takings including end-of-month stock takes.

• Report any issues relating to safety security behaviour housekeeping or maintenance to CER Managers.

• Close hospitality and retail outlets ensuring cleaning schedules are completed and areas are stocked and ready for the next service.

• Place stock orders on the correct days monitoring attendance levels to ensure appropriate stock levels.

• Manage merchandise deliveries from visiting companies including set-up sales and reconciliation.

• Act as the main point of contact for external clients during events.

• Step in as Duty Manager for Catering Events & Retail in the absence of a CER Manager.

This is a hands-on leadership role at the centre of our audience experienceideal for someone who thrives in a fast-paced live performance environment and takes pride in delivering consistently high standards as part of Team TRP.

If youd like an informal chat about the Catering Events & Retail Shift Leader role wed love to hear from you. Please contact Jon Elliott Head of Catering Events & Retail at or call Monday to Friday between 12:00pm and 4:00pm.

As the largest and most well-attended regional producing theatre in the UK we present diverse productions on our three stages: The Lyric The Drum and The Lab. With a regional audience of over 2.1 million we employ over 300 dedicated staff including leading artists and craftspeople and attract over 300000 annual audience members.

Theatre Royal Plymouth is a registered charity inspiring a lifetime of creativity for audiences artists and participants throughout Plymouth and the wider region. As the principal home of performing arts in the South West we engage and inspire many communities creating memorable experiences for people from all backgrounds.

We do this by creating and presenting a breadth of shows on a range of scales with their extensive creative engagement programmes by embracing the vitality of new talent and supporting emerging and established artists and by collaborating with a range of partners to provide dynamic cultural leadership for the City of Plymouth.